Gluten free steak and kidney pie

Yet another great gluten pastry recipe to share with you. And this time it’s a real corker! Gluten free steak and kidney pie.

I must tell you when I was first diagnosed with coeliac disease, I didn’t tend to make my own pastry very often (if at all!). But then after working at Juvela for a while, I discovered what culinary doors it would open, if I cracked on and mastered the art of making gluten free pastry. 

So yes, I’m now very pleased to say I’ve pretty much sussed out how to make excellent gluten free pastry. And that’s how come I can now share with you, how I popped together this yummy steak and kidney pie. Neil loved it so much he had seconds!

For the ultimate pie results, it’s definitely best to add cold filling to the pastry when you can. I cooked the steak and kidney filing the day before and stored it in the fridge. You can of course make the filling even further in advance and pop it in the freezer, ready for you to defrost and use, whenever you need it.

 

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the filling
450g (1lb) diced stewing steak (preferably skirt or chuck – ask your local butcher)
1 lambs’ kidney, diced (optional)
1 large onion, finely diced
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 small leek, finely chopped
1 small carrot, grated 
½ teaspoon *paprika 
1 Knorr *beef stock cube or stock pot (Knorr reduced salt are not gf)
1 dessertspoon *cornflour
Salt and *pepper

For the pastry
200g (7oz) gluten free plain flour or mix (I used Sainsbury’s gluten free plain flour on this occasion)
100g (3½ oz) hard butter (or margarine) cubed
1 large beaten egg
Add a pinch of salt to the flour if using unsalted butter
Enough cold water to bring the pastry together

To glaze
1 beaten egg to brush the pie before baking (milk would also work) 

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6/180C Fan.

Pop the diced steak, kidney and all the vegetables into a large casserole dish (or you can cook in a slow cooker if you like) and add the paprika. 

Dissolve the stock pot or cube in a pint of boiling water and pour this over the meat and vegetables. Add a little more boiled water, but only enough to just cover the meat and veg.

Cover the dish with a lid or some tin foil and transfer to the oven and cook for about 2-3 hours until the meat is tender. Do keep having a little peep to ensure its not drying out and of course chuck a splash of boiling water from the kettle in there, if you feel it needs it. 

Once the meat has cooked remove from the oven and thicken with a little cornflour that has been blended with some cold water. Stir in slowly until you get your desired thickness. Season to taste.

Allow the meat to cool at room temperature for up to 1½ hours. After this time you will need to pop it into the fridge if not using straight away. 

Lightly grease an 8inch (20cm) ovenproof pie plate.

For the gluten free pastry: Weigh out your gluten free flour or mix into a large mixing bowl. Add the chilled cubed butter and rub it in until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Don’t worry if you are left with a few chunky bits of butter, these will blend in perfectly when you knead the pastry.

Stir in the beaten egg and then add enough water (the amount you need each time may differ dependant on room temp) to bring the pastry together, to form a soft but not too sticky dough. If you don’t get enough water in at this stage, you will find the pastry difficult to handle and it will break up.

Form the pastry into a ball and then transfer it onto a clean surface dusted with gluten free flour or mix. You now need to knead the pastry for about 2 minutes until it feels nice and smooth. This part is wonderful, as you can’t overwork gluten free pastry, unlike traditional pastry.

Cut the pastry in half and roll out one of the halves. Line the pie plate/dish with the pastry and then fill it with the cooked steak and kidney.

Brush around the edges of the pastry with a little water. Roll out the other half of pastry and gently lay over the filling. Press the pastry together around the edges and trim off the excess with a knife. Crimp the edges of the pastry with your fingers or a fork. 

With a sharp knife cut two slits in the middle of the pie to let the steam escape as it cooks.

Brush the pastry with a little beaten egg and pop the pie into a preheated oven set at 190C/ 375F/Gas 5/170C Fan and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. Just keep your eyes on it. As if you have an oven like ours, you will need to turn the pie a couple of times to ensure it cooks evenly.

Once the pie is golden brown and you can see the gravy bubbling through the pastry, take it out of the oven.

Thinking of things to serve with this delicious pie? I like the idea of buttered new potatoes, steamed carrots (much more vibrant in colour when you steam them) and petit pois. I’m also quite partial to a few chips and a good helping of mushy peas with a tasty pie too.

---

If your struggling making gluten free pastry, you may find this video that I popped together helpful.

For more tempting savoury recipes click here!

For now
Liz x

 

 

*Check this product out to ensure no gluten containing ingredients or ‘may contain’ or ‘not suitable’ warnings on the pack. If in doubt leave it out!