Recipe of the week

Game Casserole with Herb Cobbler 4portions

Ingredients
400g mixed game (from any good butcher)
30ml vegetable oil
120g button onions
120g button mushrooms
30g plain flour
30g tomato purée
100ml good red wine
500ml stock
1 bayleaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 small bunch of parsley stalks
Salt and black pepper



Method
1 Heat a thick bottomed frying pan with a tiny amount of oil until it is smoking add about a half of the game at a time and fry quickly to a deep brown colour (this is essential), when it is brown place into a deep casserole that can go into the oven. Sprinkle with the flour, stir in,
add tomato purée.
2 Now whilst the pan is still hot deglacé the pan with half of the wine, when all of the of the brown colour has been taken up by the wine pour in with the meat and stir in.
3 Reheat the pan add some of the oil and fry the button onions to a golden brown add to the casserole.
4 Reheat the pan with the rest of the oil and fry the mushrooms quickly, add to the casserole.
5 Deglacé the pan with the remaining wine and add to the casserole.
6 Add the stock to the casserole and stir in well,(don't worry if it looks a bit thin at this stage.)
7 Add the thyme, bayleaf and parsley to the casserole place on the lid and place in a moderate oven 160c-180c for at least 2 hours or until the meat is tender.


And now for the Herb cobbler!
250 g Self raising flour
90g Suet
Salt and pepper
100ml cold water
And a tspn. of each of the following:
Chopped parsley
Chopped sage
Chopped chives

Method
1 Mix the flour, suet, chopped herbs, salt and pepper together lightly trying not to break up the suet.
2 Add most of the water , again mixing lightly until all ingredients are just gathered together, Do not over mix !
3 Break into 8 even balls and drop onto the top of the casserole when the meat is tender and replace in the oven for a further 15-20 mins.

Serve with a good red wine or good local beer.