Autumnal rabbit pie

Another little gem from Harvest at Jimmy’s, this time courtesy of Madalene Bonvini-Hamel from the British Larder.  No need to blind bake these pies before filling and putting them in the oven which makes them easier to assemble.

I love the idea of using roasted pumpkin mash on top of the rabbit pie... it’s Autumn on a plate.

For the roasted pumpkin mash topping:

-          1 medium pumpkin

-          50g unsalted butter

-          2tsp light brown sugar

-          Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Place the two pumpkin halves on one large piece of foil on a baking tray. Divide the butter between the two pumpkin halves, scatter one teaspoon of sugar on each pumpkin half and season generously with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Close the foil parcel to cover the pumpkin completely. Bake for 40 minutes. Open the foil parcels and return the pumpkin to the oven, top shelf, for a further 15 minutes to caramelise the edges. Let the pumpkins cool for 5 minutes then use a fork to mash the pumpkins in their skins, making sure you scrape all the flesh out.

For the pie:

-          1 rabbit, legs removed and cooked, flaked and raw loin diced

-          100g unsalted butter

-          Pinch of fennel seeds, cumin seeds and ground cloves

-          1 onion, finely chopped

-          1 clove of garlic, crushed

-          2 carrots, grated

-          2 celery sticks, finely diced

-          200 ml dry white wine

-          3 tbs plain flour

-          500 ml chicken stock

-          150 ml double cream

-          Short crust pastry (see Delia for a good recipe)

Line 6 x 8cm tall pudding moulds with the shortcrust pastry (Madelene used small tin foil tins which you can buy from Lakeland – saves on washing up too!). Let them rest in the fridge whist finishing the filling.

Heat a large casserole dish with half the butter and sauté the raw rabbit loin with seasoning until golden brown. Remove from the dish and set it aside. Return the pan to the heat with the remaining butter and sauté the spices, onion, garlic, celery and carrots until golden brown, stir in the flour and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the wine, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add all of the browned rabbit loin meat to the dish, add the stock and bring to a gentle simmer, cook for 15 minutes, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.  Add the cooked, flaked rabbit leg meat and the cream, bring to the boil and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Fill the lined pastry cases with the pie filling (tip: wait until the pie filling is completely cooled for easier handling – the filling will solidify). Top with the pumpkin mash and bake in a preheated oven for 22 minutes.