British Game Pie with Orange and Parsley Gremolata
Moderate
4 Servings
55 minutes bake time
Chef: Helen Graves, courtesy of Great British Chefs at www.greatbritishchefs.com Full of the tastes of Autumn, this rich and filling Pie combines the complex flavours of game with orange zestiness.
Ingredients
Pie
- 500 g Jus-Rol, Shortcrust Pastry Block
- 1.5 kg mixed game, chopped (you can buy diced game mixes from most good butchers)
- 100 g streaky bacon, chopped
- 1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
- 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 500 ml Red wine
- 500 ml good quality beef stock
- 1½ tbsp marmalade (smooth)
- 300 g mixed mushrooms (such as chestnut, chanterelle, cup)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 tbsp Plain Flour
- vegetable oil, for frying
- butter, for greasing
- freshly ground salt and black pepper
For the gremolata
- 1 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- grated zest of 1 orange
- 1 small bunch parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
Equipment required
- Large pan
- 20cm or 8 inch pie plate
- 20cm Plate
- Baking parchment
- Pastry Brush
Method
- Heat a few glugs of vegetable oil in a large pan or casserole dish and fry the meat in batches until golden brown (it is important not to crowd the pan). Set aside, then repeat until all the meat is browned, adding more oil as necessary
- Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the onions, celery and carrot with the bacon for 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook out for another 4–5 minutes, stirring all the time
- Add the stock, wine, marmalade, bay leaves, thyme and season well with salt and pepper. Return the game meat to the pan and bring to the boil, then allow to simmer for 1 hour, or until the game is tender. Mix in the mushrooms and set aside
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5
- Grease a 20cm/8inch pie dish well with butter. Divide pastry into two-thirds (for the base) and one-third (for the lid). Roll out the larger piece of pastry so that it is large enough to line the dish
- Press the pastry into the dish and cover with baking parchment. Fill with baking beans or dried rice, then bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before removing the baking parchment and beans. Fill with the pie filling, being careful not to overfill the dish
- Roll out the remaining third of the pastry to make a lid. Brush the edge of the pastry with the beaten egg and lay on top of the filling, pressing the edges together to seal
- Brush the lid all over with the beaten egg, you could add decorative pastry shapes from the scraps, if liked. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown
- Just before serving, mix all of the ingredients together for the gremolata, then sprinkle over the pie to serve.
