Venison Stilton Rosemary Pasties Recipes

VENISON, STILTON & ROSEMARY PASTIES

Steps:

• Toss the venison in the flour, mustard powder and plenty of seasoning. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish, and brown the venison in batches. Take your time doing this to build up some good meaty flavours. Transfer the venison to a plate.
• Add the onion to the dish and cook for 5 mins to soften, stirring to release any meaty bits from the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle any remaining flour back into the dish and add the rosemary, ale, stock cube, venison, some salt, plenty of black pepper and 200ml water. Cover and cook for 45 mins until the meat is tender but not falling apart. Stir every now and then, and add a splash of water if the dish looks dry.
• Add the potato, honey and a splash of water if necessary. Cover and cook for 10 mins until the potato is just cooked. Leave to cool completely (you can chill overnight or freeze for up to two months).
• To make the pastry, tip the flour into a bowl and add the mustard powder and 1 tsp salt. Grate the butter into the flour, mixing in the strands and dipping the end of the block in flour every now and then to prevent it from clumping. Use a cutlery knife to stir the butter into the flour. Add 100-125ml cold water and mix again with your knife until the pastry forms a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 1 hr, removing the pastry from the fridge 10 mins before you roll it.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. On a floured surface, roll the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use a plate as a guide to cut out six 16cm circles. You may have to reroll the scraps to make all six.
• Divide the venison stew between the pastry discs, piling up the filling on one side. Crumble a little stilton over each one. Brush egg wash around the end of each pastry circle, then lift one side and stick down on the other to create pasties. Use a fork, or two fingers, to crimp the edges firmly shut. Transfer to baking trays lined with baking parchment and brush with more beaten egg. Brush with egg and cover in poppy seeds. You can now chill for 24 hrs, or cook straight away.
• Bake for 30 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through cooking if you need to, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve warm.

VENISON WITH ROSEMARY AND DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, combine rosemary, coriander seeds and garlic to make a paste, add 1 teaspoon olive oil.
• Pat venison dry with a paper towel.
• Divide paste in half and rub each tenderloin evenly with paste.
• Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Heat oven to 450f.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a heavy bottomed sauté pan over high heat.
• Season venison with salt and pepper.
• Cook tenderloins until browned, turning once, about 6 minutes.
• Place venison in oven and roast until a meat thermometer inserted diagonally into centre registers 125°F (about 8 to 10 minutes).
• Transfer meat to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
• Add wine and cherries to the sauté pan over medium high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits left on the pan.
• In a small bowl combine beef broth, water and cornstarch.
• Whisk into wine mixture and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk in honey, season with salt and pepper.
• Slice venison thinly and serve with sauce.

BRAISED VENISON WITH ROSEMARY AND SHIITAKE

Steps:

• Melt the bacon drippings in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the venison in two batches until nicely browned and remove. Stir in the shiitake, onions, and garlic; cook until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the cognac, wine, and bouillon cube, simmer for 30 seconds to remove the alcohol flavor and dissolve the bouillon.
• Stir in the venison, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the venison is tender, about two hours or more; adding water as needed.
• If using baby carrots, add them during the last half hour of cooking. When the venison is tender, you may wish to thicken the sauce by dissolving the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water and stirring it into the sauce.