Easy, peasy pie

In my mum's recipe book, in one corner, was a small snippet that said "Slap degie vir menige gebruik"! (directly translated as versatile runny batter ). This batter is a legend. It works on mince, stewed peaches, but mostly on venison. I have mentioned and shared this recipe so many times on RSG and every time it causes a flood of emails and SMSs. Both my mum and gran made this every winter or whenever they were lucky enough to get their hands on some venison. So, I dedicate today's venison pie to these two icons in my life. Without their inspiration, I would not be sitting here typing a recipe like this. Of course, this easy batter also works well on flaked roast chicken or fragrant mince for equally delicious pies!

Venison Pie with Batter Blanky (makes one huge pie)
Ingredients:
• 125ml vinegar mixed with about three cups of water
• 2 kg venison leg or shoulder
• 500g to 750g pork, chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 big garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 whole cloves
• A little cake flour
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 cup red wine
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

Method

Leave meat overnight in the vinegar water to get rid of all the excess blood. The next day, remove the meat from the water and pat dry. Preheat oven to 180C. In a cast iron pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic. When the onion has browned, add the meat, bay leaves, coriander, stock, wine, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and place the lid on. Place pot in the oven and cook the meat for two to three hours, it must be fall-off-the-bone tender. If it needs more water, add a little at a time. When the meat is tender, taste for seasoning and adjust. Quickly remove all the bones using two forks. Mix the flour with a little water and add to the pot to thicken the sauce. Allow to cool and now you are ready to make the pie.

For the runny batter
Ingredients:
• 250ml self-raising flour
• 2ml salt
• 1 egg
• +- 100ml vegetable oil
• +- 100 ml milk

Method

Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Now break the egg into a cup and fill halfway with oil and then to the top with milk. Whisk the egg mixture lightly with a fork and add to the flour. Mix and pour over the cooled-down meat. Bake at 180C until golden brown. Serve your venison pie with stewed peaches and green beans. Toe kossies at its best. Thank you Ma Tina and Ouma Mina.
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