Saturday 6 December 2014

Give "em a recipe

   My youngest daughter says I am getting a bit too political and to "give 'em a recipe !"
So I stuck my bottom lip out and stamped my foot because I have been enjoying the discussions, then Sol asked for my game pie recipe and I thought "Oh alright then"
 It's rather difficult to give recipe for this as it rather depends on what game I have collected, or more usually been given.
It is not unusual for me to come home from shopping to find half a dozen pigeon  on my door step. My godson often comes across a pheasant or two when clearing and cutting wood for people and last week my YD's next door neighbour gave her a couple of grouse as "your mother might like these" All this bounty I process by just cutting out the breasts and legs as I rarely have the time or inclination to pluck the little critters. I label these bits of meat and freeze them. I always have rabbit in the freezer  and the occasional cockerel and by Christmas I will have the makings of a game pie. As you all probably know all those meats are quite dry so I always add some belly pork and some bacon if I have it.
 Method
Turn the oven on to 200 degrees
Rough mince or finely chop the meats , weighing about a pound, and place into a bowl. Add salt and pepper, a sprinkle of dried thyme and a scant teaspoon of mace or nutmeg if you haven't got mace. Look at the mixture and gauge what size tin you will need ( I quite like to use a shallower tin than that which I use for pork pie)
Some people add Allspice, juniper berries or onion too, it's up to you really.
Now make the pastry
This a a hot water crust pastry, such as for pork pies (sorry if I'm insulting your intelligence but not everybody might know!) Shortcrust or flakey pastry would be cooked before this filling.
You will need
I lb Plain Flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 ounces Lard
Third of a pint of water
one egg
Put the flour and salt into a bowl
Melt the lard and water and bring to the boil. Pour immediately into the flour mixture. Mix this as quickly as you can. It should form a sort of paste ball. Working as quickly as possible, turn this onto a floured board and  knead until really smooth. take care the dough is hot! and needs to be kept as warm as possible or it becomes less pliable.. Put a quarter aside for the top of the pie(if it is a to be a deep pie or one third if it is to be a shallow one) keeping it warm. Mould the rest of the pastry into the tin, try to make the sides and bottom of equal thickness. Now add the filling, pressing it down into the pastry case. Roll out the smaller piece of pastry to cover the pie, pinching the edges together, you can do a fluted edge with scissors and add some pastry leaves to decorate if you want (not compulsory). Make a hole in the middle of the pie and brush the pie with egg.
Place in the hot oven and cook for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 150o and cook for a further hour and a half.
If this were a pork pie I would add the jelly here, but I never do with a game pie.
Allow to cool before removing from the tin.
Hope this has all made sense. If not just comment and I will explain further.

Tomorrow my husband carries out his first Santa appointment of 2014. The narrow boat owned by The Friends of  Cromford Canal will make three trips on the canal, full of children. The first trip is at 11 o'clock. His "Reds" are hung up and he is raring to go (not really, he's not in the swing yet so he is a little nervous) He'll be back to his Ho Ho Ho self after a few minutes. he will repeat these three trips over the next three Sundays.Phew! I shall go along as his helper and chaperone.

All for now
Thanks to those who commented on my last post
Gillx



29 comments:

  1. having never made anything like this, it does sound very intriguing!
    the only wild game my husband has had was deer, it went into chili, which he loves.
    how great that he is Santa! wonderful for the children!

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    1. he has white hair and just the right shape (no cushions needed!) so he is perfect for the job

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  2. I have made Pork Pies (but always failed when it came to the jelly), but have never had enough game to try this. It sounds SCRUMPTIOUS. Yesterday I visited my local vineyard to 'fill up', and was given a HUGE grey Pumpkin..... no game, just a big round 4kg ball. My 'reds' only see the light of day on the 24th.

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    1. I'm not always successful with my jelly (leakage usually)
      I have grown grey pumpkins this year, they are good keepers with a deep orange flesh and are called Crown Prince. They are not huge though (football size) so perhaps not the same as yours.
      Do you frighten lady magnon in your Reds?

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  3. Sounds good, hope you have fun being an elf!

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    1. Had more fun than I thought I would have and not one child was a brat..which is a bonus!!

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  4. My first question - as helper, do you wear a gnome costume?

    As to the game pie - sorry but I absolutely hate the strong taste of all game.

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    1. No sorry, I realise that I'm lacking in the elf department as I only wore a red hat and copious amounts of red tinsel. D. was suggesting I made a Mrs Clause costume. I said that I would make one when I had time (not going to happen then)
      I don't like some game either as it is too strong for my taste.( I particularly dislike venison ) This is one of the reasons for the belly pork and rabbit domestic not wild) as it also lightens the mix.

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    2. have just re-read that and realised that it looks as though I only wore a hat and some tinsel. Trust me that would NOT have been a good look for me!

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  5. I've been invited on a days shoot in December so I'll have to make this pie if I manage to shoot anything!
    I don't mind the political posts btw.

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    1. Let us know how you get on with it if you do. If you don't get much you can always bulk it out with a boiled egg or two.
      Glad you don't mind the duscussions

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  6. Totally amazing ! When I lived in the U.K. I made a game pie every Xmas; I also jugged a hare once but there was so much of it I had to give it away.
    I love your blog as it invites discussion rather than just ranting about the state of the world (how unfair it is etc.) All the comments seem to be thoughtful and respectful and are interesting to read. Some bloggers only want validation of their point of view and you end up having to "stroke" them which can get tiresome and not fun.
    Gosh, I wish someone would leave pigeons on my step.....only a true country woman would know what to do with a gift like that !

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    1. I think the comments need a certain amount of managing. Sometimes people don't quite get my point and rather go off at a tangent, which can be interesting at times and frustrating at others. Sometimes I might point out that we appear to be at cross purposes, but usually I will just leave it as. Unless someone is clearly a troll I am happy to hear a person's point of view, even if it is not the same as my own, they don't have to agree with me, just put their view in a non-aggressive way as I will do. this seems to set the tone for other comments and I feel privileged to have such thoughtful and respectful "readers" ( I think the post on gun use was a particularly good example of this as there were diverse views on this, but no aggressive comments on what is a pretty emotional subject)
      I've never jugged a hare, what did it taste like?

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  7. Ohhhh thanks for this I think I will make it for our family new years eve get together. i know my parents have rabbits in the freezer.

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    1. Hope it goes well and that the recipe works for you. Each one I make is different tastewise. I'll be interested to hear how you get on.

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  8. Our neighbour in France was a game keeper, butcher and a member of the chasse, so we always had plenty of free game there, in the season, not rabbits though. We get some free here in the UK, supplemented by our fantastic local family butchers. So pleased that you posted the recipe. I am sure that it will encourage those who have not, to try game. Like you, I always have rabbit in the freezer.
    Kev, the shoot is usually shared out no matter how many you personally bag.

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    1. I'm like Weaver I don't like ALL game, but my husband loves it all. I think the rabbit makes this pie more palatable for a first foray into game.
      A good local butcher is a treasure (and a dying breed I fear)

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  9. Well, I had to get caught up on your blog posts to find out what that was all about!

    The recipe looks really, really good and I may try it with some of our goat; the bucks can be a little stronger in taste. I never would have thought about juniper berries, but that would go really well as a seasoning, I thinK!

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    1. I've been inviting quite bit of discussion (with the occasional smallholding post) of late. I have really enjoyed hearing people's point of view and the viewing stats show that others like to hear other views too!
      Yes, could be good for buck meat, yet again a meat that is low in fat, so would benefit from the addition of belly (or fatty) pork

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  10. Ooh yes! Think I could eat one of your game pies! Don't think I'll ever make one though.
    I quite like most game and mixing the various ones make a tasty meal.

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    1. If just one (game) meat is used a pie can be a bit dense, mixing them up a bit avoids this. It's also good to have a "guess what's in this pie" quiz!

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  11. I enjoy your ' political' posts. You seem to be fortunate that your posts have been read and digested before comments have been left, rather than those who have commented reading into your words what they want to and then going off on a rant about things which are totally unconnected to what you wrote in the first place.
    Reading posts carefully before leaving a comment usually means that it's possible to have a discussion without anyone needing to be ' stroked' , 'validated' or offended.

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    1. Glad you like those posts. I do too.
      I do seem fortunate in the comments I get. I hope that I I treat people with respect. In truth I do get comments when people have misunderstood the point I was making and I tend to let it go and only occasionally point out that they have misunderstood my point. As for people who rant I don't always answer a rant.. not much point really!
      Hope you get your tooth sorted soon.

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  12. I enjoy your 'political' as well, keep 'em coming :)

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  13. Goody. Never one to turn down an invitation..........!

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  14. Jugged hare was very rich which was great but it made SO much and it was before days of freezers really so portioned it out to my neighbors who seemed to like it too and at least it did nt go to waste. Do they still hang bunnies up in the butchers' shops they had bag over their heads sometimes. Sometimes they would put a pigs head in the window.....guess it would freak everyone out these days..

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    1. You come across the occasional butcher that will hang game (rabbit, pheasant and grouse) up outside their shop, usually in the villages and rarely in the towns.

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  15. Imagine that, having your very own Santa Claus. Do you know, I've never eaten game pie, never even tried those types of meat. It sounds like I'm missing out.

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    1. I've put a picture of my very own Santa on my latest post.
      I think there is more game available in the shops now. Mind you can get kangaroo and Ostrich and suchlike too.

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