5 hrs 20 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 6
About the recipe
Packed full of flavour, this steamed pudding makes the perfect sharing dish and a seriously tasty centrepiece — rich, slow-cooked lamb filling, wrapped in beautiful pastry, with a jug of red wine gravy. Yes, please!
Ingredients
400g lamb neck fillet, cut into 5cm dice
olive oil
2 leeks
2 carrots
200g swede
1 teaspoon English mustard
1 teaspoon mint sauce
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
250ml red wine
1 litre organic beef stock
350g self-raising flour
175g unsalted butter (cold), plus extra for greasing
Top Tip
GET AHEAD
Rustling up the stew is a nice job to do a day in advance, but it’s best not to separate the filling and gravy until you want to assemble and steam the pudding to keep the meat beautifully juicy.
EASY SWAPS
Feel free to swap the lamb neck for diced chuck steak, if you prefer.
Method
- Place 400g of diced lamb neck into a large casserole pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Meanwhile, trim and wash 2 leeks and 2 carrots, and peel 200g of swede, then chop into 3cm chunks and add to the pan. Cook for a further 10 minutes, or until starting to soften.
- Add 1 teaspoon of English mustard, 1 teaspoon of mint sauce and 1 heaped tablespoon of plain flour, stir over the heat for 2 minutes, then pour in 250ml of red wine and let it bubble and cook away.
- Pour in 1 litre of beef stock, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 hour, or until the lamb is beautifully tender and the sauce is thick and glossy. Leave to cool completely.
- To make the pastry, sieve 350g of self-raising flour into a large bowl from a height. Chop 175g of cold butter into cubes, then, using your fingertips, gently work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in 150ml of cold water and bring everything together into a dough. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
- Heavily grease a 1.5 litre pudding bowl with butter.
- Reserving a quarter for the top, roll the pastry out to 1cm-thick and cut out a circle large enough to line the entire pudding bowl, with a 2cm overhang.
- Strain the lamb stew through a sieve over a clean pan to catch the liquid, gently pressing to help it along, and reserve for your gravy. Tip the pie filling into the pastry-lined bowl.
- Roll out the remaining pastry and use it to top the pie, then use water and your fingertips to pinch and seal the edges together well.
- Cover in a large piece of buttered greaseproof and a double layer of tin foil. Tie a double layer of string just beneath the lip of the bowl to make it watertight, then tie another piece across the top to make a handle.
- Sit the pudding in a large deep pan and pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides. Bring the water to the boil, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce to a simmer for 3 hours. Check the water regularly, and keep topping it up with boiling water, if needed.
- When the time’s up, lift out the pudding, remove the foil and paper, then carefully turn out onto a plate. Warm through the reserved gravy, then serve with some simple steamed greens.
Tags
