Steak and Kidney Venison Pie

This pie was one of my favourites as a child from the chippy ( I wasn’t a fan of the fish and I didn’t really put two and two together until much later in life). I was over the moon to suddenly have spare kidneys and dice steak and the sudden realisation that I could make my favourite pie fully from venison! It was a spectacular success – so here is the recipe for you guys to enjoy. I used ready made pastries because they are vegan and I always struggle to make a decent pastry from scratch without using butter, so this just works for me. But feel free to swap out the pastry for a homemade version if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 pack mixed wild mushrooms
• 2 bay leaves
• cornflour
• 500g dice steak
• 400g diced kidneys (fat removed)
• 300ml Venison stock/bone broth
• 1 whole onion
• 1 roll ready made shortcrust pastry
• 1 roll ready made puff pastry
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Warm the stock through in a saucepan with the bay leaves. Keep it on a low heat for now.

Dice the onions finely and caramalise in a frying pan for 5 minutes. Remove and add to the stock.

Dice the mushrooms finely and caramalise in a frying pan for 5 minutes. Remove and add to the stock.

Coat the diced steak in cornflour and season with salt and pepper. Fry on a high heat, searing and sealing all the edges. Add to the saucepan.

Fry the diced kidney seperately with no cornflour on a high heat again just sealing it on all sides. Then add to the saucepan. Thicken the stock a little with extra cornflour on a low heat until it is the consistency you require.

Line a pie pan/dish with the shortcrust pastry, then add the filling, then cover with the puff pastry. Make sure you make some holes in the top of the lid for steam to escape. You can get creative if you have any spare pastry and make decorations for the top. I usually go with leaves and whatnot.

If you use eggs, coat the top with an egg wash. If not a little vegetable or sunflour oil could be used instead.

Place in the oven on 150-160 degrees C for 30-45 minutes. You want to ensure the top puff pastry is adequately cooked and nicely browned. Do not be tempted to over cook the pie or the dice steak will come out too tough. It’s best to be prepared and put the pie in the oven at the last minute.

Enjoy!