KANGAROO BURGUNDY PIE
There are few animals more synonymous with Australia than the kangaroo . More importantly it is one of the most nutritionally and protein packed meats on the planet and is extremely lean and easy to cook with when you know how. For many years we have baulked at the possibilities of eating kangaroo, emu and crocodile in Australia (I think skippy has a lot to answer for) but the fact is, for Aboriginal people in the day and today, it is looked on as a vital food source, dreamtime symbol and totem to many Aboriginal communities around Australia.
One of the best ways to introduce cooking with kangaroo to your family and friends is through a stew or a pie. A kangaroo and burgundy pie is, hearty nutritious and tasty when packed with vegetables as well. When people realise they are eating kangaroo they are usually pleasantly surprised and comment how the texture is like beef. Infusing the pie with native herbs advances the experience and the recipe for kangaroo and burgundy pie is an introduction into one, satisfying meal.
INGREDIENTS
1 kg kangaroo fillet, diced (or beef)
2 brown onions, diced
1 sweet potato, cut into 1cm cubes
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef stock
Salt and pepper
2 tsps mountain pepper
1/3 cup flour
375g puff pastry sheets
2 tbsps olive oil for frying
METHOD
- Pre-heat oven to 200⁰C. Heat the oil in a fry pan and brown the kangaroo. Add onion, potatoes, 2 cups of stock, wine and mountain pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix flour with 1 cup of stock and add to meat mixture, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens. Set aside to cool.
- Lay pastry sheet over pie dish and trim. Pour in cooled meat mixture, lay pastry sheet over top, seal the edge and trim away the excess. Glaze the top with egg wash and prick the top with a fork. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180⁰C and bake for a further 20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serves 6.
This recipe was provided by Mark Olive, a Taste of Harmony ambassador.
A Taste of Harmony celebrates diversity in Australian workplaces by encouraging colleagues to share food and stories from different cultural backgrounds from across the globe.
An initiative of the Scanlon Foundation, A Taste of Harmony will celebrate its seventh anniversary in 2015.
To read more about Taste of Harmony, and how to celebrate the day in your workplace, click here.