Recipe – Venison Pasties

When I was growing up, my dad’s favorite meal was pasties. Nearly every birthday or special occasion, this would be his meal request. Today, I don’t fix them often, but when I do, they are always a hit.

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Pasties are small, dishless pies that are filled with meats and vegetables. They are sometimes called “miner’s pasties” or “Cornish pasties” because tin miners from Cornwall, England would take smaller versions of these pies in their lunchboxes. There are several versions of pasty recipes out there, but this is the one I grew up with, although we usually made them with beef. If you choose to use beef, you can eliminate the wine and broth and place raw cubes of meat in the pies. The wine and broth and cooking of the venison prior to making the pasty helps the venison stay tender.

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Traditionally, pasties are made with a pie crust pastry that is rolled out into a circle, filled on one side, folded over and crimped along the edge to make a semi-circle treat. I am lousy at making pie crust and even worse at making it round, so I have resorted to buying the premade pie crusts (the kind that doesn’t come in a pan….comes in a box of 2 that you unfold to place in your own pan and fill as you wish. They come in the refrigerator section in your grocery store). For those of you who are more talented or brave, you can use any pie crust recipe, roll out two pie-sized circles, and fill according to the recipe below. You can also make them smaller….more of a handheld size, which is how they originally were designed for the miners. The way this recipe is written, it makes two large pasties that can be cut in half (half a pasty is one serving for a normal person….a whole one is good for a hearty eater—like my husband!).

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1 ½ lbs. venison roast

2 tbsp. oil

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

½ cup red wine

2 cups beef broth

2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, chopped

1 carrot, sliced

½ tsp. garlic powder

Salt

Pepper

1 box Pillsbury premade pie crust (or one pie crust recipe of choice)

Milk

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Remove all silver skin and fat from venison roast. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Brown venison on all sides. Add red wine and beef broth. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 -2 hours or until meat is tender. Set aside and reserve the juices.

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cubed potatoes, carrots, onion, and cooked venison (do not include the reserved juice). Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

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Treat a large cookie sheet with oil or cooking spray. You can also cover sheet with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray to ease with clean up. Unfold one pie crust onto cookie sheet. Place half of meat/vegetable mixture on one half of pie crust. Add 2 tbsp. reserved meat juices. Fold over the pie crust and crimp the edges (I use a fork). Use fork or sharp knife to poke several holds in the top of the crust. Brush top of crust lightly with milk. Repeat with second pie crust.

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Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour or until crust is golden brown and vegetables are tender.

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I like to eat mine with ketchup. Other people like to serve it with brown gravy.

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Enjoy!!