The yummy offal bits! Steak and Kidney pie

I believe you should practice what you preach and eat what you preach too! Today after class i hit the Farmers Market on the Quad. I got some lovely duck eggs for 3 dollar a dozen(great deal and huge eggs). Also bought some beautiful lambs quarters,a lettuce with a wonderful rich flavor,This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. It is also high in sodium which is very important in pregnancy. It is also a common weed so if you find it growing wild try some! They can be used as salad greens or cooked and added to stews like bean and sausage. Also makes a lovely pesto! Its also called wild spinach so think of using it like spinach. But I also bought some beef kidneys and some beef heart! Here is my recipe for steak and kidney pie!

STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE
pie crust or biscuit dough
1 beef kidney
soak the kidney in salted water for several hours or overnight. If frozen you can soak it in salted water to thaw then rinse under running water and then place in fresh salted water for an hour. 1 tsp salt to one quart water. Double if you need more water. This mellows the flavor, I then soak mine in homemade yogurt for a few hours. Yogurt recipe is on this blog.
1 piece of beef steak
I have some Heartbrand Japanese wagyu beef from Yoakum TX YUMMY!
Some root veggies Onion,carrots,turnips,potatoes,garlic (all some or none)
flour
parsley,thyme,bay leaf,salt and pepper
worcestershire sauce
red wine
stock preferably beef but anything or water will do.

After soaking kidneys cut them open lengthwise and remove any tubes membranes fat etc(the fat is amazing when rendered but thats a whole other recipe) cut into chunks and toss in some seasoned flour. Do the same with the beef. Brown then remove from pan. add your root veggies and scrap up the browned bits. Deglaze pan by pouring in wine and stock about 1 cup wine and 2 cups stock. Let this reduce and thicken. Add worcestershire sauce about 3 splashes. If using dried herbs add now. If fresh add at the end of the reduction. Put the steak and kidney meat back into the pan after its reduced to a bit thicker gravy. Turn off pan and taste for salt and pepper.
Pack the meat with the liquid into a pie pan,cake pan or individual small pot pies if you have. Top with either pie dough or try biscuit dough which is also wonderful.
Bake at 350 for as long as you can with out burning the crust. About an hour. The longer the Braise the more tender the meat will be. You can also cover the pie so it doesnt brown too much.
This recipe is also wonderful if you add cream or mushrooms or dijon mustard for a sharper flavor.
Serve with a light green salad with the lambs quarters!