Kangaroo & Black Pepper Pie

Last night I posted some pictures on my Instagram account of the Kangaroo & Black pepper pies I made for dinner.

It sparked a lot of interest, ranging from people who wanted the recipe, to jokes about Skippy the bush kangaroo to people who weren't aware you could even eat Kangaroo.  I promised I would share the recipe.

Many years ago when I first moved out of home, I shared a house with Mr Girlfriend and my sister and her partner.
We all loved to cook. The way it worked best for us was to put money into a combined kitty and do the weekly shop together on a Saturday morning. Gosh we had so many laughs on these shopping trips and excitement at what deliciousness we could make for the week ahead.

Fun times, such fun times. Off we would trot in the old trusty Land Rover to find the bargains of the day that would feed us heartily and happily but most of all cheaply.

We lived in South Australia then.  At that time it was the only state that allowed the legal consumption of Kangaroo meat.
That has changed now and as far as I am aware you can buy it Australia wide.

Back then it was incredibly cheap & so perfect for our very limited food budget. We would buy Kangaroo fillet and I remember a dish that we all used to love that involved searing it on a super high heat and then popping into an oven for about 10 minutes before serving it with an Olive, Garlic, Rosemary & Sour cream sauce. I know right?! We ate so well even though we were on a tight budget. People then made the same jokes as they do now about eating Kangaroo, a kind of disbelief really. But to me it makes no sense, how exactly is eating the meat of Kangaroo any different to eating that of a Sheep or Cow?

Kangaroo is now readily available - I see it in most supermarkets now, whereas you used to have to go to the markets to find it. It is sold in a few cuts too, from fillet (which needs to be cooked on a high heat & fast as it is virtually fat free) to mince.

We just need to get more savvy with how and what food we buy and how we cook.
We need to arm ourselves with knowledge and skills and perhaps make some changes to the way we plan our eating.

Maybe buying cheaper cuts, and things like offal and game meats (rabbit and kangaroo) can help us eat really amazing food that is actually quite affordable and incredibly nutritious.
We need to stop being revolted by the idea of eating offal and cheap cuts such as liver & lamb necks (OMG YUM!) and maybe be a little more revolted in the way our food choices are affecting our planet and our health.

I encourage you to think BIG. Arm yourself with knowledge and start cooking things that challenge your palette. Taste the benefits!
It will not only do your wallet good but it will help the planet and YOU.

I really encourage you to give Kangaroo a try. It is really cheap and so incredibly flavourful.

KANGAROO & BLACK PEPPER PIE:
I bought a kilo of Kangaroo mince for less than $10.
It made a large Family pie and six regular pies. Or you could make all individual ones or 2 large- whatever suits you! 
Combined with the other ingredients I would guess that it cost me less than $15 all up.
If you bought these items at a bakery or specialty store I would be guessing you would be slugged close to $50.00 for all of that.
Making your own food is totally WORTH IT.
Baked pies can be cooled and frozen to be re-heated at a later time.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 kilo Kangaroo mince
• 3 tablespoons Flour
• 1 tablespoon Rice bran oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• a handful of finely chopped Parsley
• 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
• stock to cover (about 3-4 cups, add more if necessary)
• shortcrust pastry (for the base)
• puff pastry (for the top)
• egg & milk wash

METHOD:
In a large non stick pan heat oil to medium high and add the diced onion, garlic and bay leaves.

Fry till onion is translucent.

Turn heat up to high & add Kangaroo mince.  Constantly break the mince apart as it cooks so there are no clumps.
Continue to cook till all meat is cooked.  Add Parsley, Black Pepper and Balsamic Vinegar. Fry for another 5 minutes.

Now dust over the flour and stir through so there are no lumps. Fry for a further 3 minutes so as to cook the flour through.  You will  notice the meat mixture is starting to thicken up.

Now add the stock and stir.

Cook on a low heat for about a half an hour so flavours combine.  You want the mix to be like a thick gravy- if it is too wet just leave to simmer so some of the liquid evaporates. Check seasoning and add salt if necessary.

While the meat mix is cooking you can prepare the pastry.

Heat the oven to 175C.

Grease a large pie dish (and also your muffin tray if you are making individual pies also).

Cut your shortcrust pastry to fit your dish remembering to leave about 2cm more as it will shrink as it cooks.

Prick the base with a fork a couple of times & place baking beads (or dry chickpeas) over the pastry (this helps prevent the pastry lifting off the base).

Bake for about 25 minutes or until brown (this process is called BLIND BAKING- it ensures the bottom pastry is cooked , if it wasn't you would have unpleasant soggy pastry).

Remove and fill with meat mix (be sure to remove the Bay leaves first).  Top the pie with Puff pastry &  brush with egg wash before placing back into the oven for a further 25 minutes.

Remove and serve.