Kid Pie
Cabrito’s first sale was to Jeremy Lee at Quo Vadis on 27 March 2012 and we’ve been on and off the menu ever since. Few chefs so effortlessly make beautiful, wholesome and comforting food. If I could choose someone to cook my last meal on earth, I would choose Jeremy – and I might well ask for this pie.
Serves 6–8
1kg/2lb 3oz boneless kid shoulder, chopped into good thumb-sized pieces
1kg/2lb 3oz boneless kid leg, chopped into good thumb-sized pieces
handful of any heart, liver, kidneys or well-cleaned pluck, chopped small
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
20g/2⅓ tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
250g/9oz unsmoked pancetta, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped into large pieces
3 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
4 celery sticks, chopped into large pieces
3 large carrots, chopped into large pieces
500ml/2 cups dry white wine
small sprig each of rosemary, thyme, sage and bay leaves, tied in a bundle
500ml/2 cups good chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the pastry
250g/9oz suet
500g/3¾ cups self-raising (self-rising) flour
1 egg, plus 1 extra beaten egg, to glaze
1–2 tablespoons milk
Season all the kid meat and offal. In one large or two small frying pans, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the seasoned meat and offal in batches. As the meat is browning, dust it lightly with flour, and remove once it is all browned beautifully.
Add the pancetta, onion, garlic, celery and carrots to the pan/s and cook, covered, in the residual oil until soft and starting to colour. (Should there be any bones from the kid, you might pop these in the oven, roast until golden brown and add these into the next step.)
Transfer the vegetables and meat to a braising pan with the wine, herb bundle and stock. Simmer for 2 hours over a very gentle heat, taking care that the stock doesn’t reduce too much. If it’s too liquid-y, simmer for longer.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Check the stew seasoning and remove the herb bundle, then transfer to a pie dish.
For the pastry, rub the suet into the flour with a good pinch of salt until you have a nice crumb. Separately, mix the egg and milk in a bowl and then mix into the flour until you have a big clump. Do not over-mix. Roll out the pastry straight away – there is no need to rest – and lay it atop the pie. Trim the edges as required.
Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and bake for 35–40 minutes. Keep a beady eye on any overenthusiastic colouring of the pastry, in which case you might need to put a little foil over the top.
I would serve this with some lovely mashed potatoes and buttered cabbage.