Lou en peru

Lozzer's Steak & Ale pie recipe:

Serves 4.
1.5 pounds of chopped steak/ beef.
6oz kidneys
1 large onion (or 2 medium)
Large handful of mushrooms
1.5 tablespoon plain flour
Mixed herbs
Worcester sauce
7-8 fl.oz beef stock
7-8 fl.oz ale
Ready to roll puff pastry

Tips: don't get stewing steak. I did once and it was really chewy. I would recommend going for good quality meat (I recently got the end of the rump which was about £4 a pound. Going to a butchers is always a good idea, especially for getting a whole load of kidney which is really cheap, so if you're feeling a bit skint, just use less steak and more kidney!)

Method: fry chopped onion in a large pan. Then add steak and kidney and brown it off. Once the meat is cooked, add the flour and mix in with the meat. Next add the stock and the ale (I normally do about half and half, but you can choose your own measures), herbs, worcester sauce and mushrooms. Simmer on a low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to stop it from sticking. Transfer the meat mixture into a pie dish and cut the pastry to fit (leaving a bit over the edge). If you like you can ponce around fitting a strip to the side of the pie dish first, then press the lid onto the edges - but personally I can't be arsed with this. Press the lid onto the edges of the pie dish and spread some milk over the top to make it go brown. Cook in the oven at about 200 (need to check this) for 30-40 minutes.

Hey presto. A fab pie to impress your friends. Serving suggestion- with mashed potatoes with leeks mixed in, and a green vegetable.

L