Recipes
Diced Venison and Wild Mushroom Pies
Recipe by Sophie Wright
The GREAT PIE!! Yum! A proper pie, with a proper pastry base and crispy top...once you've had this there will be no going back to Puff pastry tops. Give this rich, full bodied pie a go, served with lashing of creamy Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and a very good glass of Red. Go on, treat yourselves.
Top Tip, if you're having a little soiree, why not make these "mini" and have the crème de la crème of all canapés!!
Method
Stage 1
Make the filling for the pie first. Put a large casserole pan on to heat and add the oil. Coat the diced Venison in 2 tbsp of plain flour, season well and lay the Venison into the hot pan in batches. Allow the meat to colour well on all sides before removing from the pan and frying the next batch. When all the meat is browned, turn the heat down to low, remove any burnt bits from the bottom of the pan and add a little more oil.
Add the lardons, diced onion, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and crushed juniper berries. Place a lid on top and allow to cook for 8-10 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the browned Venison along with the soaked dried mushrooms, (reserve the soaking liquor for later). Stir together well before adding the remaining flour, red wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce and mushroom liquor.
Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 2.5 hours stirring every half an hour or so. Once the stew is cooked, the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened, add in the red currant jelly. Check for seasoning and turn off the heat. The stew now needs to cool completely.
Stage 2
Make the pastry. Cut the butter and lard into even 1cm dice. Place the flour into a large mixing bowl and add in the butter and lard along with a pinch of salt. Using your finger tips, rub the fats into the flour until you have made a breadcrumb like texture. When this is achieved, gradually add the water and bring the pastry together into a ball. Try not to over work the pastry.
Wrap the pastry in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
Once the pastry has rested, decide if you want to make one large pie (about 30cm in diameter) or 6 individual ones (around 8cm in diameter). Make sure the dish is non stick or has a removable base if you want to serve the pie out of the dish once cooked. Grease the pie dish/dishes well with butter.
Roll out a generous half of the pastry to 3mm think, using flour to stop it sticking. Cut out the sizes you need to line each dish with enough extra for 2cm overhang. Lay the cut out pastry carefully into the pie dish and press the pastry well into the edges. Leave the over hang on, line with grease proof paper and baking beans and place into the fridge for another 30 minutes. Once rested, blind bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
Remove the baking beans. Trim off the excess pastry. Fill the lined pastry case with the cooked and cooled Venison Stew.
Take the remaining pastry from the fridge and roll it out. Cut out the lid for you pie/pies and also make a thin strip to go round the edge of each pie
Brush the edges of the pre cooked pastry case with beaten egg and stick on the strip followed by the lid. Seal well and trim off the excess.
Brush the top of the pie with the remaining egg yolk, make a small hole in the centre and sprinkle with Sea salt.
Place the pie into the preheated oven and bake for 20-25minutes until golden brown on top.
To serve. Allow the pie to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pie dish and serve, hot or cold.
Preparation: 1 hour
Time to cook: 1 hour
Ingredients
Pastry crust
600g plain flour
150g butter, at room temp
150g lard
6-8 tbsp water
2 egg yolks to glaze, beaten
Salt
Pie filling
50 mls vegetable oil
1kg New Zealand venison leg cuts, cut into 1 inch pieces or just use the trimmings, alternatively diced forequarter would work very well
4tbsp plain flour
2 large white onions, finely diced
2 sticks celery finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
150g smoked lardons or pancetta
2 tsp chopped thyme
2 bay leaves
50g dried porcini mushrooms soaked in 100mls of boiling water
5 juniper berries, crushed gently with the back of a knife
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
300mls red wine
800mls game or beef stock
2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
Salt and pepper
All form fields are required.