Name: Venison Cobbler with a Pumpkin Topping
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons brandy; 50 g (2 oz) flaked almonds; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 300 g (10 oz) self-raising flour; sprig of rosemary; ½ teaspoon each salt and freshly ground pepper; 600 mls (1 pint) good dry red wine; 1.5 kg (3 lbs) diced venison – use boned leg or shoulder; ½ teaspoon each freshly ground pepper and nutmeg; 2 tablespoons plain yoghurt, mixed with 75 mls (⅛ pint) cold water; 1 tablespoon plain flour; 75 g (3 oz) Parmesan, grated; 75 mls (⅛ pint) port; 100 g (4 oz) raw pumpkin, grated; 75 g (3 oz) butter or lard, diced; 1 tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar

Preparation info

Serves
8

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

Modern Classics

By Frances Bissell

Published 2000

About

A cobbler, with its golden scone-dough topping, makes a handsome centrepiece for a casual supper for friends and family. Here I add pumpkin to the topping, and suggest this as an alternative to turkey for a Thanksgiving dinner, a holiday we usually celebrate, even though Tom has lived here for over thirty years.

Ingredients

Cobbler

1.5 kg (3 lbs) diced venison – use boned leg or shoulder
1

Method

Toss the venison, a few pieces at a time, in a bag with the flour and seasoning. Brown the meat in the olive oil, flame with the brandy, then add the port, vinegar and red wine. Bring to the boil, tuck in the sprig of rosemary, cover, and cook it at 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2 for about three hours.

Rub the flour and fat together in a bowl, and then stir in the cheese, the pumpkin and season