Mr McGregor's rabbit pie

Pie recipe for 3 people, takes only 25 mins; recipe has rabbit, plain flour, sunflower oil, leek, fennel seed, cider, chicken stock, double cream, wholegrain mustard, shortcrust pastry, egg, baby carrot, radish, pea, butter and sugar.

Mr McGregor's rabbit pie

Mr McGregor's rabbit pie

Recipe by Chef Soomro Course: Pie
Servings

3

servings
Prep time

45 mins

Ingredients

  • Egg: 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
  • Sugar: few pinches of sugar
  • Butter: 25g butter, diced
  • Sunflower Oil: 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • Chicken Stock: 500ml chicken stock
  • Pea: 140g pea
  • Leek: 1 small-ish leek, finely sliced
  • Plain Flour: 3 tbsp plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting
  • Radish: 140g radish
  • Wholegrain Mustard: 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • Double Cream: 4 tbsp double cream
  • Fennel Seed: 1 tsp fennel seed
  • Shortcrust Pastry: 1 sheet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry (all-butter has the best flavour) - if you don't want to lattice the top of your pie, just use 1/2 a sheet
  • Baby Carrot: 140g baby carrot
  • Cider: 150ml medium cider
  • Rabbit: about 400g rabbit joints (or 250-300g diced rabbit meat)

Directions

  1. Toss the rabbit joints (or diced meat) with half the flour and some seasoning. Heat half the oil in a flameproof casserole dish and brown the meat on all sides. Lift out the meat, add the remaining oil, the leek and fennel seeds, and fry gently until softened. Stir in the remaining flour until it has disappeared. Add the cider and scrape up any stuck bits on the dish as it comes to the boil, then add the stock, return the meat to the dish, and bring to a simmer.
  2. Cover and cook for 40-45 mins until the rabbit is really tender and falling from the bone. Lift out the meat and, while you're shredding it from the bones in big chunks (if you've used joints), boil down the cooking liquid to about a third.
  3. Stir the cream and mustard into the liquid, taste for seasoning, then stir the rabbit back in. Spoon into a small pie dish or baking dish.
  4. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Stick a thin strip of pastry around the edge of the dish. Slice the remaining pastry into 2.5cm-wide strips with a floured knife, then weave into a tight lattice. Lift up carefully, using a rolling pin to help you, then stick on with a little beaten egg. Trim the edges to finish. Brush the top with more egg and bake for 25 mins until golden.
  5. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the carrots for 2 mins, then the radishes for 2 mins, followed by the peas for 1 min. Drain. When the pie is done, melt the butter in a small frying pan. Add the drained veg with the sugar, turn up the heat and fry to caramelise a little. Serve immediately alongside the pie.