Rudolph's Pie (Shepherd's Pie)

Ingredients

• 50 g dried porcini mushrooms
• 3-5 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 onions, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 500 g button mushrooms, quartered
• 1 kg minced venison
• 1 kg ground pork
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 6 teaspoons marsala

• 2 (15 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
• 125 ml water
• 2 teaspoons tomato puree, diluted in the water
• worcestershire sauce

Topping

• 4 kg potatoes
• 1 1/2 kg parsnips (about 8)
• 125 ml milk
• 125 butter
• nutmeg
• worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. 1

   Pour 500ml of near boiling water over the porcini mushrooms and leave to steep.

2. 2

   Warm oil into very large thick bottomed pan and add the chopped onions, carrots and minced garlic.

3. 3

   Cook, stirring for about 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Drain the porcini, reserving the soaking liquid.

5. 5

   Chop coarsely and add with the button mushrooms to the vegetable mixture.

6. 6

   After about 5 minutes tip the whole lot out to brown the meat.

7. 7

   Add a little more oil to the pan, then tip in the minced meats, breaking them up with a wooden spoon.

8. 8

   Stir for about 5 minutes until the rawness has left them a bit, and salt-unstintingly-and then return the vegetable mixture to the pan.

9. 9

   Stir in flour and add the mushroom-soaking liquid, tinned tomatoes, diluted puree, Marsala and a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce.

10. 10

    Stir well, cover partly with a lid and reduce heat so that the mince bubbles gently, for about 40 minutes to an hour.

11. 11

    Meanwhile boil the spuds in a large pan of salted water until half way done, add the parsnips.

12. 12

    Boil until done, drain, allow to dry a bit.

13. 13

    Warm the milk and melt the butter in the heat of the potato pan.

14. 14

    Rice or mash the potatoes and parsnips straight into this.

15. 15

    Grate in some fresh nutmeg and add salt to taste.

16. 16

    Put the mince into a large dish approximately 37cm x 32cm, then dollop the potato mash on top.

17. 17

    Spread to edges and make fork lines on top.

18. 18

    Dot with butter and sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce.

19. 19

    Cook around 10 minutes in a 225C oven.

20. 20

    You want the top golden.