Game Pie
Preparation time: 30 min to 1 hour. Cooking time: 1-2 hours.
Ingredients
- 675g mixed game meat such as pheasant, partridge, hare and rabbit, boned
- 225g venison steak cut into 2.5cm cubes
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 red onions, peeled and sliced
- 120g smoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons
- 120g chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 30g plain flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 orange, zest and juice
- 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
- 300ml chicken stock
- 300ml red wine
- 340g puff pastry
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat a tablespoon of the oil and brown the game and venison in batches until well browned. Keep on one side.
- 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 40-50 minutes until the meat is tender. Cool.
- Heat the oven to 200C.
- Put the meat mixture in a pie dish. Roll out the pastry to make a lid and attach to the dish. Decorate with the pastry trimmings and cut a steam hole in the centre. Glaze with beaten egg.
- Bake for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 180C 4 for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and risen and the filling is piping hot.
