Venison Pie Food

VENISON MEAT PIES

Steps:

• Mix the flours and the salt together in a large bowl. Mix the yeast and the warm water in a cup and let hydrate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the lard into the flour with your hands until it looks like a coarse meal.
• Pour the hydrated yeast into the flour and mix well. Knead for 5 minutes, cover in plastic wrap and let rest 1 hour. Meanwhile, mix all the filling ingredients -- except for the lard -- together in a bowl. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• To make the pies, roll the dough into a rough log and slice off 1/3 of it. Now cut each chunk into thirds, so you have 3 small pieces and 3 large pieces. Take out one of the large pieces and keep the rest covered with a damp cloth.
• Roll out the dough into a 6-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Use a bowl or large glass to cut a perfect circle. Put some of the filling into the center of the circle, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Set that dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Do the same thing with the other 2 larger pieces of dough. When you have all three pies set out, press 1 tablespoon of lard or butter onto the center of the filling of each pie.
• To make the tops of the pies, roll out each smaller piece of dough to about the same thickness -- they should be smaller, about 5 inches in diameter. Lay the top on the venison filling.
• Now take up the bottom of the larger piece of dough and attach it to the top piece of dough by pinching and crimping it over. Do this all around the pie to seal it. With a very sharp knife slice vents in the top of the pie.
• Beat the egg with a little water and paint all the pies with it. Bake in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Let the pies rest on a rack for at least 10 minutes before eating. They are good hot, cold or at room temperature.

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 PIE

Steps:

• Coat the venison chunks with the flour and salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in ovenproof casserole and brown the meat in batches until evenly browned, about 2 minutes each side.
• Transfer to a bowl.
• Add the leeks, onions and carrots to the casserole with a little more oil and stir over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until colored.
• Add the mushrooms and rosemary and cook for about a minute. Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Bubble until reduced right down.
• Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer.
• Return the venison, with any juices released, to the pan. Partially cover with a lid and gently braise for 40 to 50 minutes, until venison is tender., giving the mixture a stie every once in a while.
• About 15 minutes before venison will be ready, slice the new potatoes into 1/2 inch thick circles. Season and cook in a little olive oil in a wide non-stick skillet until golden brown on both sides. Add to the casserole to finish cooking.
• Once the potatoes and venison are tender, remove the pan from heat and let cool slightly.
• For the topping, peel the potatoes and cut into 2 inch chunks.
• Cook in a pan of salted water for 15 minutes or until tender.Drain and mash with potato ricer back into the pan.
• While still hot, add the butter, cheese and seasonings. Mix well to combine. Cool slightly, then mix in the egg yolks.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Tip the venison mixture into large pie dish or shallow cast iron pan and top with the mash. Rough up the surface with a fork.
• Bake for 20 minutes, until top is golden and the filling is bubbling around the sides.
• Grind over some pepper and serve.

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:

• 1) Preheat oven to 400°F Lightly grease a 9-inch deep pie dish.
• 2) Season venison with salt and pepper. Roll in flour to coat.
• 3) Heat butter in a large skillet over medium. Add venison and brown on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add onions, carrots, and garlic; cook until softened, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add wine, peas, broth, and Bay leaves; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over medium-low 20 minutes.
• 4) Transfer mixture to prepared pie dish. Cover with prepared pastry dough and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until top is golden and juices are bubbly.