Oh no... we killed Bambi.
Not really.
Venison is a great British meat. By that, what we really mean is that it's a help to the British countryside to eat venison that's been killed in the right way. Culling is an essential part of our woodland maintenance - when the herd become too large they start to destroy the woodlands and become a serious pest by destroying local crops. If the wood can't support the numbers then the whole herds get sick. Venison meat is wonderful and lends itself to lots of dishes but we think that pie or perhaps a nice hearty stew are the best two.
This Easter, Elle and I have enjoyed chilly walks through Sussex woods, wrapped up warm in our grandmother’s hand-me-downs. Although we missed the bright sunny days of last Easter, there was something magical about the frost lapped leaves catching the sun, and huddling round a log fire clasping a steaming mug of tea afterwards. This is the weather that pies were made for, and this venison pie is particularly comforting, with its woody, gamey flavour.
Our pie was made through a combination of ideas that Elle and I have developed over our years of sporadic pie making. It’s the nicest pie we’ve ever had (even with its shop-bought pastry), though I’m not sure whether that is because of some serendipity in our technique or because of the wonderful quality of the local deer. In any case, suffice it to say that it will now be a regular feature of our weekend trips to Sussex.
Ingredients (serves 6
hungry people)
1kg diced venison
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
2 onions, peeled and diced
700ml stock(I made mine extra flavoursome with some leftover chicken gizzards)
700ml cider
5 sprigs of rosemary, leaves taken off the stalk and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
6 tablespoons of plain flour or corn flour
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of tomato puree
5-10 drops of Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Olive oil for cooking
1 sheet of ready to roll short crust pastry
1kg diced venison
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
2 onions, peeled and diced
700ml stock(I made mine extra flavoursome with some leftover chicken gizzards)
700ml cider
5 sprigs of rosemary, leaves taken off the stalk and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
6 tablespoons of plain flour or corn flour
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of tomato puree
5-10 drops of Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Olive oil for cooking
1 sheet of ready to roll short crust pastry
Method
The pie filling is definitely better if you prepare it the
night before, so I will instruct accordingly. But if you are under more time
pressure, just cook it the one time, strain off the liquid and reduce it
separately before mixing it in with the venison and vegetables again.
Prepare your ingredients.
Toss the venison in well-seasoned flour.
Heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a big, heavy
based pot – le creuset style pots work very well.
Brown the venison on all sides in the pan, remove and set
aside. Deglaze the pan with some stock and some rigorous scraping with a wooden
spatula and return the flour-y liquid to the rest of the stock.
Heat up some more oil and add the onions. Make sure the heat
is moderate and that you keep stirring so that they don’t burn. Cook until
softened (around 10 minutes).
Add the root vegetables and sweat for around 8 minutes before
adding the garlic and rosemary, and cooking for a further two minutes.
Add the venison, the stock, cider, tomato puree, and another
half teaspoon of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 40-50
minutes on a very gentle heat. Turn off the heat and leave to cool overnight.
First thing the next day, bring it to the boil and reduce to
the perfect pie filling consistency. Taste and add as much Worcestershire sauce / salt / pepper as you like.
Leave to cool again (this cooling, heating
process really tenderises the meat). Once cool enough, place in a couple of pie dishes
and put in the fridge until needed.
An hour before you want to eat, preheat the oven to 200
degrees Celsius: take the pie filling out of the fridge. Unroll your pastry and
stretch it out a little more with a rolling pin until it is about 3mm thick.
Don’t let it get warm or it will stick to the surface it is on. Cut it so it is
around 1 inch bigger than your pie top. Gently place it on top and mould the
edges around as a crust.
Decorate if you like and place it in the oven for 35
minutes (turn the temperature down or cover with foil if it browns too
quickly).
For the mixed frites:
Charlotte potatos
White sweet potatoes
Orange sweet potatoes
Method:
Cut very finely as shown. Roll in flour, salt and rosemary whilst you heat sunflower oil in a roasting dish - aim for 1-2mm depth of oil in the dish. Once it's hot, place the frites inside and cook for 40 minutes, turning at regular intervals. When there's 10 minutes left, drain the oil or blot it up with kitchen towel, then grill for a minute at the end. Perfection.
For the mixed frites:
Charlotte potatos
White sweet potatoes
Orange sweet potatoes
Cut very finely as shown. Roll in flour, salt and rosemary whilst you heat sunflower oil in a roasting dish - aim for 1-2mm depth of oil in the dish. Once it's hot, place the frites inside and cook for 40 minutes, turning at regular intervals. When there's 10 minutes left, drain the oil or blot it up with kitchen towel, then grill for a minute at the end. Perfection.
