Catholic Recipe: Steak and Kidney Pie

Saint James' feast was long pleasantly celebrated in rural England by the blessing of the new apple crop. The rector of the town was expected — and of course this was in the rationless seventeenth and eighteenth centuries — to distribute from his rectory "pyes" of mutton or beef to those who came to ask for them. The recipes are still at hand, and here is one high in favor in happier days.

DIRECTIONS

Cut the steak into 1-1/2-inch cubes and slice the kidneys.

Melt the butter and brown the onion lightly. Add the steak and stir well until all sides are browned. Add the stock (or 3 cups boiling water with 3 bouillon cubes), cover, and allow to simmer for about one and a half hours.

Then add the kidneys and cook an additional twenty minutes. Season with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.

Place in a baking dish, cover with piecrust, making a slit for steam to escape, and bake at 450° F. for about twenty to twenty-five minutes or until crust is done.