Perfect game stew (and pie)
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Loading... - Siomi Kennedy
- 01 Nov 2021
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Prep 35 min
Cook 75 min (115 min + cooling if making a pie)
Serves 6
25g butter
100g smoked streaky bacon rashers, rolled up
8 small onions or shallots, trimmed and peeled
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
6 juniper berries, roughly crushed
1kg boned game, cut into 4cm chunks – ideally a mix of dark and light game
2 tbsp flour
Salt and black pepper
200ml full-bodied red wine
400ml good chicken or game stock
75g redcurrant jelly
2 carrots, cut into 1cm chunks
150g small mushrooms
To make it into a pie (optional)
500g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas 2. Heat the butter in a casserole dish over a medium-high flame, then fry the rolled up bacon, turning regularly, until golden and the fat renders out. Lift out and set aside.
Put the onions, with the thyme, bay and juniper berries, in the pot and fry until golden, then lift out and set aside in a separate dish.
Dust the meat with flour and a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, adding more butter (or oil) if necessary, until well browned on all sides. Lift out and set aside with the onions.
Add the wine to the pan and scrape the bottom, then add the stock and stir in the redcurrant jelly to dissolve it. Bring to a simmer, then return the onions, herbs and game to the pot. Cover and put in the oven for 45 minutes, then stir in the carrots and mushrooms, and return to the oven, covered, for 15 minutes. Arrange the bacon on top, leave the lid ajar and bake for another 30 minutes.
Test the meat – it should be tender – season to taste and serve with root veg and mash.
If you want to turn the stew into a pie, leave the meat to cool completely, then tip into a pie dish. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface, then cover the pie, pressing it down on to the rim of the dish to seal. Snip a few small holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape, brush all over with the beaten egg and bake at 200C/390F/gas 6 for 30-40 minutes, until golden.
