RECIPE: Poverty Pie
During the Depression clever cooks headed to the forest rather than the shops.
Free food came in the form of mushrooms and rabbit. If you were lucky you might even have got a shilling for the skin.
The much-maligned rabbit sustained a hungry population earning the nickname "bush mutton".
Pastry was made using frugal combinations of flour, water and lard.
How ironic that nowadays these beautiful golden disks would sit comfortably on a swanky bistro menu.
RECIPE: Poverty Pie Makes 6 pies
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1 onion, peeled and quartered.
1 bouquet garni, made up of selection of woody herbs
1 rabbit
40g butter
1 leek, thinly sliced
10 mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup plain flour
2 tbsp cream
1 egg for pastry wash
1 quantity of shortcrust pastry (frozen or homemade - let time and economy decide)
3 sheets of frozen butter puff pastry
To make the filling: In a large saucepan bring stock, water, onion and bouquet garni to the boil. Turn down heat then add rabbit and gently simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove rabbit and cool. Pull meat from bones and cut into bite-sized chunks. Meanwhile return liquid to heat and boil briskly to reduce to 1 1/2 cups, this usually takes 5-10 minutes.
In a saucepan melt butter then add leek, mushroom and celery and sweat until soft. Add flour and cook for a further minute. Gradually add warm stock, stirring well until sauce boils and thickens. Stir in cream and check seasoning, fold rabbit through sauce and allow to cool slightly.
To make the pies: Roll out the shortcrust pastry and line small pie tins, fill with meat mixture, cover with a puff pastry, sealing edges with egg wash. Cut a slit in the middle of the pastry top to let steam escape. Brush the pies with egg wash and put into the oven for 15 minutes at 220C, then turn the heat down to 200C for a further 10 minutes.
