Venison Pie
Serves: 5
Ingredients
- 200g diced pancetta or smoked bacon
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1kg diced venison
- a little seasoned flour
- knob of butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- enough beef stock to cover meat in a large pan
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 5 crushed juniper berries
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 large potato, diced
- 1 bottle Allendale Wolf or similar ale
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1 egg
Method
- Sautée pancetta in a dry frying pan to render the fat.
- Set aside.
- Sweat off the onions in the pancetta fat until caramelised.
- Add garlic, soften and set aside.
- Dredge venison in seasoned flour.
- Heat a knob of butter and 1tbsp olive oil in a pan, add venison and brown.
- Return onions and garlic to pan and enough stock to cover the meat.
- Add herbs and berries, gently simmer for 1 hour.
- Then add veg and continue simmering until tender.
- Add beer, return to a low heat, reduce to a thick gravy.
- Transfer to a pie dish, cover with puff pastry, brush with beaten egg and pierce a couple of times to release any steam.
- Bake at 180C/Gas 4 for 30-40 mins.
