Pheasant Leg and Rabbit Pie
Ingredients:
- 1- Rabbit
- 4- Pheasant legs
- 4 cups- chicken stock
- 2-4 cups white wine
- 1/2- finely chopped onion
- 1- finely chopped carrot
- 2 sticks- finely chopped celery
- Thyme, Parsley, Sage
- cooking oil
- 3-4 cups slice mushrooms
- Flour
- butter
- Salt & Pepper
- Dijon Mustard
- 2- frozen deep dish pie crust
- 1- Egg
Instructions:
Cooking down the filling
The Meat
The Meat Filling
- In a large sauce pan heat a bit of cooking oil, and when heated add the onion, carrot, and celery, and begin to brown slightly.
- Once browned slightly add and brown the rabbit. The rabbit should be cut into 4-6 pieces for easier handling and cooking.
- Once the rabbit has browned, add and brown the pheasant legs.
- Once all the meat has browned add the chicken stock, wine, and the herbs, and cook over a medium-hi heat until brought to a boil, then lower the heat and cook at a low boil for a couple hours.
Cooking down the filling
- When the meat is easily pulling away from the bone, turn off, and remove the meat from the stock to cool.
- Strain the stock to remove all the herbs and veggies, retaining the stock. Discard the bits and pieces strained from the stock.
- After the meat has cooled, remove all the meat from the bones, discarding the bones and any bits of tendon. Set meat aside.
The Meat
- In a sauce pan reduce the stock to about 1 1/2-2 cups, and sift in flour slowly while stirring until the stock becomes a nice gravy of whatever consistency you prefer.
- The gravy and the meat is then mixed together. Add salt and pepper to taste. The meat should not be awash in gravy, rather just moistened and coated. At this point the meat filling can be put aside and the pie finished another day.
The Meat Filling
- The next step is to cook the sliced mushrooms in butter until softened and browned. Don't go light on the butter. Butter is good. You want the mushrooms to retain a lot of butter flavor.
- Take the pie crust out of the freezer, and defrost for about 15-20 minutes.
- Fill the crust with the meat filling.
- Brush the top of the meat with the Dijon mustard.
- Top the meat filling with the buttery mushrooms.
- Place the other pie crust over the top, crimp the edges, put a few vent slits in the top, and brush liberally with an egg wash.
- Bake on the middle rack at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.