Rachel Allen - Entertaining at Home

4 Place the bacon rashers between two sheets of cling film and roll out with a rolling pin to make the bacon slices thinner and longer. Peel away the cling film from the bacon and line a loaf tin or small casserole by placing the rashers slices side by side along its width, making sure that each piece hangs over each side as it will be folded back over the top of the terrine.

5 Spread one-third of the minced meat mixture over the bacon on the bottom of the tin, then scatter with half the pistachios and arrange half the pieces of game on top to cover the surface. Spread out a second third of the minced meat mixture, followed by another layer of the pistachios and game fillets. Fill with the remaining minced meat mixture, level out with the back of a spoon, then fold the overlapping bacon back over the top to cover.

6 Cover with foil, place in a bain-marie (a roasting tin filled to a depth of a few centimetres with boiling water) and bake in the oven for about 1½ hours or until cooked through or firm to the touch in the centre. (To check that it’s cooked, insert a metal skewer into the centre of the terrine and leave for 10 seconds; the skewer, once removed, will then feel too hot to hold against the inside of your wrist.) Remove the foil after the first 45 minutes.

7 Let the terrine sit in the loaf tin for about 20 minutes before turning out onto a plate and allowing to cool to room temperature. Decorate with some bay leaves and juniper berries.

8 Meanwhile, make the remoulade. Peel and finely slice the celeriac into matchstick-sized pieces or grate using the roughest part of the grater or in a food processor. Then mix with the remaining ingredients in a bowl, seasoning to taste.

9 Cut the terrine into slices and serve with crusty white or sourdough bread and the celeriac remoulade.

If you are using your own game meat, use it from the legs, thighs, kidneys, livers and hearts. If you or someone you know has shot a pheasant, pigeon or partridge, you could use up the whole bird in this dish: I tend to use two pheasants or one pheasant and one pigeon, but you could otherwise use a pack of mixed game from the butcher or a supermarket.

Parma ham is one of the world’s great foods, with an incredible complexity to its flavour. This is a simple lunch dish that is all about letting great ingredients speak for themselves.

SERVES 6

600g (1lb 5oz) dried penne

18 asparagus spears

Table salt, sea salt and ground black pepper

25g (1oz) butter

6 tbsp créme fraîche

8 large slices of Parma or Serrano ham, roughly cut into strips

A few shavings of Parmesan cheese per portion (shaved with a peeler)

1 Cook the penne following the instructions on the packet, then drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid, and return to the warm pan (off the heat).

2 While the pasta is cooking, snap off the tough woody part at the bottom of each asparagus spear and discard. Fill a large saucepan to a depth of 4–6cm (1½–2½in) with water, add some table salt and bring to the boil. Tip in the asparagus and cook in the boiling water for 4–8 minutes or until just cooked.

3 Drain the asparagus immediately, then cut each spear at an angle into 3–4 shorter lengths. Place in a bowl, add the butter and season with sea salt and pepper.

4 Add the crème fraîche to the drained pasta in the pan and toss to coat, then tip in the asparagus and Parma ham and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Serve in warmed bowls with a few shavings of Parmesan on top of each portion.

These skinless sausages make a substantial, comforting meal — a great winter lunch. Celeriac is quite an ugly-looking vegetable — those gnarled roots look positively ancient. When peeling it, you’ll find the skin goes quite deep in places. But beneath that knobbly armour is flesh that, when cooked, has a subtle flavour with just a hint of celery .

SERVES 4–6 MAKES 12 SAUSAGES

25g (1oz) butter

1 onion, peeled and diced

300g (11oz) venison, minced or pulsed in a food processor

200g (7oz) minced pork (at least 20% fat)

50g (2oz) fresh white bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely grated

1 tbsp chopped rosemary leaves

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

Salt and ground black pepper

1–2 tbsp olive oil

For the celeriac purée

1 celeriac, peeled and chopped into 1–2cm (½–¾in) dice

2 floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 1–2cm (½–¾in) dice

400ml (14fl oz) milk

2 tbsp single or regular cream

15g (½oz) butter

1 To make the sausages, melt the butter in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat, then add the onion and fry, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until slightly golden. Set aside.

2 Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients except the seasoning and oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cooled onions to the mixture. If the mixture is very wet, add a few more breadcrumbs.

3 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. Place a little bit of the mixture in the frying pan and cook for 1–2 minutes to check for seasoning. Shape the sausage mixture into about 12 sausages. Pour the olive oil into the frying pan and, on a medium heat, brown the sausages on every side. Then place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until cooked through.

4 For the purée, place the celeriac and potatoes in a large saucepan, then pour over the milk to just cover, simmer on a medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, then drain and mash very well. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cream and the butter. Unless serving immediately, place in a covered, ovenproof dish and keep warm in the oven after the heat has been switched off.

5 Serve the sausages with a spoonful of celeriac purée and a drizzle of cranberry sauce (see tip below).

To make cranberry sauce, put 150g (5oz) cranberries in a saucepan with 50ml (2fl oz) water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 6–8 minutes until the cranberries have burst and are softened. Stir in 75g (3oz) caster sugar until dissolved.

Many of the recipes in this book require stocks and nothing can compare to a homemade broth of boiled bones, vegetables and herbs. Stocks can be made in advance, stored in small containers and kept in the freezer for handy access. The recipes here are just a guideline but try not to add too much of any one vegetable or the flavour may dominate the stock. Livers are unwelcome as they will make the stock bitter, but necks, hearts and wing tips are perfect. Also avoid starchy vegetables, such as potatoes or parsnips, as they will turn the stock cloudy. Don’t use salt when making a stock as if you eventually reduce it, the salt will remain and the liquid could be too salty. If you wish to concentrate the flavour, place the stock on a high heat and boil, uncovered, to reduce the liquid. To make your own frozen stock cubes, reduce the liquid to about a quarter of its original volume. Allow to cool and then pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Stocks can be refrigerated for three days or frozen for two months.

MAKES ABOUT 2 LITRES (3½ PINTS)

2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped

2 leeks, trimmed and roughly chopped

3 sticks of celery, trimmed and roughly chopped

3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

½ fennel bulb, roughly chopped

Bunch of parsley stalks

1 small sprig of rosemary

1 sprig of thyme