Wallaby and saltbush pie

The wallaby filling is inspired by beef bourguignon. If you can't get wallaby you can make it with kangaroo or beef - my favourite cuts are beef cheek or feather blade. As delicious as the saltbush is, you can serve it plain.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  3:30 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

This pastry is my go-to whenever I have friends drop in, and I need to whip up a shared meal. It's simple, quick, easy - and foolproof!

Stream free On Demand

Episode 1

episode • A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking • 

cooking • 

25m

PG

episode • A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking • 

cooking • 

25m

PG

Ingredients

Sour cream pastry

• 500 g flour
• 12 g salt
• 240 g soft butter
• 140 g sour cream
• 4 eggs

Wallaby filling (makes extra)

• 3 brown onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 150 g butter
• 5 cloves garlic
• 6 bay leaves
• ¼ bunch thyme
• 500 ml red wine
• 500 ml veal or chicken stock
• 1 whole wallaby (or kangaroo), about 2 kg
• Flour, to dust
• 20 ml sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp quince or redcurrant jelly
• 20 g miso
• ¼ bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 1 egg yolk
• Saltbush, to sprinkle

Resting time: 30 minutes

Cooling time for filling: 15-30 minutes

Instructions

1. For the pastry, mix butter, eggs and sour cream together in a stand mixer. Add flour, then mix till incorporated.
2. Cover tightly and rest for a minimum 30 minutes before rolling out. Roll out to approx. 3mm thick and line pie dish. Reserve some pastry for the top.
3. Preheat oven to a 160°C.
4. For the filling, add onions and carrots to a large oven-proof pot on medium heat with the butter and cook until softened. Add the garlic cloves, bay, thyme, wine and stock and bring to a simmer.
5. Meanwhile, joint the wallaby and flour the pieces. In a separate pan, fry in olive oil until light golden brown but not cooked.
6. Add the wallaby pieces into the pot with the vegetables and stock, cover and place in the oven for approximately 2-3 hours or until the wallaby falls off the bone very easily.
7. Take out of the oven, remove the bay and thyme and put them in the compost.
8. Take out the wallaby pieces and lay them on a tray. Using your hands, pick all the meat off the bones. Return the picked meat to the stock and reduce on the stove until a thick ragout is achieved. Season with the vinegar, jelly, miso and fresh chopped herbs to your liking. Set aside to cool.
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C.
10. When cold, fill the lined pie dish then top with the final piece of pastry. Using a fork seal the edges and make a hole in the centre for steam to escape.
11. Break the egg yolks and glaze the pie using a pastry brush.
12. Bake in oven for approx 30 minutes. Five minutes before the pie is done, pull it out and sprinkle a handful of saltbush leaves over, then return to the oven.

 

Analiese Gregory explores life at the bottom of the world in A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

This pastry is my go-to whenever I have friends drop in, and I need to whip up a shared meal. It's simple, quick, easy - and foolproof!

Stream free On Demand

Episode 1

episode • A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking • 

cooking • 

25m

PG

episode • A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking • 

cooking • 

25m

PG