Mediterranean Kidney and Steak Pie

View of Marathon from the hills of Kalentzi
View of Marathon from the hills of Kalentzi

Today’s dish came out of a gift.

I have always liked beef kidneys and my  good butcher brought me some as a present. Apparently no one in Greece today eats beef kidneys, so the wholesale meat merchants give them away to the butchers who ask for them.

After returning home I got down to the important task of deciding what to cook with them.

Beef kidneys
Beef kidneys

I had some chuck steak and decided to make a kidney and steak pie, emphasizing the kidney and using the steak as second fiddle.

For the first time, I decided to use olives , capers and balsamico vinegar in the filling. I also decided to marinate the kidneys in red wine, and grill the steak rather than fry it. It is in this respect that this is a mediterranean version of the recipe.

Chopped marinated beef kidneys
Chopped marinated beef kidneys

I marinated the kidneys for 24 hours  in red wine, onions, rosemary salt, crushed red chilli peppers,  capers and a bit of garlic.

After the kidneys were marinated, I seared them in a hot pan and chopped them.

I grilled the chuck stek steak and chopped it.

Chopped grilled beef chuck steak
Chopped grilled beef chuck steak

I then put the marinade in a pot, added chopped carrots, more rosemary, a bit of chopped parsley and coriander,  and brought it to a robust boil that reduced the liquid to a thick paste.

Rosemary, parsley, coriander
Rosemary, parsley, coriander

I then chopped some green olives and added them to the paste, along with balsamico vinegar, and the chopped kidneys and steak. The pie filling was now ready.

Chopped green olives
Chopped green olives

While all of this was happening, the dough for the pie’s pastry was resting.

Open kidney and steak pie
Open kidney and steak pie

I use butter for the pastry, and just a pinch of baking powder. I do not use puff pastry first of all because it is too heavy and secondly because it takes too much time to make. The butter based pastry that I prepared took no more than 15 minutes. After it was prepared, I let it rest in the fridge for one hour or so.

Kidney and steak pie, ready to bake
s  Kidney and steak pie, ready to bake

After covering the pie, I bake it for 45 minutes in 200 centigrade.

Baked kidney and steak pie
Baked kidney and steak pie

I let it rest for 15 minutes and then serve it with a nice green salad and brown home made bread.

Steak kidney and steak pie - served
Steak kidney and steak pie – served

The taste was rich, spicy and the meats juicy and full of flavor. The capers, the olives and the balsamico gave the filling the acidity that is necessary to counterbalance the richness of the kidneys’ flavor.

Enjoy the dish with a robust red, preferably the one you used in the marinade.

Beef Kidneys with porcini mushrooms, and red cabbage and cauliflower puree

This is the result of falling half asleep on the morning flight to Athens and then rushing to the hypermarket to get some basics for the weekend. When I stumbled upon the beef kidneys I knew what I was going to cook. It is one of my favorite materials, both in flavor and in texture, but it is hard to find.

The first step is to marinate the kidneys. I use vinegar, sweet wine, chili pepper flakes, coriander seeds, oregano, coarse sea salt and black pepper. I cover with bay leaves and leave it to rest for one hour or so.

A nice cauliflower and some red cabbage lead me to the second step. I slice the cabbage and simmer it in a bit of olive oil in a deep pan. I add the cauliflower cut in small bunches.

I add fresh coriander and parsley, some coarse sea salt and black pepper, cover and let cook without any water, until it becomes very soft. Remember, all this is going to make the puree that will provide the soft and comforting company ot the wild, demanding kidneys and sudjuk. Not an easy task at all!

When the cabbage is soft, put everything in the mixer and prepare a nice thick mix. I add two eggs and a bit of flower to thicken it up, then serve in the shallow container, and bake for 15 minutes in high heat, to let the excess liquid evaporate and condense the flavor.

I take out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, the kidneys have been sliced and are simmering in the pan with the porcini and some of their marinade.

The last step is to slice and gently fry the sudjuk.

I got this Armenian sudjuk which turned out to be very good.

Be careful not to slice it very thin, as it will go dry very easily.

I serve on a large dish with a green salad on the side.

If you open a bottle of chianti wine you will be very happy with this dish!  Although any red with a good body will do the job! But take my word, do not eat this dish without a full-bodied red wine!

Bone appetite!