Pastry is often a nemesis for people so a top tip is - and we are not about being too ‘cheffy’ – buy pre-made short crust or puff pastry. It is good and it’s easy! Also enhance flavours with zest of citrus and redcurrant jelly.
Ingredients
675g/1½lb mixed game such as pheasant, partridge, hare and rabbit, or grouse (boned)
225g/8oz venison cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
2 tbsp oil
2 red onions, peeled and sliced
4 rashers of chopped smoked fatty bacon
120g/4oz mushrooms cleaned and sliced
1 clove crushed garlic
30g/1oz plain flour
1 bay leaf
1 zested orange and its juice or half a glass of OJ
1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
300ml/½ pint chicken stock (I like the jelly ones rather than dry cube)
300ml/½ pint red wine
340g/12oz puff or short crust pastry (buy it pre-made)
Salt and pepper
Beat an egg for brushing the pastry to give it a golden colour when baked.
Method
Brown the game and venison in batches until well browned. And then keep to one side. (or steak in the same quantities if you don’t like game)
Heat the rest of the oil and cook the onions for five minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic, bacon and mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the flour and cook for two minutes. Season well and stir in the bay leaf, orange zest and juice, redcurrant jelly, stock and wine.
Bring to the boil, add the meat and simmer gently for 40 minutes to an hour, or until the meat is tender and then allow to cool.
Pre-Heat the oven to 200C.
Put the meat mixture in a pie dish. Or smaller individual pies, roll out the pastry to make a lid and attach to the dish. Decorate with the pastry trimmings if you want and cut a steam hole in the centre if it’s a big pie and then brush with the beaten egg.
Bake for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 180C for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and risen and the filling is piping hot (less for the smaller pies).
Recipe courtesy of Michael Ibbotson, co-founder of Provenance Inns provenanceinns.com
