Game Pie

Description
Game are wild animals and birds hunted for food. British game animals are hares and deer (you need a licence to shoot the latter). Typical game birds are pheasants, partridges and grouse. Fresh game can only be sold by a licensed dealer, though it is possible to buy some game frozen.

Ingredients

 * Game birds - 2-4 according to size (pheasant, grouse, partridge, woodpigeon),
 * Bouquet Garni - 1, Stock or water,
 * Onion - 1 large, chopped,
 * Mushrooms - 250 g (9 oz), sliced,
 * Butter - 60 g (2 oz),
 * Plain flour - 1 rounded tablespoon ,
 * Bacon - 6-8 rashers (optional),
 * Hard-boiled eggs - 3-4, quartered,
 * Salt,
 * pepper,
 * parsley,
 * Puff or shortcrust pastry,
 * Beaten egg for glazing.

Directions
1. For this recipe choose older birds or woodpigeons, rather than young roasting game. Put them into a pan with the bouquet garni and cover with stock or water plus salt and pepper.

2. Simmer, covered, until the meat begins to part from the bone, and can be cut away from the carcass in good-sized pieces. Arrange them in a pie dish.

3. Brown the onion and mushrooms lightly in the butter - they should be golden rather than deep brown. Stir in the flour, and enough stock to make a rich, fairly thick but not gluey sauce.

4. Simmer while you cut the rashers into convenient-sized pieces for small rolls: these should be lightly grilled, then arranged round the meat, along with the pieces of hard-boiled egg.

5. Season with salt, pepper and chopped parsley. Pour over the onion and mushroom sauce which should come to within half an inch of the top of the pie dish.

6. Cover with puff or shortcrust pastry in the usual way (puff pastry is traditionally used, but many people prefer a good shortcrust with meat). 7. Brush over with beaten egg and bake for 30 minutes at 220C / 425F / Gas.

8. The heat may be lowered once the pastry has risen well (puff) and is nicely browned (puff and shortcrust).