This is a variation on the traditional steak and kidney pie recipe. I first found it in an old Margaret Fulton cookbook. The basic sauce is the same, but instead of the traditional crusty pie topping there is a lighter sponge on top.

Basic Steak and Kidney Recipe

1 kg of stewing beef, round, blade or rump steak are suitable cuts
1 Ox kidney or 4 lamb kidneys
1 Tablespoon of plain flour
Salt
ground black pepper
Pinch of dried herbs, thyme, sage or oregano
100 ml red wine

Trim fat and gristle from the beef. Cut into 2 cm dice.
Remove core and membrane from the kidneys an cut into smaller pieces.
Coat the meat and kidneys in the seasoned flour. I find the easiest way to do this is to put the ingredients into a plastic bag and give it a good shake.
Put the meat into a casserole and simmer very gently for 2-3 hours.

For the sponge

1 cup of Self raising Flour
Good pinch salt
2 eggs separated
1 cup milk
50 g melted butter

Sift flour and salt into a basin. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Beat the egg yolks into the milk and pour into the well. Add the butter and stir the mixture until it is smooth.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and then fold into the mixture.

To assemble
Put the steak and kidney mixture into a basin that will fit inside a large saucepan or boiler. Do this while the sauce is still hot.
Pour the sponge mixture over the back of a large spoon onto the steak and kidney mixture so that it spreads out evenly.
Put the basin into a saucepan with boiling water half way up the sides. Cover the saucepan and bring to a fast boil for a half hour.

Some Wine suggestions
The strong flavours of this dish demand a hearty red wine. I would suggest a Durif or a full bodied Zinfandel

Zinfandel: a much travelled grape variety

Zinfandel is best known for its role in the Californian wine industry where it is used to produce white, pink and red wines of all qualities. It has its ardent supporters and a fair share of detractors.

The origin of the variety and its relationship to the Italian variety Primitivo have been subject of research and debate for some time. DNA profiling has demonstrated that Primitivo and Zin are genetically equivalent, but since 2001 we know that both are genetically the same as a Croatian variety Crjenak Kastelanski. You can believe any story you like as to how it got from Croatia to East Coast USA to California and back to Italy.

So what is Zin like?

Well it seems that you can take your pick, from rustic almost undrinkable rough reds to pinks and blushes through to some fairly reasonable drops. White Zinfandel, usually it is blush rather than white, is still popular with the masses who want something slightly sweet and drinkable. It is not well regarded by serious wine people.

Food pairing and Zinfandel

If you find a robust well made red Zinfandel you can pair it with many foods. Barbecued steak and sausages is a good start; it will also go well with moderately spiced food like cajun style cuisine or calabrese salami and similar dishes. Hard cheeses could be another idea.

In Australia there are about 50 or so wineries now using Zinfandel

Zinfandel Jennifer Bonaventura Buy this Print From Art.com

Here is a Zinfandel food pairing suggestion from food and wine writer Fiona Beckett.

This is a really robust pasta dish from Fiona who has her own regularly updated site www.matchingfoodandwine.com

The Zin gives a richer, more warming flavour than the usual tomato-based sauce, Fiona says.

You can use rigatoni, penne or similar pasta in this recipe.

Ingredients: Serves 4

350g Italian sausages or other coarsely ground 100% pork sausages
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium aubergine/eggplant (about 250-300g) cut into cubes
1 medium onion (about 150g), peeled and finely chopped
1 medium red pepper (about 150g), de-seeded and cut into roughly 2 cm
squares
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 rounded tbsp tomato puree
1 level tsp dried oregano
175ml zinfandel or other full bodied fruity red wine
175ml fresh chicken or light vegetable stock made with a teaspoon of
vegetable bouillon powder
350g dried rigatoni or penne pasta
4 heaped tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Slit the sausage skins with a sharp knife, peel off the skin and chop the sausage meat roughly. In a large frying pan or wok heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil and brown the sausagemeat breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add another 2 tbsp of oil to the pan and stir fry the aubergine for 3-4 minutes till it starts to brown. Add the remaining oil and chopped onion and fry for a couple of minutes then add the red pepper and fry for another minute or two.

Return the sausage meat to the pan, stir in the tomato puree and cook for a minute then add the garlic, oregano and Zinfandel. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half then add the stock, stir, and leave over a low heat to simmer while you cook the pasta following the instructions on the pack.

When the pasta is just cooked spoon off a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water into the sauce then drain the pasta thoroughly and tip it into the sauce along with 3 tablespoons of the parsley.

Mix well together and leave off the heat for 2-3 minutes for the flavours to amalgamate. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the pasta and sauce into warm bowls and sprinkle with a little of the remaining parsley. You could also sprinkle over some grated parmesan if you like though I’m not sure that it needs it.

Recommended wine match:
Given you’ve got a bottle of Zinfandel open that would be the obvious match but you could also drink a southern Italian red like a Primitivo or a Syrah.

More about Zinfandel in Australia

Fiona has written several wine and food books. See details of a couple for sale through Amazon below.
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