The president's beefsteak and kidney pie

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 smalls Veal or Baby Beef Kidneys
1½ pounds Rump or Round Steak (to be cut into 1\" pieces
1 cup Claret or other Dry Red Wine
2 Onions, 1 sliced; 1 diced
2 Bay Leaves
½ cup Parsley, chopped
½ cup Celery, chopped (including tender leafy tops)
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
Suet or Bacon Drippings
Flour for dredging and thickening
1 pint Hot Water
Salt
1 teaspoon Coarse Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Marjoram
Pastry of puff-paste, pie crust, or biscuit dough (to cover casserole)

Directions

Separate the kidneys with a sharp knife, discarding all gristly portions and fat. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with claret, add bay leaves, sliced onion, pepper. Let it marinate 2 hours.

Pound the steak with flour, and cut into 1" pieces. Brown suet or heat bacon drippings in iron skillet. Then add diced onion and cook until clear; remove onion from skillet.

Over medium heat, brown steak well. Next drain the kidneys, reserving the marinade; dredge with flour, and brown, stirring carefully. Add 1 pt or less or hot water, stir well, add chopped celery and parsley, and marjoram.

Mix all well, and transfer to the casserole from which you intend to serve the pie. Strain into it the marinade. Cover with a tight lid, and bake at 325oF for about 1 hour.

Remove from oven. Brown the mushrooms in bacon drippings, and if they need thickening, thicken with flour mixed in cold water and stirred carefully to avoid lumps. Add the mushrooms to the casserole mixture. Cover with a crust of puff-paste, pie crust, or biscuit dough, and return to 400oF oven, and bake until brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve at once.

Source: The First Ladies Cookbook - 1969 . Chapter on George & Marsha Washington

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