One of those pieces of Royal Navy food slang. Imagine a tray full of individual steak and kidney puddings: rows of glistening and moistly steaming pale domes….
I haven’t made these for probably 40 years but thought a little warming nostalgia would be cheering in these days of isolation. I hadn’t realised that steamed suet puddings had also recently featured on Bake-Off and that the success rate with the Sussex Pond version was distinctly low – why it’s called a lemon? But this is a much more fool-proof method more suitable for the rest of us mortals.
This approach takes not too much preparation time spread over a couple of days and produces puddings that can be cooked straight away, from the fridge or even from the freezer in minutes. The only drawback is that the quantity (driven by the size of the suet box) made exactly seven small individual puddings. I could have stretched the filling with some carrots and/or leeks but would still have been a bit short on the pastry to make the eighth.
For the filling:
3 tablespoons olive oil.
2 large onions peeled and chopped.
500g mushrooms chopped small.
500g stewing beef, cut small.
2 lamb’s kidneys trimmed and chopped.
2 tablespoons plain flour.
Good grinding of black pepper.
1 generous teaspoon mustard powder.
2 beef stockpots/cubes.
6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
3 bay leaves, stems removed and torn small.
440ml can of Guinness.
For the pastry:
1 pack (240g) suet.
480g self-raising flour.
Grind of black pepper.
Cold water.
Day 1.
Sauté the onions in the oil until becoming transparent and then add the mushrooms.
When the mushrooms are nearly cooked, add the beef, turning to cook all over.
Add the kidney pieces and flour, stirring to mix through.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly as the mixture comes to a gentle simmer.
Cover the pan and place in a low oven (Gas 2) for two hours (or cook on the lowest heat on top of the hob or in a slow cooker). Add some water if it seems to be reducing too much.
Allow to cool then chill in the fridge overnight.
Day 2.
Rub the suet in to the flour and pepper then mix with the water to a firm dough that leaves the sides of the bowl (around 3 tablespoons or so).
Take pieces of the dough and press flat and thin to line individual 1/3 pint bowls, leaving a lip at the top.
Fill the bowls with the meat mixture. Keep any gravy to serve with the puddings.
Take more dough and press out into a circle, dampen the edges and press firmly to seal to the pastry lining the bowl.
Trim off any excess pastry.
To cook the puddings:
Microwave: suitable for plastic bowls only (Lakeland)– cover with paper kitchen towel and cook on Medium power for 4-5 minutes (1 bowl) or 7-8 minutes (2 bowls), allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Steam: cover each bowl with a double layer of greaseproof paper plus a layer of foil on top, fold all the layers together in the middle to form a pleat for any expansion, tie the coverings to the bowl with string and trim off any excess.
Place on a saucer or similar in a pan of simmering water (water about half to two thirds up side of bowls), put on a lid and simmer for one hour.
Remove string and coverings and turn upside down on to plates.
The microwave method is much easier for me as I don’t have to fiddle around with the greaseproof, foil and string – not so easy when you can’t see.
This is also a great dish to make beforehand: the puddings can be kept uncooked in the fridge for a day or so or frozen and de-frosted before microwaving.
Wonderful served with mashed potatoes, some of the reserved gravy and green vegetables or even a stir-fry – memories of our youth!