Steak Pudding

Make the Pastry

1. Sift the flour, salt and pepper into a large bowl, then toss in the suet.
2. Begin pouring in the cold water a little at a time, stirring well. Continue until you have a soft (but not sticky) dough. Do not add all of the water if the correct consistency is reached beforehand.
3. Work the dough together by hand until it is smooth, then reserve a quarter of the dough. Turn out the rest onto a floured workspace and press into a round, flat disc.
4. 1. Roll the dough out into a ¼” thick round. 2. Fold into quarters. 3. Place folded dough into pudding basin, then unfold. 4. Press dough into bowl, then trim off the top edge with a sharp knife. Set aside. (SEE PHOTO)

Make the Stew Filling

1. Put the prepared beef into a bowl and toss in the flour. Add the salt and pepper and toss well to evenly coat the meat with the flour. Next, add the chopped onion and mix to evenly distribute.

Assemble the Steak Pudding

1. Put the beef and onion mixture into the pre-lined pudding bowl. Pour the beef stock into the beef mixture so that it comes up to about ⅔ of the way. You may have to move some meat to check, and you may not use all of the stock.
2. Roll the reserved pastry into a round disc to fit the top of the pudding. Wet the edge of the pastry with water and place the pastry on top of the bowl and slightly press it to seal without crimping.

Prepare to Steam the Pudding

1. Cut a piece of waxed paper and aluminum foil to place over the top of the pudding. It should be cut to accommodate a 1″ pleat in the center and so it folds over the top 2″ of the bowl.
2. Make a pleat in the center of the foil and waxed paper (with the waxed paper on top as shown above.)
3. Use kitchen twine to tightly tie the around the bottom of the rim of the bowl, and fashion a handle across the top to lower and remove the bowl from the steamer. (This rim on the Mason Cash bowl is important, so if you use another brand, it may not work.)
4. If you have a metal bowl gripper tool like this, you can skip the twine handle over the top.
5. Place the pudding into a steamer with a few inches of boiling water. I fashion my own in a pasta pot, using a metal trivet on the bottom, but you can also use scrunched up aluminum foil. Steam the pudding for 5 hours, making sure to top up the water so it doesn’t evaporate completely.

Serve the Steak Pudding

1. Carefully untie or cut the twine and remove the aluminum foil and waxed paper from the pudding. Place a plate on top of the steak pudding, upside down, then carefully flip it over.
2. Be sure to have your potatoes, peas and gravy ready to go. Allow the steak pudding to cool for a 3 or 4 minutes, before cutting into it. Serve immediately.
3. Don’t forget the gravy. I use Bisto powder (the granules now have too many horrible ingredients, sadly) to make a quick jug.