Venison & Kūmara Pies

Makes 1 large or 6 individual pies

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed

500 grams venison, minced or diced

1 carrot, diced

1⁄2 cup red wine

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups apple cider (not apple cider vinegar!)

2 tablespoons flour, plus extra for rolling out pastry

1⁄4 cup water

2 medium (or 1 large) purple-skinned kūmara, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon butter

400 grams puff pastry

1 egg, lightly whisked, to glaze pies

METHOD

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over a medium heat, and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes or until softened.

Add the venison to the pan, turn the heat up to medium-high, and cook while stirring frequently until nicely browned.

Add the carrot, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, salt, pepper and apple cider, and cook until bubbling. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring twice during cooking.

Mix together the 2 tablespoons of flour and water to make a paste, and stir through the stew. Add the kūmara and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir through butter until combined. You can now serve it as a stew, or continue on to make pies.

Heat oven to 180°C.

Lightly flour the benchtop and roll out the puff pastry to 2 millimetres thick, or use sheets of pre-rolled pastry. Line 6 oval pie dishes (approx. 250 millilitres capacity each) with pastry.

When the filling has cooled to just warm, spoon it into the dishes, and then cover each with a pastry lid, trim, moisten the edges with water and press the edges together. Decorate the top and rim with pastry trimmings, if you like. Pierce the lid with a knife to allow the steam to escape, and brush each pie with the egg wash.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and puffy.

Note: This can also be made into one large pie, by using a regular-sized pie dish, and cooking for 30–40 minutes (depending on size) until pastry is golden and puffy.