Wild Boar Pies with Creamed Silverbeet & Horseradish

Name: Wild Boar Pies with Creamed Silverbeet & Horseradish
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: For the filling; canola oil for frying; 150g rindless bacon, coarsely chopped; 1 cup diced celery; 1 cup diced carrot; 2 cups diced onion; 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic; 2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme; 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary; 1 tablespoon finely chopped sage; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1kg wild boar shoulder, diced; 1 cup port; 1?4 cup apple syrup; 11?2 litres chicken stock; 1 cup beef demiglaze (I use European Gourmet; see supplier); 2 cups quartered button mushrooms; 3 cups 1cm-diced kumara; 2 tablespoons butter; 4 tablespoons flour, plus extra for dusting; 1 cup peas; 800g puff or flaky pastry; 2 egg whites, beaten; 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten; For the Creamed Silverbeet and Horseradish; 600g silverbeet, stems and leaves separated; 4 tablespoons creamed horseradish; 1 cup cream; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Logan Brown

October 19, 2011

Wild Boar Pies with Creamed Silverbeet & HorseradishCuisine NZ Magazine

Time:1-2 hours

Another Logan Brown classic, these show up on the menu in early autumn and remain until the end of winter. For me there is no better pie filling than slow-cooked wild boar shoulder with winter herbs, root vegetables, port and a rich gravy. Riding shotgun with these culinary works of art is the wonderful, but often overlooked, silverbeet with a little cream and horseradish to kick it along.

Ingredients

For the filling
canola oil for frying
150g rindless bacon, coarsely chopped
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrot
2 cups diced onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1kg wild boar shoulder, diced
1 cup port
1?4 cup apple syrup
11?2 litres chicken stock
1 cup beef demiglaze (I use European Gourmet; see supplier)
2 cups quartered button mushrooms
3 cups 1cm-diced kumara
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour, plus extra for dusting
1 cup peas
800g puff or flaky pastry
2 egg whites, beaten
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
For the Creamed Silverbeet and Horseradish
600g silverbeet, stems and leaves separated
4 tablespoons creamed horseradish
1 cup cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

For the filling
Place a large saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, add a little canola oil then the bacon. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.
Add the celery, carrot, onion, garlic and herbs. Stir through and reduce the heat. Fry gently for 15-20 minutes.
Place a frying pan on high heat. Season the boar. Add a little oil to the pan then brown the meat in batches. Remove and add to the vegetables. Add the port to the pan and scrape up any meaty bits then pour this over the boar and vegetables.
Add the apple syrup, chicken stock, demiglaze and button mushrooms. Bring to a light boil then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 11?2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add the kumara and simmer a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid through a colander or similar and reserve.
Take a clean saucepan and add
the butter. When melted, add the flour and whisk to make a roux then slowly pour in the cooking liquid, whisking continuously to form a smooth silky gravy. Pour this back over the boar mix, add the peas then taste and season. Set aside to cool then refrigerate until required.
Dust a clean work surface with liberal amounts of flour. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 2mm-3mm.
Find a plate or bowl with a diameter of about 12cm and cut out 12 rounds. Heap together the offcuts and roll out again. Place a mound of the boar mix in the centre of 6 rounds, leaving 2cm edges of pastry. Brush the edges with egg white, carefully take the tops and gently place on top of the filling.
Pinch 6 evenly spaced crimps on the top pastry then fold up the base layer and pinch together with the top crimps. Refrigerate until needed.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the pies on a baking paper-lined oven tray, spaced so they have room to expand. Brush with egg yolk and snip a couple of holes in the top of each pie.
Place in the centre of the oven and cook until golden and flaky (20-25 minutes). Check after 15 and turn the tray for even cooking. Once cooked, remove and let stand for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Meanwhile, heat the creamed silverbeet (recipe follows).
Serve the pies on portions of the hot creamed silverbeet.
For the Creamed Silverbeet and Horseradish
Finely dice the silverbeet stems and coarsely chop the leaves.
Place 2 tablespoons of water in a large saucepan. Add the silverbeet, cover and place on high heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes until wilted and soft. Pour into a colander and squeeze as much of the water out as possible. Put the silverbeet back in the saucepan and add the horseradish and the cream. Stir and simmer with the lid off for a couple more minutes.
Remove from the heat and blitz with a wand blender or similar. I like to keep it a little chunky and rustic. Season and keep warm until required.