From Marsh Mash Winter 2019

Makes 2-3 servings

Cooking time – 4-5 hours on High

Ingredients:

Butter or spread (to grease the pudding basin with)

For the suet pastry:

• 220g (8oz) self raising flour
• 110g (4oz) shredded suet – can be animal or vegetable suet
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• Approximately 135ml (4.75fl oz) cold water

For the pudding filling:

• 15ml (1 tbsp) cooking oil (I used vegetable oil)
• 1 large onion roughly chopped
• 30g (1 oz) dark brown sugar
• 100g (3.5 oz) mushrooms, sliced
• 15g (1 tbsp) flour
• 140 ml (5fl oz) strong, flavoursome, full bodied beer (I used Theakston Old Peculiar at 5.6%) taken from a 500ml bottle (put the rest to one side as you will need it later)
• 1 x beef stock or Oxo cube
• 15ml (1 tbsp) wholegrain or Dijon mustard (or whatever mustard you have handy)
• 15ml (1 tbsp) Worcestershire Sauce
• 350 g (12oz) rump steak cut into cubes and any fat or chewy bits discarded
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

Grease a 1.5 pint sized, traditional rimmed pudding basin with butter (or spread).

Make the suet crust pastry:

Sieve the flour into another bowl, stir in the suet and dried herbs. Using a fork, add water a little at a time and mix ingredients together until they form a soft but not sticky dough, roll the mix into a ball using your hands and set to one side.
NOTE: be careful not add too much water or the mix will become too sticky and difficult to use.

Make the pudding filling:

Fry the onions in the sugar and oil until soft, add the meat and mushrooms, stir until meat is browned, remove pan from heat. Stir in the flour and when mixed, add the beer, stock cube, mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Stir mixture well then put to one side.

To assemble the pudding and cook:

Roll the suet pastry out into a circle approximately 10” (25cm) and cut out one quarter segment and put the segment to one side. Press the remainder of the dough into the prepared pudding basin to line it, butting the edges together. Add the meat mixture and pat the reserved dough into a circle large enough to cover the filling (this will be slightly smaller than the pudding basin rim). Moisten the edges of the lid with water, place over the filling and push the edges together to seal the pudding. Cover the pudding with a large domed circle of buttered tin foil to allow enough space for the dough to rise. Secure string around the basin under the rim and make a handle to lift the pudding up with. Stand the pudding on an upturned saucer in the slow cooker and pour boiling water into the cooker to come halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover the cooker with the lid and cook on high for 4-5 hours. When cooked, remove the basin from the slow cooker using the string handle (or you can use a tea towel if you wish), remove the string and foil. The pudding should have risen, be light brown in colour and feel ‘dry’ to the touch. Serve with any vegetables of your choice and the reserved beer.

NOTE: If you require more gravy, make this up in a saucepan by using gravy granules mixed with half water/half beer (use some of the reserved beer) and a little dark brown sugar to taste.