Jamie Magazine
By Andy Bates
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Rabbit pie
A delicious wintry game pie
2 hrs 25 mins plus 2-3 hours chilling
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serves 12
Recipe From
Ingredients
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp duck or goose fat
450g higher-welfare pork mince
250g higher-welfare pork belly, cut into 1cm cubes
6-8 semi-dried prunes, halved
1 tbsp armagnac
1 tbsp pistachio nuts
1 tbsp chopped thyme
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
4 deboned rabbit thighs
Hot-water crust pastry
450g flour
200ml water
170g lard, melted
1 tsp salt
1 free-range egg, beaten
Jelly
1 sachet gelatine
800ml chicken stock
20g butter, softened
Method
This is a real treat – packed with gamey rabbit, pork belly, sweet prunes and a dash of Armagnac
- Finely chop the shallots and fry in the duck or goose fat on a low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, or until soft. Leave to cool.
- Cut the pork belly into 1cm cubes and halve the prunes. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Pick the thyme leaves until you have about a tablespoon and finely chop.
- In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the filling except for the rabbit and season well. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. For the pastry, mix the flour with 1 teaspoon of sea salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Melt the lard in a saucepan over a low heat, then pour in 200ml water and bring to the boil. Stir into the flour with a wooden spoon to form a smooth dough. Leave the pastry for 5 minutes if too hot to handle.
- Lightly grease a 20cm-wide, 10cm-deep pie ring and place it on a greaseproof paper-lined baking tray. Take two-thirds of the dough and roll into a circle large enough to line the pie ring and with excess to hang over the edges. Carefully press the pastry into the tin, allowing a little to hang over the edge, and fill any tears or breaks – this is important! Roll the remaining pastry into a circle for the lid.
- Lay half the filling mix in the pastry case, then lay the rabbit thighs on top, making sure there are no gaps. Season generously and fill the pie with the remaining filling. Brush the edges with the egg and cover with the pastry lid. Carefully crimp the edges to create a seal and trim the edge with a knife.
- Beat the egg and brush over the top of the pie, make a hole in the middle of the pastry lid and bake for 60 to 80 minutes.
- Remove the ring and brush the sides and top again with egg before baking for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once the pie is cold, refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
- For the jelly, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until they soften and squeeze out any water. Heat about a third of the chicken stock in a saucepan and stir in the gelatine until it’s dissolved, then stir into the rest of the stock. Leave to cool, but do not let it set.
- Once the pie is cold, check around the pastry for any holes and fill them with softened butter so that the jelly doesn’t escape. Pour the stock into the round hole in the top of the pastry until the pie is filled. Cool in the fridge until the jelly is set.
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