Happy St Patrick's Day

[erastes]

Whilst I'm proud of being English, and my colouring is more Anglo Saxon than Celt, my parents parents were both from Ireland and having lived there for a few years (and left a few lovely lovely boys behind me (particularly Tony Barden) all of whom I still long for) I have a strong love for the place.  If I were independent, I'd move back there tomorrow.

Inspired by gunderpants:  Whilst the typical Irish fayre (particularly where I used to live in Leitrim) is still pork, cabbage and potatoes, this is a lovely recipe my mother made a lot.  Steak & Kidney Pudding with guinness

For the suet pastry

500g self-raising flour
250g suet
Salt
1tsp baking powder
Water

For the pie filling

1kg of rump of chuck steak
300g trimmed ox or veal kidney
60-80g beef dripping
200g lightly browned onions
300ml Guinness or stout
275g baby button mushrooms
1 bouquet garni
600ml beef stock
Salt and pepper

Method

To make the suet pastry, mix the dry ingredients together and bind together with water - about 120ml. Line 10 darioles with clingfilm. Roll out the pastry 3-4mm thick. Cut out and line the darioles but reserve some pastry for the lids.

Seal off the meats in dripping. Fry-off the onion and add to the meats. Add the stout, stock and bouquet garni. Season, add mushrooms and simmer for two hours.

Drain the meat. Reduce cooking liquid by half. Fill the puddings with meat, mushrooms and reduced Guinness sauce. Cover the puddings with pastry lids and seal well. Cover lids with clingfilm. Steam or stand in bain-marie for at least one hour.

Turn out the puddings and remove film. Serve with

Serve with , Champ

Ingredients
125g/4oz spring onions, chopped, or 40g/1½oz chives, chopped
300ml/10fl oz milk
6-8 potatoes
salt and pepper
75g/3oz butter

Method
1. If using onions, simmer these in the milk until soft.
2. Boil the potatoes in salted water until just cooked, then mash.
3. Add the onions and their milk and the chives, if used, together with the milk which you have heated separately.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the butter melt over the finished dish.

and with cabbage, carrots and extra gravy, such as a veal and chicken stock reduction flavoured with Guinness.