Venison Pie, and Highland beef with pickled walnuts & puff pastry tops
There are pies and there are special pies. Venison Pie is a very special pie. The leanness of the meat which belies the richness of the gravy. This Pie may look a little daunting, believe me it is not.
Prep : 30 minutes Cook Time: 150 minutes Total Time: 180 minutes Yield: 1 large pie feeds 6
INGREDIENTS
2¼ lbs/1 kg shoulder or leg of red deer venison
1 ½ oz/ 40g dripping or lard
2 large onions, peeled and finely diced
1 heaped tbsp all-purpose / plain flour
1 tsp English mustard powder
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
18fl oz / 500 ml can of dark ale
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
3 tbsp malt vinegar
A heavy grating of nutmeg
1 big sprig of fresh thyme
Large-flaked sea salt and a good blast of black pepper
2 ginger biscuits
8 oz / 250g block of puff pastry
Extra flour for dusting
1 medium egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4.
Have the butcher cut the venison into proper over-sized mouthfuls that might need cutting once on your plate, as these cook better than small chunks.
Heat the dripping in a large, lidded flameproof casserole on the hob and add the onions, frying them until they are soft and browned. Turn off the heat and sift the flour and mustard powder into the pot. Stir until you have a thickish onion mix.
Add the meat and carrots and stir into the onions. (You are not pre-browning the meat, as with venison this makes it clench like a fist.) Add the ale, sugar, vinegar, nutmeg, thyme and pepper, and both ginger biscuits, finely grated. Stir once more. Do not add any salt; you’ll do this at the end.
Cover the contents of the pot with a circle of neatly cut greaseproof and put the lid on, then cook it in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. When the time is up, add a tablespoon of salt.
Transfer the contents of the casserole to a pie dish. Use a deep dish, as a wide shallow one will have the pie crust drooping in the middle, thus becoming soggy. Turn the temperature of the oven up to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6.
Roll your pastry out to a thickness of about ¼"/7mm and lay it over your unctuous deer filling. Leave a slight overhang and crimp the edges with a fork. Paint the top of your pie evenly with the beaten egg and milk. This is the time to fashion any pastry motif appropriate to the occasion and place it on top. Prick a hole in the middle of the pastry, no larger than a wren’s eye.
Cook for 40-45 minutes, until the pastry is a rich hazelnut brown. If in doubt, cook a little longer, as pale, soggy pastry is not as pleasing.
Highland beef with pickled walnuts & puff pastry tops
A rich beef stew that gets better the longer it's kept. The pickled walnuts add a tangy touch. Make up to three days ahead.
ready in about 3½ hours, including cooking EASY SERVES 8
Ingredients
For the pastry puffs
375g pack ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
For the stew
1½ kg stewing beef, cut into 5cm/2in pieces, excess fat removed
2 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 bay leaf
2 x 440ml cans of dark stout such as Scottish Oatmeal Stout or Guinness
85g butter
3 tbsp olive oil
100g smoked streaky bacon, roughly chopped
3 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
350ml port
390g jar pickled walnuts, halved (reserve 2 tbsp pickling vinegar)
3 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, plus extra to serve
Up to three days before, make the pastry puffs. Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry a little thinner and stamp out sixteen 6cm rounds. Put the rounds on a baking sheet and brush with the egg. Sprinkle with salt and bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Make the stew. Put the beef, garlic and bay leaf in a large non-metallic bowl and pour in the stout. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to fan 130C/ conventional 150C/gas 2. Drain the meat and pat dry on kitchen paper. Set aside the marinade liquid.
Heat both half the butter and oil in a large lidded ovenproof casserole. Over a high heat, brown the beef in batches until each piece is sealed and dark brown. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon as you go. Set aside.
Wipe the dish with kitchen paper, melt the remaining butter and oil and fry the bacon and onions for 10-15 minutes until the onions are golden brown, very soft and well reduced.
Stir in the flour until blended, add the port and reserved marinade and return the beef to the dish. Bring to the boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook in the oven for 2½ -3 hours or until the meat is very tender (no need to season). Cool, put in a large sealed container and store in the fridge, or freeze for up to 1 month.
To serve, return to the casserole and bring slowly to the boil (if frozen, defrost and continue as above). Add pickled walnuts and reserved pickling vinegar and simmer for 30 minutes until hot. Stir through the parsley. Re-heat the pastries at fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6 for 3-4 minutes. To serve, ladle into bowls, top with a couple of pastry puffs and sprinkle with a little chopped parsley.