When purchasing meat for this purpose, it is best to use it from a single cut or joint so that all parts can be cooked at the same time. It works well on the shoulders and neck. If you’re an organ lover, once the meat is tender, you might want to add some pan-fried heart and kidney parts, like in a good old steak and kidney pie.
timing
Preparation time: 45 minutes + cooling time
Cooking time: 2 hours 35 minutes
service
Four
material
for stuffing
- Cut 1 kg of venison shoulder or neck into 2-3 cm coarse pieces.
- 3 tablespoons soft flour
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 30g butter
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon tomato puree
- 200ml red wine
- 1.5 liters of dark meat stock such as beef
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
- 10 crushed juniper berries
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1-2 teaspoons cornflour (optional)
for pastries
- 225g self-raising flour, plus extra flour
- Shredded beef suet 85g
- 60g chilled, coarsely grated butter
- 1 medium egg (beaten)
Method
- Season the venison and lightly dust with 1 tablespoon flour.
- Heat a small amount of oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and fry the meat over high heat in 2 to 3 batches until browned. Set aside on a plate or tray.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a separate large heavy-bottomed saucepan or in a fireproof casserole and sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until lightly colored. Add remaining flour and tomato puree.
- Stir over low heat for about 1 minute, then slowly add the wine and stock, stirring to avoid any lumps.
- Add the venison along with the thyme, juniper berries, and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender (if you prefer, you can cook for a similar period in a 160C/140C fan/gas mark 3 oven) You can also bid).
- When the meat is cooked, the sauce should reach the consistency of thick gravy. If not, mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon water to make a paste, add to the sauce and simmer for a few minutes, stirring. Let stand until completely cool.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6 and make the pastries. In a large bowl, rub together the flour, suet, and butter with 1 teaspoon salt, making a well in the center. Add enough cold water (about 150ml) to form a smooth dough and knead for 1 minute.
- Spoon the cooled filling into a large pie plate, or 4 plates, to about 1cm from the rim.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 7-8mm. Make the pie lid by cutting out one disk (or four smaller ones), about 2 cm larger than the diameter of the plate. Brush the edge of the pie crust with a small amount of beaten egg.
- If using a pie funnel or pie bird, place it in the center of the filling. Cut a small hole or slit in the center of the pastry lid and place it on a plate so that the funnel can fit through it. Press the egg-washed side against the edge of the plate.
- If you are not using a funnel, cut a 2cm circle in the center of the pie crust lid and leave it in place on top of the pie.
- Brush the pie with beaten egg and bake for 40 to 50 minutes (30 to 35 minutes for small pies) until the pie is golden brown.
