Venison & Mushroom Pie

We were blessed to have some really good quality wild venison to cook this week. The first night we cooked a truly fabulous Annabel Langbein recipe, serving the fillets on ginger mashed kumara, with a sweet red wine and balsamic sauce. It really was sensational, partly down to the tender quality and flavour of the meat, as well as the accompaniments of course. 

But tonight I had the challenge of using the rest of the meat to create a pie (Hubby's orders. But who doesn't like pie right?). The challenge was, that the meat was from the eye fillet, so exceptionally tender and only requiring quick cooking. 

Pies are traditionally a dish that are suited to a tougher cut of meat. This recipe explains how to cook it using a high quality cut of meat. However if you had stewing steak then you'd simply rearrange the order, brown the meat first, and simmer it in the gravy for at least 40 minutes till it's tender, before cooling and using as a pie filling. 

One of my tips with pies is to cool the filling first. It doesn't have to be fridge cold (though you could prepare the filling a day in advance), but you certainly do not want it hot. It would cause the pastry to melt a little which you don't want to happen prior to going into the oven. Also, a HOT oven, so make sure to preheat first. 

Ingredients (Serves 4-6 with sides): 

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 400g venison fillets, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp flour 
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 c red wine  
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50g butter
• 200g mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 cup diced pumpkin
• 1 tbsp dried thyme (or 1/4c of fresh thyme) 
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 sheets of butter puff pastry*
• 1/2 cup frozen peas

Toss the chopped meat in the first measure of flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. 

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Lightly brown the meat in batches and set aside in a bowl. 

Once the meat is browned, reduce the heat to low and use the wine to de-glaze the pan. Stirring until all of the bits have been removed from the bottom of the pan, and the wine has significantly reduced. Pour this over top of the meat and set aside. 

Heat the oil and half of the butter in a large frying pan. Add the mushrooms and pumpkin and saute for 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are softened. 

Add the garlic, additional butter, and thyme, and stir till the butter has melted. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to coat. 

Gradually add the hot beef stock to the pan (if using a cheaper cut of meat return it to the pan now to stew in the gravy), stirring constantly and allow the sauce to thicken. 

Once thickened, remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature (if using a fillet cut of meat stir it into the gravy once cooled). 

Preheat the oven to 190*C fanbake (210*C bake). 

Butter a 22cm pie dish and line the base with the thawed pastry. Cutting to fit. 

Spoon the cooled filling into the base and sprinkle with 1/2 a cup of frozen peas. 

Use the remaining pastry to cover the top. If you don't have enough a rustic lattice top will do the trick (I like my pies to be rustic and somewhat freeform). If you do fully cover the top, be sure to prick a few holes in the top to allow it to steam. 

Bake for 40 minutes till the centre is hot.  

Remove from the oven and sit for 10 mins before cutting. 

Serve with roasted potatoes and steamed veggies or salads. 

* Many store bought pastries are made with vegetable fat (often palm oil), check the ingredients and if possible it's worth spending the few extra dollars for butter puff pastry. 

Baby Panang (for parents too!)

As of late I have been adapting our adult meals to make a potful to freeze down for baby. I'm also aware that as he gets older, he needs to be exposed to more flavours, textures and tastes. 

For this Thai Panang Curry, each time I make it will gradually increase the amount of Panang curry paste which is added, therefore increasing babies tolerance of the different herbs and spices. Obviously stopping once I have achieved a mild flavour, I don't expect the poor kid to eat super spicy food like his Mum! The half a teaspoon used in this batch wasn't detectable to my palate, and therefore happily gobbled down by Mr 8 months. 

Depending on where your child is at with their eating, you could puree this, or pulse so still a bit chunky, or just roughly mash. We're still at the blitzing stage, also I add the rice in after a few blitzes so that it stays fairly chunky still. Feel free to use cooked rice, ground Only Organic Iron Fortified Baby Rice or a combination of the both. The good thing about adding the rice at the end is that it helps you to gain the right consistency; simply add more rice to make it thicker. 

This recipe includes everything that you need to make a meal to serve four adults (dinner and the next day's lunches for us), and 6-10 serves for baby. I freeze baby's portions in silicone ice-trays or muffin trays, then pop them out and store in a zip-lock bag in the freezer, defrosting as much as is needed each day. The first ingredient list is the total ingredients that you will need. The second is the portions which go into baby's pot. 

Ingredients (4 adults and 6-10 baby serves):

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 parsnip, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 a squash or pumpkin, peeled and diced
• 1/2 a head of broccoli, florets, and stem peeled and cut into sticks 
• 1 apple
• 1 small kumara, peeled and diced 
• 1 onion, peeled and thickly sliced 
• 1 400g tin of coconut cream
• 1 tbsp oil
• 50 g + 1/2 tsp Mae Ploy Panang Curry Paste*
• 600 grams free range chicken breast or thigh, diced**
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• juice of 1 lime or lemon
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups rice + 4 cups of water

*Any Panang Curry Paste will work, however adapt the amount used according to the packet directions. 

**Use protein of choice including Beef, Tofu or Pork

Begin by preparing your vegetables, as you do measure out the following amounts to go into a separate 1.5L capacity pot for baby.

• 120 g carrot
• 50 g parsnip
• 80 g broccoli
• 200 g squash or pumpkin
• 100 g kumara
• 80 g apple 

All remaining vegetables, prepare and pop aside. 

Add to baby's pot: 100 g chicken (or other protein), 1/2 tsp curry paste, 1/4 cup of coconut milk and two cups of water. 

Cover and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Remove lid and leave to cool for 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, begin cooking your rice, according to packet directions. 

In a large frying pan (with a lid), heat the oil and over a low heat stir in the 50 g curry paste till aromatic, add the remaining coconut cream, then fill the tin with water and pour that in too, stir to create a sauce. Add the fish sauce and sugar. Add the chicken, carrot, parsnip, squash and any kumara or apple that was leftover. Stir, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes till chicken is cooked through and vegetables are nearly softened. Add the broccoli and onion, stir and cover for another 5 minutes. 

Serve the Panang Curry in bows on top of the cooked rice. 

As for baby's pot, it should be cooled enough now. Blend or blitz in a food processor till at the desired consistency. To make it thicker, add up to 1/2 a cup of Only Organic Iron Fortified Baby Rice, or up to 1 cup of cooked rice, or as I did a combination of both. Decant this into ice-trays or muffin tins to freeze, then store frozen cubes in labelled zip lock bags in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

Tofu Panang Curry

We usually eat tofu once a week. It's affordable (only $3.20 from your local asian supermarket or veggie shop), and easy to whip up mid week. Most people tell me that tofu is bland or that they don't know how to cook it. Both of my go to tofu recipes, this one and tofu scramble, are well loved in our household and packed full of flavour. 

*I buy my curry paste from the local asian supermarket and follow the directions for 4 servings. Depending on the curry paste you use, you may need more or less than what's in this recipe so always consult the pack. I tend to look for a paste that's really thick, rather than a runny sauce type. Also when you're frying it off at the beginning you need to use a gentle heat otherwise it burns easily. If it does stick on the bottom a little, just add the liquid and scrape it off (remove any burnt bits though!)- It adds to the flavour. 




I always use full fat coconut cream too, and preferably one with no additives or preservatives. Coconut cream has no cholesterol and is naturally low in sodium (source: NutritionData), so don't be shy with it. The addition of pumpkin also adds to the creaminess of this dish, as it breaks down into the sauce. You can alternate the vegetables that you use according to preference or season, but I tend to put 3 - 4 cups in in total. Beans, cauliflower, broccoli or kumara (sweet potato) would also be delicious. 

Ingredients (serves 4-6) 

• 100 grams of (about 1/3 cup) panang curry paste*
• 2 tbsp oil 
• 1 tin of full fat coconut cream
• 1 tin of water
• 1 onion, cut into strips
• 2 carrots, cut into half moons
• 2 zucchini or 1 eggplant cut into pieces
• 1 capsicum cut into 3 cm pieces
• 1 cup of chopped pumpkin or kumara. 
• 500 gram packet of tofu 
• 1tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp brown or palm sugar
• 2 tbsp lime juice (lemon will also work) 
• cooked rice and fresh coriander to serve

Method

Heat oil on a low heat, and stir in curry paste. Heat for 1-2 minutes till fragrant, then mix in the coconut cream and water. 

Add the chopped veggies, fish sauce, and sugar and simmer gently till vegetables are cooked (about 10 - 15 minutes). 

Finally add the tofu and lime juice and gently stir into the sauce to cover and cook for 5 minutes. 

Serve with cooked rice and a sprinkle of fresh coriander.