This recipe is attached to the Steak and Kidney recipe on this site, but I thought it worth posting separately. It is, without a doubt, the easiest pastry ever.
There are two types of Suet available in the supermarkets – Beef Suet, and Vegetable Suet. I use the vegetable one, for no particular reason that I can remember.
This quantity is for a one-crust pie – it’s not suitable for lining a pie.
Reduce the amounts if you’re making a smaller pie; increase for a bigger one, but always maintain the 2:1 ratio.
EQUIPMENT:
- weighing scales
- medium-sized bowl
- flat-bladed knife – to mix
- Rolling pin
INGREDIENTS: these quantities will cover a 23cm dish
- 6oz/175g Beef or Vegetarian suet (I use Atora brand)
This is what Suet looks like..
- 12oz/350g self-raising flour (It MUST be self -raising!)
- salt and pepper to taste
- cold water – to mix
METHOD:
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees Fan.
- Warm the stew/Steak and Kidney through..
- Mix the flour, suet, salt and pepper together in a bowl.
- Don’t add the water until very shortly before you’re going to use it.
- Using a flat-bladed knife, sparingly add enough cold water to make a stiff dough. As usual, less is more – it’s easy to add more water, but impossible to take it out.
- Mix until it comes together.
- Tip the dough onto a floured surface and roughly roll out to the shape and size of your serving dish
- Lift the pastry onto your filled pie-dish, and plonk it on top. Don’t bother to trim it – just tuck the edges in around the sides of the bowl.
- Stab it a couple of times..
- Then pop it in the oven and leave it there for about 20 minutes, or until risen, golden brown and crispy.
NOTES:
- I can’t recommend suet pastry enough – it’s crisp and golden on top, and soft and doughy underneath where it has soaked up some of the gravy. However, if you want a finish that looks a little less rustic, or simply don’t have the time, ready-made puff pastry is very acceptable.
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx