Serves 4
Ingredients
For the pastry:
480 g plain flour
240 g Yorkshire butter cut into cubes and lightly softened until pliable
3 Yorkshire eggs lightly beaten (2 for the pastry and 1 mixed with a good pinch of salt for the egg wash)
Salt and white pepper
For the game mix:
1 venison steak
1 whole partridge
1 whole pheasant
3 wild boar sausages
1 red onion
2 sticks of celery
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Oil for frying
2 carrots, peeled
1 tablespoon of plain flour
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
2 glasses of red wine
1 pint of rich beef or game stock
3 rashers of smoky bacon, diced
3 fresh bay leaves
1 large sprig of thyme
Method
For pastry:
Place the flour and butter into a bowl.
Using your fingers gently rub the butter into the flour and add a pinch of salt and pepper into the mix.
When you have the consistency of fine sand grains add 2 of the eggs and mix in.
Cover with cling film and allow to rest for 20 minutes in the fridge, before rolling out.
For the game mix:
Cut the venison into fairly equally sized cubes.
Remove the breasts and leg meat from the partridge and pheasant, dicing the thigh and leaving the drumstick for some game stock later. (There are too many tendons in this piece of meat).
Cut the sausages into pieces about an inch long, ready for frying.
If possible marinade the game mix in the red wine overnight in the fridge, covered with cling film on a low shelf.
Cut the peeled onion, sticks of celery and carrots into bite sized pieces.
Add a dash of oil into a large frying pan then gently fry the garlic, vegetables and bacon until lightly golden in colour. Remove from the pan and reserve until the meat is cooked.
Place the meat into the pan adding a little more oil if necessary and fry the game mix for about 10 minutes, until it is lightly cooked.
Dust over with the flour and add the tomato paste and herbs and stir.
Add the red wine and reduce by about ⅔.
Add the beef or game stock followed by the cooked vegetables.
Bring it all to the boil and simmer gently for ½ to 1 hour until the ingredients are soft.
Place in a cool area to chill.
Line the pie dish with about half the pastry then place the chilled filling inside.
Paint the edges with egg wash and place the top disc over the pie.
Crimp down the pastry and egg wash over the top.
Bake in an oven at 180°C for approximately 30-40 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Top tip if you use a pyrex pie dish you can see the pastry cooking inside the dish.
When cooked, slice the pie into portions and serve with some mashed potato topped with a little Wensleydale cheese and perhaps some Yorkshire roasted root vegetables with a glass of hearty red wine.
Happy cooking!
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