Rabbit, Ham & Mushroom Pie

[lord_seagrave]

It has to be said that my standard operating procedure with rabbit pie is to just stick a lid on some de-boned rabbit stew. Whilst that certainly tastes great, it lacks sophistication.

 

The recipe below adheres to the same sort of principles, but is a little more refined. The winey, herby flavours are a bit more suited to the changing seasons too, and it’s the sort of thing you could dish up at a dinner party or for the in-laws.

 

This is also a good dish to introduce rabbit to a sceptical audience. The filling is rich and satisfying, and any ‘rabbitiness’ is nicely balanced by the mushrooms, tarragon and wine.

 

Since you won’t get a fixed quantity of meat from your rabbit, be prepared to up the ham content if your filling looks somewhat sparse. My recipe does not call for any additional salt, so if you’re using less (or no) ham, you might need a sprinkle, according to taste. If in doubt, leave it out and season at the table.

 

Choose a winey white wine, especially if you have a very gamey rabbit. Something German and punchy would be ideal.

 

You can make your own puff pastry - it's not difficult - BUT you have to be patient and leave it plenty of time to chill right down in between rolling and folding. Otherwise substitute it for suet crust (dead easy and super fast) or shop-bought puff.

 

• 1 rabbit, well cleaned and jointed

• 1 bay leaf

• 3 juniper berries, squeezed

• 6 black peppercorns, cracked

• 250ml white wine

• 1 onion, skinned and halved

• 1 carrot, halved

• 1 celery stick, halved

 

Put all the ingredients into a large, heavy-based stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring very slowly to the boil and then simmer very gently for an hour, skimming often. A rolling boil will toughen your rabbit and cloud your stock - be gentle, it’s had a hard life.

 

Strain off and reserve the stock, discard the vegetables and spices, and allow the rabbit to cool.

 

Go through and pick the meat from the bones thoroughly. Discard the bones (and any lead shot). Put the meat pieces into your chosen pie dish (mine is a 28cm pie plate from John Lewis )

 

 

• 75-100g good thick ham, roughly chopped

• 150g assorted mushrooms, thickly sliced

• 1 medium onion, finely diced

• 1tbs finely chopped fresh tarragon

• 1tbs finely chopped fresh parsley

• Unsalted butter

• 2tbs plain flour

• 400ml rabbit stock, well strained (e.g. through muslin)

• 75ml white wine

• 75ml double cream

 

• Puff pastry to cover

• Beaten egg, with a little milk, to glaze

 

Add the ham to your pie dish.

 

Put the stock in a small saucepan over a medium heat and simmer to reduce it slightly.

 

Meanwhile in a medium saucepan melt a **** of butter over a low heat and sweat the onion and mushrooms until the mushrooms have given up most of their moisture and the onions are cooked through (5-10 minutes).

 

Add the onion and mushrooms to the pie dish, and melt another **** of butter into the pan. Cook the flour in the butter for a couple of minutes.

 

Take the stock off the heat and add the wine to the stock.

 

Add the winey stock, a little at a time, to the cooked flour, stirring all the time over a low heat to make a thick, glossy sauce.

 

Stir in the double cream and, when fully combined, add the chopped herbs.

 

Pour the sauce over the pie filling, cover loosely with cling film (so that the sauce doesn’t form a skin on top) and leave to cool. Remember to remove the cling film before covering your pie with pastry.

 

Roll out the pastry fairly thickly into a sheet big enough to cover the top of your pie. Brush the rim of the dish with beaten egg and stick narrow strips of pastry all the way round the rim, joining pieces where necessary to form a complete ring.

 

Brush the pastry-covered rim with beaten egg and lay the lid loosely over the top. Trim off the pie generously (puff pastry will shrink as it cooks) and cut some steam holes in the top. Crimp the edge of the pie all round with a fork, and brush the top with beaten egg.

 

Bake for 45 minutes in a quick oven (190C or gas mark 6) until the pastry is puffed up and golden. Leave to rest before serving with new potatoes, greens and wholegrain mustard.

 

LS

[Zapp]

I foresee this getting made in the Brannigan household with the leftovers from this years Christmas ham

 

Thanks LS

 

ZB

[hendersons]

sounds great but how much butter was that

[malkiserow]

sounds great but how much butter was that

 

just a ****

[lord_seagrave]

Just as Malk says - a ****.

 

Oh, and careful you don't ***** yourself with the knife...

 

 

LS

[amateur]

Cooked this recipe for lunch with my brother, using one of the rabbits culled from his garden

 

Historic!!

 

Made a few minor amendments - Didn't need the ham (it was a big rabbit), port instead of german wine and added a teaspoon of jerk spice to give it a little more oomph

 

Went down very well

[lord_seagrave]

No mushrooms or onions, so subbed a couple of leeks and a bunch of strong spring onions (scallions) instead.

 

Excellent fayre, but you must cook as much moisture out of the leeks as possible without colouring them if you're not too water down the filling too much. The other thing I've noticed is that my knobb is quite a bit bigger than other people's. If I remember, I will weigh my knobb and weigh the flour for the sauce too next time I wheel this recipe out.

 

 

LS

 

 

 

PS: Works well with a plump roast chicken too. Have a breast each for dinner one evening/afternoon and then strip the meat for a pie the next day.

 

LS

[charliebrown]

No mushrooms or onions, so subbed a couple of leeks and a bunch of strong spring onions (scallions) instead.

 

Excellent fayre, but you must cook as much moisture out of the leeks as possible without colouring them if you're not too water down the filling too much. The other thing I've noticed is that my knobb is quite a bit bigger than other people's. If I remember, I will weigh my knobb and weigh the flour for the sauce too next time I wheel this recipe out.

 

 

LS

 

 

 

PS: Works well with a plump roast chicken too. Have a breast each for dinner one evening/afternoon and then strip the meat for a pie the next day.

 

LS

 

 

Do you think it would serve cold as well, I have a thing for cold pies

 

Also can you tell me a bit more about your knobb? Approximate dimensions? The reason is that I have a tendancy to overestimate the size of knobb I require and everthing gets all slimy and greased up. Presumably if I want to eat it cold I could have a small knobb and extra flour so the juice dosent run down my chin too much.

Edited August 14, 2010 by charliebrown

[lord_seagrave]

Do you think it would serve cold as well, I have a thing for cold pies

 

I know what you mean - I love a slab of cold pie. With plenty of English mustard. Almost as good as cold lasagne

 

This would work if you were in a Zapp situation with a leftover gammon or Christmas ham - I reckon you could get some nice big bits of ham, and the ham bone as well, and simmer them with a couple of really well cleaned and jointed rabbits (with usual stock veg)

 

You might have to give it a couple of hours of very gentle simmering to extract plenty of gelatine. The ham will also make your stock nice and salty (you must almost always over-season something that is to be eaten cold).

 

Rather than adding any actual veg, a generous couple of tablespoons of finely chopped herbs (the tarragon and parsley, and maybe some peppery wild rocket) and a tablespoon or two of chopped capers should do nicely.

 

Strain and strip as per the recipe above, and really pack the meat in tightly :o

 

Reduce some of your salty stock and just a little splash of white wine and a little cream by half and this should be sufficiently concentrated to make a nice thick gravy for your pie when it cools (either use it as it is, or make a roux with butter and flour as above).

 

~

 

As for knobb guidance - in the interests of science I'll weigh it this weekend and let you know.

 

LS

[Zapp]

This would work if you were in a Zapp situation with a leftover gammon or Christmas ham - I reckon you could get some nice big bits of ham, and the ham bone as well, and simmer them with a couple of really well cleaned and jointed rabbits (with usual stock veg)

 

Yep, my thinking exactly. Loads of gelatin = a pie that will set well once cold, and everyone knows that cold pie is a thing of beauty.

 

The salty ham alongside the more neutral rabbit, a nice bit of pastry, maybe a bit of salad and picalilli...

 

MMmmmmm....