Filled with smoky bacon, creamy leeks and lean, gamey rabbit, this pie is incredibly delicious and a great way to introduce game meat into your diet.
Rabbit is one of the most accessible forms of game meat and it has a mild gamey flavour, a firm lean texture and is simple to prepare. Ask your butcher to prepare it for you, if you get a little squeamish with a whole rabbit carcass.
This pie might be a little different to your usual ones, but we promise it is just as delicious as any other kind!
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 40 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 5 mins
Cal/Serv:
709
Ingredients
1 Tbsp. oil
4 smoked streaky bacon rashers, chopped
600 g boneless farmed or wild rabbit, cut into 2.5cm pieces
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp. dried tarragon
2 Tbsp. plain flour, plus extra to dust
500 ml cider (we used Cornish Orchards)
300 g small chantenay carrots, trimmed (halved if large)
6 Tbsp. crème fraîche
2 Tbsp. wholegrain mustard
250 g frozen peas
500 g pack all-butter puff pastry
1 medium egg, beaten
Directions
Step 1Heat oil in a large heavy-based pan or deep frying pan and fry bacon until starting to crisp. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Brown rabbit in the bacon fat, in batches if needed, removing to the plate when done.
Step 2Add onion and leek to the pan and cook gently for 10min, stirring and scraping base of pan to loosen any caramelised bits. Add garlic, tarragon and flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2min. Gradually add cider, stirring to make a smooth sauce.
Step 3Return rabbit and bacon to the pan, along with any juices. Add carrots, bring to a simmer then reduce heat and cook on low for 35-40min, stirring occasionally, until both rabbit and carrots are just tender and the sauce has thickened.
Step 4Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Stir crème fraiche, mustard and peas into the sauce and check seasoning. Tip into a 1.6 litre pie dish.
Step 5Roll out pastry on a lightly floured work surface until large enough to cover top of pie dish. Brush rim of pie dish with beaten egg and drape pastry over the top. Trim excess and press with the tines of a fork to seal edges. Brush pastry all over with beaten egg. If you like, use pastry trimmings to make decorations, stick on top and brush with more egg.
Step 6Cook in oven for 35min or until pastry is deep golden brown. Serve with buttered cabbage, if you like.
Get ahead: Make filling up to 2 days ahead; cool, cover and chill. To serve, assemble pie and cook, allowing an extra 5-10min cooking time, until filling is piping hot.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
