Home
Ingredients
For the port sauce:
1 kg2¼ lb venison bones
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Mirepoix of 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, 1/2 leek, 1/2 large onion, 8 juniper berries and handful of thyme
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
300 ml10½ fl oz ruby port
300 ml10½ fl oz red wine
700 ml24¾ fl oz veal stock
For the venison leg:
50 ml1¾ fl oz rapeseed oil
300 g10½ oz venison leg, sinew removed
For the parsnip purée:
2 large parsnips
60 ml2 fl oz whipping cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out
25 g1 oz unsalted butter, softened
For the hay-smoked venison loin and liver:
100 g3½ oz plain flour
4 slices of venison liver
1x 240 g8½ oz loin of venison
100 g3½ oz butter
100 ml3½ fl oz rapeseed oil
For the vegetables:
500 ml17½ fl oz vegetable oil
1 head of Romanesco cauliflower, cut into florets
80 g2¾ oz baby leaf spinach
To serve:
Handful of blackcurrants
For the salt baked beetroot (optional):
500 g17¾ oz salt
8 egg whites
4 beetroot, skin on
For the braised red cabbage (optional):
½ large red cabbage, finely shredded
25 ml1 fl oz rapeseed oil
50 ml1¾ fl oz red wine vinegar
1 eating apple, preferably Granny Smith, peeled and grated
1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
200 g7 oz blackcurrant purée
PrintPrint recipe
UnitsSwitch ingredient units
Method: How to make Hay-smoked venison
For the port sauce:
1Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Put the bones in a roasting tin and cook in the oven for about 25 minutes until darkly caramelised. Drain in a metal colander and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Roughly chop the mirepoix vegetables, add them to the pan with the juniper berries and thyme and cook for 5–10 minutes until caramelised. Pour in the vinegar and then the port and wine. Bring to the boil, add the bones and then the stock. Bring the sauce back up to the boil once again and cook slowly for 11/2 hours. Strain the stock into a clean pan, bring to the boil and reduce for about 20 minutes until it has thickened to a sauce consistency. Pass the sauce through a sieve and keep warm.
For the venison leg:
2Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 2. Heat the oil in a pan over a high heat and caramelise the venison leg on all sides for about 5 minutes. Reserve the pan for later. Transfer to a roasting tin and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes for medium rare. Set aside.
To make the parsnip purée:
3Peel the parsnips and take 12 shavings to deep fry later. With the remaining parsnips, discard the core, cut into 1.5cm pieces and put in a pan. Cover with equal quantities of cream and water, then season with salt and pepper and add the vanilla seeds and butter. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the parsnips are soft, checking regularly and adding a splash more water and cream if necessary. Transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth. Cover in cling film and set aside in a warm place.
For the hay-smoked venison loin and liver:
4If you are smoking the meat, get the hay smouldering in a stove-top smoking box on a low heat and with the lid on. Season the flour with salt and pepper and coat the liver in the flour.
5In the same pan used for cooking the leg piece, caramelise the loin and liver in foaming butter and rapeseed oil for 3–5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Transfer the loin to the smoking box (if using) for 6–8 minutes and after 3 minutes add the liver. Alternatively, continue to pan fry the meat for about 8 minutes for the loin and 5 minutes for the liver.
To cook the vegetables:
6Put a pan of salted water on to boil. For the parsnip crisps, heat the oil to 150°C in a large pan or a deep fryer. Deep fry the parsnip shavings for about 30 seconds until they are crisp and then drain on kitchen paper. Boil the cauliflower for about 5 minutes until tender and, when ready to serve, add the spinach and remove both vegetables from the pan after 10 seconds. Drain on a tea towel.
To serve:
7Add the blackcurrants and check the seasoning. Slice the loin, liver and leg, seasoning with salt and pepper. Place the spinach on warmed plates and add the slices of loin, liver and leg topped with parsnip crisps and a drizzle of the sauce. Add the remaining vegetables and some parsnip purée. The chef suggests serving this dish with salt baked beetroot and braised red cabbage (methods follow).
To cook the salt baked beetroot (optional):
8Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Make the salt crust by mixing 500g salt with 8 egg whites (use a little more salt if you need to make it a little drier). Coat the base of a large ovenproof pan with a good layer of the salt/egg mix, place the beetroot onto the salt mix, then paste the beetroot with the rest of the salt/egg mix, covering them completely with a good thick layer to form a thick crust. Place in the oven for 40 minutes. To serve, remove the beetroot from the salt crust, peel them and cut into 5mm thick slices. Keep warm.
To cook the braised red cabbage (optional):
9Sweat it in a pan over a low-medium heat in the rapeseed oil. Add the vinegar, apple, redcurrant jelly and blackcurrant purée and season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and leave for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
For the port sauce:
1 kg2¼ lb venison bones
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Mirepoix of 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, 1/2 leek, 1/2 large onion, 8 juniper berries and handful of thyme
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
300 ml10½ fl oz ruby port
300 ml10½ fl oz red wine
700 ml24¾ fl oz veal stock
For the venison leg:
50 ml1¾ fl oz rapeseed oil
300 g10½ oz venison leg, sinew removed
For the parsnip purée:
2 large parsnips
60 ml2 fl oz whipping cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out
25 g1 oz unsalted butter, softened
For the hay-smoked venison loin and liver:
100 g3½ oz plain flour
4 slices of venison liver
1x 240 g8½ oz loin of venison
100 g3½ oz butter
100 ml3½ fl oz rapeseed oil
For the vegetables:
500 ml17½ fl oz vegetable oil
1 head of Romanesco cauliflower, cut into florets
80 g2¾ oz baby leaf spinach
To serve:
Handful of blackcurrants
For the salt baked beetroot (optional):
500 g17¾ oz salt
8 egg whites
4 beetroot, skin on
For the braised red cabbage (optional):
½ large red cabbage, finely shredded
25 ml1 fl oz rapeseed oil
50 ml1¾ fl oz red wine vinegar
1 eating apple, preferably Granny Smith, peeled and grated
1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
200 g7 oz blackcurrant purée
PrintPrint recipe
UnitsSwitch ingredient units
Method: How to make Hay-smoked venison
For the port sauce:
1Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Put the bones in a roasting tin and cook in the oven for about 25 minutes until darkly caramelised. Drain in a metal colander and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Roughly chop the mirepoix vegetables, add them to the pan with the juniper berries and thyme and cook for 5–10 minutes until caramelised. Pour in the vinegar and then the port and wine. Bring to the boil, add the bones and then the stock. Bring the sauce back up to the boil once again and cook slowly for 11/2 hours. Strain the stock into a clean pan, bring to the boil and reduce for about 20 minutes until it has thickened to a sauce consistency. Pass the sauce through a sieve and keep warm.
For the venison leg:
2Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 2. Heat the oil in a pan over a high heat and caramelise the venison leg on all sides for about 5 minutes. Reserve the pan for later. Transfer to a roasting tin and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes for medium rare. Set aside.
To make the parsnip purée:
3Peel the parsnips and take 12 shavings to deep fry later. With the remaining parsnips, discard the core, cut into 1.5cm pieces and put in a pan. Cover with equal quantities of cream and water, then season with salt and pepper and add the vanilla seeds and butter. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the parsnips are soft, checking regularly and adding a splash more water and cream if necessary. Transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth. Cover in cling film and set aside in a warm place.
For the hay-smoked venison loin and liver:
4If you are smoking the meat, get the hay smouldering in a stove-top smoking box on a low heat and with the lid on. Season the flour with salt and pepper and coat the liver in the flour.
5In the same pan used for cooking the leg piece, caramelise the loin and liver in foaming butter and rapeseed oil for 3–5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Transfer the loin to the smoking box (if using) for 6–8 minutes and after 3 minutes add the liver. Alternatively, continue to pan fry the meat for about 8 minutes for the loin and 5 minutes for the liver.
To cook the vegetables:
6Put a pan of salted water on to boil. For the parsnip crisps, heat the oil to 150°C in a large pan or a deep fryer. Deep fry the parsnip shavings for about 30 seconds until they are crisp and then drain on kitchen paper. Boil the cauliflower for about 5 minutes until tender and, when ready to serve, add the spinach and remove both vegetables from the pan after 10 seconds. Drain on a tea towel.
To serve:
7Add the blackcurrants and check the seasoning. Slice the loin, liver and leg, seasoning with salt and pepper. Place the spinach on warmed plates and add the slices of loin, liver and leg topped with parsnip crisps and a drizzle of the sauce. Add the remaining vegetables and some parsnip purée. The chef suggests serving this dish with salt baked beetroot and braised red cabbage (methods follow).
To cook the salt baked beetroot (optional):
8Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Make the salt crust by mixing 500g salt with 8 egg whites (use a little more salt if you need to make it a little drier). Coat the base of a large ovenproof pan with a good layer of the salt/egg mix, place the beetroot onto the salt mix, then paste the beetroot with the rest of the salt/egg mix, covering them completely with a good thick layer to form a thick crust. Place in the oven for 40 minutes. To serve, remove the beetroot from the salt crust, peel them and cut into 5mm thick slices. Keep warm.
To cook the braised red cabbage (optional):
9Sweat it in a pan over a low-medium heat in the rapeseed oil. Add the vinegar, apple, redcurrant jelly and blackcurrant purée and season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and leave for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
