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Steak and ale pudding

Name: Steak and ale pudding
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: oil; onion 1 large, halved and sliced; chestnut mushrooms 200g, quartered; braising steak 400g, cut into 2cm pieces and trimmed of fat; plain flour 1 tbsp, seasoned; tomato purée 1 tsp; brown ale or Guinness 300ml; rosemary 1 sprig, leaves picked and chopped; self-raising flou r 250g; shredded beef suet 125g

2 hours 30 minutes + 2 hours steaming
serves 4
A little effort

A winter classic! A steak and ale pudding made with suet pastry is often found on pub menus, but now we show you how easy it is to make at home. Use ale or Guinness for a rich, deep flavour for the steak and mushrooms. It may take a while to make but once it's steaming you can leave it alone - it's worth the wait.

March 25, 2015 at 3:05 pm

Ingredients

oil
onion 1 large, halved and sliced
chestnut mushrooms 200g, quartered
braising steak 400g, cut into 2cm pieces and trimmed of fat
plain flour 1 tbsp, seasoned
tomato purée 1 tsp
brown ale or Guinness 300ml
rosemary 1 sprig, leaves picked and chopped

suet pastry

self-raising flou r 250g
shredded beef suet 125g

Method

Step 1

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan and cook the onions and mushrooms until golden, then scoop out. Toss the steak in the seasoned flour and fry until browned (you might need a drop more oil). Add back the onions and mushrooms and add the tomato purée, brown ale and thyme, stirring them together thoroughly. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 2 hours before leaving to cool.
Step 2

To make the pastry, put the flour, suet, ½ tsp salt and a good grind of pepper in a bowl. Gradually mix in 150ml cold water with a dinner knife until it makes a dough.
Step 3

Bring together into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 4

Roll the suet pastry out to a circle about 1cm thick and cut a quarter out of the circle and keep for the top. Use the rest of the pastry to line a well-buttered 1 litre pudding basin crimping the ends together.
Step 5

Fill the lined basin with the steak mix then re-roll the leftover pastry to make a lid. Crimp the edges together to seal.
Step 6

Lay a sheet of buttered baking paper on top of a sheet of foil, fold a pleat in the middle and smooth down to sharpen the pleat.
Step 7

Put the double sheet on top of the pudding baking paper-side down and mould to the top of the basin with your hands.
Step 8

Tie with string under the rim of the basin and tie a handle to make it easier to move.
Step 9

Trim any excess foil then put in a steamer or on an upturned saucer in a large pan and pour boiling water to halfway up the sides of the bowl. Steam for 2 hours keeping an eye on the water level. To serve, unwrap then carefully turn out onto a serving plate.