Victorian Raised Game Pie Food

TRADITIONAL RAISED GAME PIE...

Steps:

• 1. WARNING!!! This is not a quick pie!!I used a 22 to 24cm spring-form tin (greased with butter) The day before you need to make the filling as it needs to marinate AND the jelly whether you do it using a traditional stock or if doing a simple stock version. TRADITIONAL HOME-MADE PORK STOCK Ingredients: Traditional: Home-made Pork Stock 1.5 Kg pork bones (with a little meat left on, ribs are good) 2 large carrots, roughly chopped 1 onion, peeled, roughly chopped 1 Bay leaf A few sprigs of thyme A few sage leaves 2 tsp whole black peppercorns (crushed lightly) 1 tsp sea salt Method: For the pork stock place all of the ingredients into a large saucepan and pour in enough water to just cover them (about 4 litres). Bring this slowly to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for three hours over a low heat, without a lid to aid evaporation, and skim off any impurities which rise to the surface. After 3 hours strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into another saucepan, jug or bowl and discard the larger solids. Then sieve this liquid for a second time through an even finer sieve, or better still, through a sieve covered over with a muslin cloth to completely catch all the small particles. This traditional pork stock can now be used in soups, or simmered and reduced further to use as a base for a gravy or a sauce etc. TRADITIONAL HOME-MADE PORK JELLY FOR PORK PIES Talking to your butcher: to make things easier ask your butcher to chop up the pork bones and trotters small enough to fit into a large saucepan, it makes it a lot easier when you communicate and strike up a good rapport with your local butcher. Ingredients: Traditional: Home-made Pork Stock 900g pork bones (with a little meat left on) 2 pig's trotters (to fit in a saucepan) 2 large carrots, roughly chopped 1 onion, peeled, roughly chopped 1 Bay leaf A few sprigs of thyme A few sage leaves 2 tsp whole black peppercorns (crushed lightly) 1 tsp sea salt
• 2. MAKE THE FILLING: First trim all the game meat from the bones and cut it into ¼-½ inch (5 mm-1 cm) cubes. Place the cubed meat in a bowl, pour in the port and brandy (I didn't have port so I used just the brandy), sprinkle with the thyme, salt and pepper, then stir well, cover and leave in a cool place to marinate overnight.
• 3. THE DAY YOU WANT THE PIE (IF SERVING IT HOT) - MAKE THE HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY: pour 300ml of water into saucepan, bring it up to the boil, then add the lard, salt and pepper and bring down to a simmer over a medium heat. When the lard has completely melted, turn off the heat and then add the flour and beat it in thoroughly with a wooden spoon to form a dough. Add a little flour if the dough is still too sticky. Allow to cool a little. Turn the warm dough out onto a clean, floured surface, make a small well in the centre and break the egg in. Knead the egg into the dough by pulling in the sides of the pastry over the eggy surface, pushing down, turning and repeating. Add a few casts of flour if needed. Once kneaded into a stiff dough, remove a quarter of the dough, pat it into a disc and set aside to cool (this is for the pie crust) then cover it in cling film and refrigerate. Form the remaining 3/4 of dough into a large, thick disc wider than the tin. Place it into the bottom of a greased 22 to 24cm spring form tin, and then slowly and carefully work the pastry out and up the sides of the tin with your finger tips, (raising the pie) making sure there are no holes or gaps. Once the pastry has completely covered the spring-form tin (to form the pastry base) and there is a little overhang, cover this in cling film and then chill it in the fridge for an hour (60 minutes) so it can set.
• 4. Now butter your cake tin and pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C). FOR THE PACKING MEAT: Place the pork shoulder cubes, pork belly mince, fine diced bacon rashers, mace, sloe-gin (or red-wine), thyme and sage into a large bowl, season with a good pinch each of sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix together until all is well combined. This is the 'packing meat' which goes into the pie base and up the sides of the pie (making a well or 'nest'). Place the 'packing meat' into the pastry shell base, flatten it out, and ease it up the edges of the pie - leaving a large well in the centre for the game meats.
• 5. Place the mixed game meats (partridge / pheasant / guinea fowl / venison / rabbit / wild boar etc.) into the well of the packing meat in the pie shell - lay them mixed up, filling the centre of pie fully along with the juices. It does not matter if the pie is 'dome' shape and full, raised pies are often deep filled. Roll out the remaining reserved pastry (the pastry lid) into a 25cm disc, and drape it over the top of the filling. Squeeze the edges together and trim down with scissors to give an edge of about ½ inch (1 cm) standing up proud. Next turn the edge firmly over inwards, pressing it down with the prongs of a fork. Make a steam hole in the top, then re-roll the pastry trimmings and cut out diamond-shaped leaves to decorate the lid. Don't egg wash yet
• 6. Now lay a sheet of foil over the top and bake for 2½ hours, then remove from the oven. Leave the pie for 30-45 minutes to firm up, then turn up the oven temperature to gas mark 5, 375°F (190°C). Carefully remove the pie from the tin. Brush the pastry all over with egg. If the sides show any sign of bulging, encircle the pie with a band of silicone paper (parchment) and tie with string ***make sure you have this ready because you just don't know till it comes out***. Return the pie to the oven and as the pastry continues baking it will firm up (if you used the paper, you will gradually be able to peel it away, but add a little more egg to the unglazed parts) and all the pastry will brown - it will take approximately 30 minutes. As the top will brown before the sides, it will need to be protected with foil while the sides finish browning.
• 7. IF SERVING COLD: After it comes out of the oven leave to cool, then cover and chill. Meanwhile have the jellied stock warmed slightly (by sitting it in a bowl of hot water) then cool it to the syrupy stage and pour it into the pie very gradually via the steam hole (as much as it will take). Chill again to give the jelly a chance to set and then - believe it or not - it's ready to serve....finally!