Venison Pie

Ingredients

• to taste olive oil
• 2 red onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 parsnip
• 1–2 carrots
• 1 kg venison
• 100 g plain flour
• 2- inch piece fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons redcurrant jam
• to taste parsley
• to taste thyme
• to taste rosemary
• 1 pinch salt
• to taste puff pastry
• 20 ml milk

Steps

1. Bring the frying pan up to a medium heat (about 50% to 60%) and add about two tablespoons of olive oil.
2. There should be enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan when you swirl it.
3. Add the onion and fry until soft and translucent.
4. Add the garlic at around this time to soften as well.
5. Stir in the sliced parsnip and carrots using your spatula.
6. Once all the vegetables are nice and soft, pour them into the casserole dish.
7. Add more olive oil to the now-empty frying pan, and bring it up to a medium-high heat (about 70-80% of max).
8. Then take each piece of venison and coat it lightly in the plain flour, before putting it in the frying pan.
9. Once all the pieces are cooking, move them around using your spatula to get them evenly cooked.
10. You are only searing the outer edges of the meat, so do not fry them for more than 5-10 minutes.
11. Transfer the venison, including any cooking juices, into the casserole dish.
12. Add the ginger and red currant jam to the casserole dish.
13. Pour in boiling water to fill the dish to just below the top of the contents.
14. Give it a stir with a spoon.
15. Finely chop a reasonable amount of the herbs, add them to the casserole dish, and stir again.
16. Add some black pepper and a pinch of salt, then cover with the lid.
17. Bake in the oven at about 180°C for about an hour.
18. Then check it, give it a stir, and check to see if the venison is cooked through.
19. If it is not, put it back in the oven for longer, checking every 10 minutes or so.
20. Once you are happy it is cooked, remove the lid from the casserole dish.
21. Make sure the puff pastry is rolled out about as thick as a £1 or 1 euro coin.
22. Drape the puff pastry over the dish, covering the cooked pie filling.
23. Trim the excess pastry off with a knife, and make some pretty decoration on top of the pie if you want to.
24. Make sure to pierce the pastry in 2 or 3 places to allow steam to escape.
25. Brush the pastry with milk.
26. Turn the oven up to 200°C and put the pie back in for a further 20 minutes, until risen and golden brown.