Venison Hand Pies Recipes

RICH VENISON PIE RECIPE BY VALENTINE WARNER

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C/Gas 4.
• Heat the dripping in a large, lidded casserole on the hob, add the onions, fry until soft and browned. Turn off the heat, sift the flour and mustard powder into the pot. Stir until you have a thickish onion mix.
• Add the meat and carrots to the onions. Add the ale, sugar, vinegar, nutmeg, thyme and pepper, and both ginger biscuits. Stir once more.
• 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 400 F / 200 C/ Gas 6.
• Roll your pastry out to a thickness of about 1/4 inches (7 millimeters) and lay it over the 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.
• Cook for 40 to 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. Sourced from chef Valentine Warner in his excellent book, What to Eat Now .

VENISON POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate.
• Season venison with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in flour to coat pieces. Combine egg and milk in a small bowl for egg wash and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn heat to high and add venison; quickly brown the meat while stirring, making sure not to overbrown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove mixture into a bowl and set aside.
• Make gravy by deglazing the pan with red wine and Worcestershire sauce, scraping the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Reduce until the pan is almost dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add beef broth. Dissolve cornstarch with water in a bowl and pour into the broth, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat; cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, carrots, and celery and cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain.
• Combine drained vegetables with venison mixture, corn, and peas in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
• Line the prepared pie dish with 1 pie crust, trimming edges if needed. Place venison mixture into the pie crust, pour gravy over the top, spread mushrooms over, and cover with the other pie crust. Brush on egg wash and cut vents in the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and you can see filling is bubbling, 45 minutes to 1 hour. If edges of crust are getting too dark, cover edges with aluminum foil until center crust has caught up. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

VENISON COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a casserole dish or large saucepan over a medium heat. Tip in the venison and stir to coat in the hot oil. Cook for 15-20 mins or until the mince is browned and toasted, adding more oil if it starts to look dry. Stir in the carrot and onion and cook for 10 mins more until they start to brown. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further 2 mins. Stir in the bay and ketchup, then pour in the wine, if using, and bubble for a minute, then gradually stir in the stock. Leave everything to simmer gently over a medium heat for 30-40 mins until you have a tender venison in a rich gravy.
• Tip into a medium baking dish and leave to cool. The filling can be made up to two days ahead and kept chilled.
• To make the topping, tip the potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 8 mins until tender.
• Drain well, then leave to steam-dry for a few minutes. Mash well with the milk and two-thirds of the butter, then grate in a pinch of nutmeg and season. Using a spatula, top the pie filling with the mash, starting from the outside, then spread it over the middle. Using a fork, scrape lines across the top. Can be chilled for two days or frozen for up to six months.
• When you're ready to cook, heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the pie on a large baking tray to catch any drips. Melt the remaining butter, and drizzle or brush it all over the top of the pie, then bake for 35-40 mins until golden and bubbling. Leave to rest for 10 mins, then serve straight from the dish.