A well cooked game pie is a crowd pleaser of a dish. In the past I have always opted for either beef or chicken but since cooking this game pie I may never enjoy a pie of any other name. I used a mixture of partridge, pheasant and venison cooking it gently in the oven along with plenty of red wine amongst other goodies.The resulting pie filling was one of rich luxuriousness, buttery soft meat and earthy wine laced aromas. Add a layer of golden, flaky multi layered pastry and you have a dish that when served up on a bitterly cold day, will have you smiling with joy.
I am linking up to:
Simple and in season – Ren Behan
Slow cooked challenge – Farmersgirl Kitchen
And here are some more pies for you to admire:
Shetland beef & ale slow cooker pie – Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Sumptuous Turkey Pie – Fab Food 4 All
Mini Steak & Kidney Pies – Maison Cupcake
Chicken & Mushroom Pie – Greedy Gourmet
Game Pie
Ingredients
- 750 g Mixed game I used mixed diced game including partridge, pheasant and venison available from Ocado,
- Light olive oil for frying the game in
- Seasoned plain flour for dusting the game in before frying
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Freshly chopped rosemary
- 2 White onions thinly sliced
- 4 Rashers of smoked streaky bacon chopped into small pieces
- 2 Sticks of celery finely sliced
- 1/2 Bottle of good red wine
- 25 g Butter frying the mushrooms in
- 200 g Chestnut mushrooms cut into quarters
- 2 Cloves of garlic finely chopped finely chopped
- 1 pint Hot chicken stock
- 1 packet All butter puff pastry rolled out thinly
- 1 Beaten egg for glazing the pie with.
Instructions
Begin by coating the game in seasoned flour and frying it off in batches in a large frying pan until the meat is golden - set aside. Do this in batches until you have cooked all the meat off,
De-glaze the frying pan with the red wine and let it bubble away until the wine is reduced to half of it's volume then leave in the pan until needed,
Heat the 2tbsp of oil in a large oven proof casserole and fry off the onions over a medium heat for 5 minutes until they begin to soften,
Add in the sliced celery, bacon and rosemary and cook gently for a further 10 minutes,
Add the meat to the casserole along with the reduced red wine, stir it well before adding in the hot chicken stock. Bring to the boil then cover with a lid and place in the oven (140 degrees) and cook for 2 hours,
While the game pie filling is cooking, fry off the mushrooms with the garlic until they are lightly cooked, about 5 minutes, then set aside to add to the pie mix later,
After 2 hours add the mushrooms to the pie filling and place back in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove the pie filling from the oven and allow to cool completely, you could do this the day before,
Put the cooled pie filling into an oven proof pie dish and top with the rolled out puff pastry crimping the edges to secure it in place,
You could use the leftover pastry to make decorations for your pie then brush generously with the beaten egg and cook in the oven (180 degrees) for 40 minutes until golden brown,
Serve with greens and either mashed, boiled or roasted potatoes.
Camilla @FabFood4All says
February 8, 2015 at 7:49 pmWhat a delicious rich pie Laura. I’ve never tried game so really ought to put this right;-) Thanks for linking to my Turkey Pie:-)
Laura Scott says
February 8, 2015 at 9:28 pmThanks Camilla, all pies are great really!
Janice says
February 8, 2015 at 10:25 pmOoh that looks so good! Thanks for joining me for the SlowCookedChallenge
Laura Scott says
February 9, 2015 at 6:39 pmHappy to join in Janice 🙂
Jeanne Horak-Druiff says
February 9, 2015 at 9:07 amOh – what a great-looking pie!! Â When I was little, my mom’s venison pie was one of my favourites – she always used to put dried peaches in it (a very South African thing) and I still do the same today. Â You’ve reminded me that it’s been too long since I last made one!Â
Laura Scott says
February 9, 2015 at 6:39 pmJeanne, I love the thought of adding dried peaches to this, I must look at your recipe for guidance!
Kavey says
February 9, 2015 at 9:07 amI love game pie! I’ve been thinking I might use some of my partridge and pheasant to make a game bird pie, you’ve persuaded me I really should!
Laura Scott says
February 9, 2015 at 6:38 pmDo it Kavey!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
February 9, 2015 at 11:28 amI am not a fan of game myself, but my husband and Dad both are, so this is something I am going to make next time my Dad visits.
Laura Scott says
February 9, 2015 at 6:38 pmOh I think they would love this Dannii, bags of flavour and a crowd pleaser!
Katie Bryson says
February 9, 2015 at 12:35 pmGood lord Laura, this sounds amazing! Your description has got me very much thinking about what’s for lunch. Gorgeous photo 🙂
Laura Scott says
February 9, 2015 at 6:37 pmI hope lunch was good, maybe game pie tomorrow?!
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
February 11, 2015 at 11:08 amI eat a lot of game but not yet in a pie. Looks good.
Laura Scott says
February 11, 2015 at 6:38 pmGame in pies is the way forward and also it isn’t that expensive she buying the mixed packets of it. It cooks beautifully well too.
Emily Leary says
February 16, 2015 at 5:47 pmA beautifully executed classic! That pastry looks most inviting.
Laura Scott says
February 20, 2015 at 5:36 pmCan’t beat the classics, especially when it comes to a pie!
Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet says
February 26, 2015 at 11:08 amI’ve never had game pie before but your version sounds really lush!
Laura Scott says
February 26, 2015 at 1:44 pmMichelle, it’s good you should try it 😉
Ashley Beolens says
March 2, 2015 at 4:05 amI’m sat at work (night shift) starving hungry and I came across this, thanks for making my hunger worse 🙂 sounds lovely, been years since I last had pheasant, must try some again soon.
Laura Scott says
March 2, 2015 at 1:38 pmI recommend you try it, game pie is a perfect way to enjoy pheasant!