Venison and pumpkin is a great combination. I use a hard squash (crown prince) so butternut is a good substitute.
Prep: 10min Cook: 40min overall, 20 on the stove, 20 in the oven
Ingredients
200g venison (leg) as cubes
200g pumpkin cubed
1/2 onion chopped
175g puff pastry
50ml red wine
1 dstspn bisto gravy granules
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 225c (fan)
- put the onions, pumpkin and venison in a hot pan and soften the onions, seal the venison and slightly colour the pumpkin.
- mix the bisto with about 150ml water, add the wine and Worcestershire sauce, stir well and add to the pan.
- cook for 15 min on a medium heat, either reducing the gravy or adding a little water to ensure a good thick consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with rolled puff pastry and is you like you can wash this with a little milk or egg white. Make sure you pierce it a few times.
- Place in the oven for 18-20min until the pastry is risen and crispy.
You can see there is not masses of gravy when it’s cooked – that’s to stop the pastry going soggy. It also means the flavours are concentrated.
Pre-frying the pumpkin also intensifies the flavour, but if you use a softer squash it can make them break down more in the mix. I cook the filling on the stove in a cast iron pan so I can just lay the pastry on top and cook it without transfer – less washing up, but up to you.
You can play with the recipe. If you want to bulk it up and make it a one dish dinner you can add cubed potato. I wouldn’t recommend adding neep (swede), but mushrooms also work as an addition.