A recipe for pie, Venison Pie that is!

There is something so comforting in making a pie. To me, it is like taking your favorite winter blanky out of the cupboard where it has been stored for the summer months and placing it at the foot of your bed for that extra bit of warmth in the cold winter nights. Filling a pie dish with  some kind of meat and lovingly covering it with a pastry "blanky", brings back such fond memories of my childhood.

I have been traveling  down memory lane a lot since our shoot in Ceres last week. I remember so vividly the smells and aromas from my mom and Gran's kitchens, a memory that I am so grateful for. Living in a farming community had its ups and its down)although for me, there were definitely way more ups than downs!), but there was never a shortage of meat in our house. We were even fortunate enough to enjoy venison on a regular basis. After our shoot on the farm in Ceres, I left with a heart filled with fond memories and a boot full of treats. One such treat was the venison from his latest hunting trip. I knew that it would be perfect for my first winter pie. Venison Pie with stewed dried peaches on the side, aaaah, few things can compare with that!



Venison Pie

makes 1 huge pie or two smaller ones



Ingredients

125ml vinegar mixed with about 3 cups of water

2 kg venison leg or shoulder

500g - 750gr pork, chopped (optional)

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped,

3 big garlic cloves, chopped

3 whole cloves



a little cake flour

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons ground coriander

2 cups beef stock

1 cup red wine

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 rolls ready-made puff pastry

1 egg, beaten



Method

Leave meat over night in the vinegar water to get rid off all the excess blood. The next day, remove the meat from the water and pat dry. Preheat oven to 180. In a cast iron pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic. When the onion has browned, add the meat, bay leaves, coriander, stock, wine, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and place the lid on. Place pot in the oven and cook the meat for 2-3 hours, it must be fall-off-the-bone tender. If it needs more water, add a little at a time. When the meat is tender, taste for seasoning and adjust. Quickly remove all the bones using two forks. Mix the flour with a little water and add to the pot to thicken the sauce. Allow to cool and now you are ready to make the pie.





To Make the Pie



Spray a big pie dish with non-stick spray. Roll out the puff pastry and line the bottom of the pie dish. Spoon the meat into the pie dish. Beat the egg and brush some of the egg wash around the edge of the bottom pastry sheet, it acts as a clue to keep top crust and bottom crust together.Roll out the other pastry and make a lid for your pie. Crimp the edge of the pie and give it a good egg wash. Bake for 3--40 minutes or until pie is golden brown and all puffed out. Serve with some stewed peaches and sweet green peas.