Venison Pie

This was a recipe of my grandmothers and I have made a few small tweaks to make it better. I made it for my Mother-in-law on Sunday night and she was well impressed, so a few points for me on the old ladies score pad.


Ingredients: -
0.5 kg of diced venison
150g button Mushrooms cut to the same size as the meat, (it is better to use wild mushrooms but these are not always available).
150g of chopped mixed peppers, (roughly chop them to about 1 to 1 1/2" pieces)
A little sunflower oil
1 large onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 bottle of red wine
2 tea spoons Chinese 5 spice
2 tea spoons of English Mustard
2 tea spoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of corn flour
Knob of butter
1 large pack of Puff Pastry (I never make my own, it's better to buy it)
1 beaten egg to glaze the pastry

Method: -
1 - Heat the oil in a pan, and brown the meat, remove and drain.

2 - Place the drained liquid from the venison back in the pan and add the onions and garlic to soften. As the onions go transparent add the meat again.

3 - Add the mushrooms, peppers, the red wine mustard and Chinese five spice, and simmer for 40-60 Min's. This will allow the meat to become tender.

4 - Add a little water if required and mix the corn flour with a little water and add to the stew, add the sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Allow the mix to cool.

5 - Place the filling into a pie dish and cover with the puff pastry. Apply an egg wash to the pastry. I find folding the pastry round the corners of the pie dish helps when the pastry starts to shrink while cooking, I also use a pie funnel as it stop the pastry falling into the filling and going soggy.

6 - Cook in a pre-heated oven at 200 deg C / 400 deg F /Gas Mark 6 for 30 - 40 Min's, until the pastry is golden brown.

Serve Immediately. I find that this goes really well with mashed sweet potato.

Roast Duck - Oriental Style

This is a recipe that I tried a few years ago and it was so good that my wife and I started to have it nearly every month. we got a bit sick of it that I stopped making it, then at the weekend she went out and bought a duck, so I just had to make it all again. It is really easy and the flavours are superb.


Ingredients: -
1 duck - any size
Kettle full of boiling water.
Chinese Five spice powder.

Sauce: -
2 table spoons of shred-less marmalade
1 glass of red wine
1 tea-spoon of Chinese five spice
2 table spoons of gravy granules
200ml of boiled water.


Method: -

1 - Take the duck and prick it all over with a carving fork or skewer then place it in a large bowl. Pour over the kettle of boiling water. This helps to take some of the fat out from under the ducks skin. Remove and then dry with a tea towel, or paper towels.

2 - Rub the five spice into the skin of the duck, massaging it all over. Place on a plate and marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours. (Better to leave it overnight if possible)

3 - Pre-heat the oven to Gas mark 6 / 400deg F / 200 deg C. Cook the duck in the middle of the oven until the juices run clear. Then turn the oven to it's highest for 5-10 mins to crisp the skin.

4 - Take out the oven and rest for 10 mins before cutting. Now cut the duck down the centre and remove the breasts whole. Shred the remaining meats off the legs and the rest of the bird.

5 - For the sauce place the glass of red wine, the marmalade and the five spice in a pan and bring to the boil to burn off the alcohol from the wine.

6 - Add the 200 ml of boiled water and the gravy granules. This should make a nice thick sauce, if not add a little more gravy granules.

7 - Serve this with roasted sweet potatoes, fresh spring greens and the shredded duck on the side.

These dishes is great with a nice rich red wine such as the Canti mentioned in an earlier post, or try a rich Rioja.

Baked Cod (Can be made with any white fish)

This is an easy and quick dish that can be made with nearly any white fish. I prefer to use cod as it is meatier, but anything can be used. I have made this dish using a number of variations such as missing out the pesto and even replacing the pesto for a ricota and spinich mix.


What you need: -
2 fillets of Cod, or any white fish
6 slices of parma ham, pancetta or any thinly sliced continental ham
green or red pesto - dependent on your tastes.


Method: -

1 - Place two slices of the ham side by side and spread pesto on the ham.

2 - Place the Cod fillet onto the ham and spread pesto on top of the fish.

3 - Roll up the ham to encase the fish.

4 - Use one more slice of ham to cover the top of the fish.

5 - Place the fish on a baking tray and bake in the oven at Gas Mark 5, 375°F, 191° deg C for about twenty mins or until the ham starts to crispen up

6 - Remove and serve with some roast veg.



The idea is to wrap the fish up into little parcels using the ham as the wrapping paper if you like. The pesto then cooks into the fish and gives it a fantastic flavour, and also keeps the fish moist and seals in the flavours.

The Best Pasta Sauce in the world

I learned how to make this when I was in Italy on holiday in the alps and it has never let me down yet. I had a bad fall and could not snowboard so spent time with the chef in the hotel, who taught me how to make a few things and this was one of them. it is easy and tastes fantastic.



You need.
about 50g of panchetta, smoked bacon or ham

1 Tin of chopped tomatoes.

3 cloves of Garlic, chopped

Olive Oil

125 ml Double Cream

A handful of sliced mushrooms

A handful of basil and parsley, chopped

Some Parmesan Cheese.



Method

1 - Take the panchetta and fry off in a little Olive oil until brown and crispy.

2 - Remove panchetta from the pan and put in a bowl. leave the oil and juices from the panchetta in the pan and empty in the chopped garlic and the tomatoes into the pan and reduce down on a medium heat for about 30 mins. Until the sauce has reduced by 1 quarter.

3 - Add the mushrooms and the cream, then as the mushrooms soften add the basil and the parsley and stir together.

4 - Finally add the Panchetta / Ham and add the Parmesan to your own taste.



The sauce is now ready to be tossed with whatever pasta you like. there is enough sauce for 4 people with pasta.



Enjoy as this is one of the best pasta dishes I have ever made.