Preparation Notes: 35min, plus cooling and chilling
Cooking Notes: about 31/4hr
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Yields:
8
Prep Time:
35 mins
Cook Time:
3 hrs 15 mins
Total Time:
3 hrs 50 mins
Cal/Serv:
737
Ingredients
1Tbsp.
olive oil
2
red onions, finely chopped
3
garlic cloves, crushed
150g
(5oz) smoked lardons
250g
(9oz) pack chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
50g
(2oz) plain flour, plus extra to dust
500ml
(17 fl 0z) beef stock
500g
(1lb 2oz) braising steak, cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
500g
(1lb 2oz) venison for braising, cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
300ml
(10 fl oz (½ pint)) red wine
3
rosemary sprigs
4
thyme sprigs
750g
shortcrust pastry
1 egg, beaten, to glaze
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180° (160°C fan) mark 4. Heat oil in a large flameproof casserole dish that has a lid, and gently fry onions for 10min to soften. Stir in the garlic, lardons and mushrooms, and continue cooking until the mushrooms are beginning to soften.
Step 2
Meanwhile, put the flour into a jug and gradually whisk in the stock to make a smooth mixture. Season well.
Step 3
To the casserole dish, add the raw meat, the stock mixture, wine and herbs. Bring up to the boil, stirring occasionally, then cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 2-21/4hr or until the meat is tender (remember to give the mixture an occasional stir). Check seasoning, then set aside to cool completely (see GH Tip).
Step 4
While pie mixture is cooling, lightly flour a work surface and roll out 500g (1lb 2oz) of the shortcrust pastry to 3mm (1/8in) thick. Use to line the base and sides of a 20.5cm (8in) round loose-bottom or springform cake tin – leaving about 2.5cm (1in) excess pastry hanging over the sides. Keep any pastry trimmings wrapped. Chill lined tin for 20min.
Step 5
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Cook pastry case in oven for 10min, then press the pastry down on the base and sides with a spatula, as it will have puffed a little. Return to the oven for a further 5min until pastry feels sandy.
Step 6
Carefully take pastry tin out of oven and trim excess pastry. Pick out and discard herb stalks from the meat filling, then spoon into the pastry case and level.
Step 7
Roll out remaining pastry on a lightly floured work surface until 3mm (1/8in) thick. Brush the inside rim of the visible pastry in the tin with some beaten egg, then lay over the raw pastry. Press into position, trimming excess (keep trimmings). Glaze pie top with egg. Roll out all trimmings as before and use to decorate top of pie with shapes or a lattice pattern. Brush decorations with egg, then cut a small cross in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape.
Step 8
Cook pie in the oven for 35min until the pastry is a rich gold and the filling is piping hot. Allow the cooked pie to sit for 5min, then remove from tin and transfer to a serving plate. Serve in slices.
GH TIP Your filling should be unctuous and thickly sauced. If yours is very liquidy, strain some of it and reserve it for a gravy before filling the pastry. Reheat gravy when needed and serve alongside the pie.
GET AHEAD Prepare to end of step 3 up to a day ahead. Cool, cover and chill. To serve, allow filling to come up to room temperature and complete recipe.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
