Venison is much healthier than most other meats as it is low in fat and cholesterol. Yet people stay clear because they have been told or remember it being a tough, dry meat with a strong, gamy taste. Well, venison has come a long way and is now not only more accessible to consumers, but tastier and a lot more tender.
A book I found very helpful and informative in my quest to find out how to cook different cuts is Karoo Venison by Albe Neethling, Annatjie Reynolds and Lynne Minnaar. These three women live in Graaff-Reinet and have had lots of experience cooking with game.
From the book I learnt that there is a big difference between game culled by registered, professional shooting teams, properly bled, hygienically treated in special mobile veld abattoirs and cooled over 24 hours to just above 0°C to game left to lie in the sun for hours, before being cut up and most likely frozen immediately. Animals that have been culled while being chased are almost inedible.
Cooking the different cuts correctly will go a long way towards ensuring the success of your dish. Here are a few pointers:
* Neck, shank, rib and shoulder. These cuts from the fore-quarter should be marinated and are best suited to long, slow methods of cooking like stews or casseroles. These cuts are very dry and will benefit from being larded with spek or bacon.
* Sirloin, fillets and chops. These are prime cuts and can be meltingly tender if cooked in the correct way. These cuts should also be cooked to medium rare as the longer you cook them, the drier they become. These cuts need no marinating
* Legs. These can be roasted at 160°C for 20 minutes per 500g. As this meat is lean it is best to lard it with spek. One recipe in the book shows how to keep the meat moist by injecting marinade into the leg with a syringe before cooking. A deboned leg will benefit from being marinated for up to three days before roasting and is also best cooked medium rare.
* Mince. Pure venison mince will be very lean and is best combined with lamb or pork mince to make it more moist.
VENISON BOBOTIE
Serves 6
30ml olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
10ml chopped garlic
10ml ground cumin
10ml ground coriander
10ml medium curry powder
7ml turmeric
5ml ground cinnamon
2 large carrots, grated
30ml extra olive oil
500g venison mince
500g pork or beef mince
2 slices of white bread, soaked in water, squeezed out and mashed
15ml white wine vinegar
60ml chutney
45ml apricot jam
salt and pepper
125ml chopped dried apricots
a few bay leaves
30ml flaked almonds
TOPPING
250ml buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
a pinch of turmeric
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until soft over a medium heat. Add the spices and fry gently for 1-2 minutes.
Add the carrots and fry for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
In another saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry the mince, breaking up the lumps with a wooden spoon. Fry until all the liquid has evaporated and the mince is lightly browned. Remove from the heat.
Add the onion and carrot mixture, bread, vinegar, chutney, apricot jam and seasoning. Mix very well to amalgamate. Stir in the apricots.
Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof baking dish and smooth the top of the mixture.
Spike a few bay leaves in the top of the mixture.
Pour over the topping, scatter over almonds and bake at 180°C for 30-40 minutes until the topping is set.
TOPPING: Combine the buttermilk, the eggs, the turmeric and seasoning, and mix well.
VENISON KEBABS
Makes 12 kebabs
Marinade
125ml tomato sauce
15ml Worcestershire sauce
30ml olive oil
45ml chutney
30ml apricot jam
15ml Dijon mustard
15ml wholegrain mustard
salt and pepper
Kebabs
750g venison steaks, cubed
1-2 red onions, cut into wedges
dried peaches, soaked in fruit juice
soft-eating apricots
soaked wooden skewers
Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and mix well. Add the meat and set aside to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
Remove the meat from the marinade and thread on to the skewers with the red onions, peaches and apricots.
Cook the meat on a heated griddle pan, brushing frequently with the marinade until the meat is cooked to medium rare or cook the kebabs on a braai. Serve immediately.
* I used Kudu sirloin steaks
VENISON STEAK WITH WHISKY CREAM SAUCE
Serves 4
4 rashers of streaky bacon
4 venison fillet steaks
salt and pepper
30ml olive oil
SAUCE
80g butter
15ml Worcestershire sauce
60ml lemon juice
125ml cream
45ml whisky
Wrap the bacon around each piece of steak and secure with a toothpick. Season the meat with salt and lots of black pepper.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the steak until desired doneness. Medium rare is best as the meat becomes tougher the longer it is cooked. Remove and keep warm while preparing the sauce.
SAUCE: Melt the butter in a small pot over a medium heat. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and cream and bring to boil. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Add the whisky and simmer for a minute.
Serve the steaks with mashed potato and pour over the sauce.
* I used a springbok fillet for this recipe
ROAST WARTHOG
Serves 6-8
45ml olive oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
15ml chopped garlic
2kg warthog or other venison roast
salt and pepper
750ml chicken stock
a sprig of fresh rosemary
60ml redcurrant jelly
30g butter
roasted potato wedges for serving
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic for about 5 minutes.
Place the vegetables in the base of a roasting pan. Put the meat on top of the vegetables. Season well. Pour in the stock. Add the rosemary and seal well with foil. Roast at 160°C for 4-5 hours or until the meat is tender and cooked through.
Remove the meat from the pan, set aside and cover for 15 minutes before carving.
Drain the pan juices and discard the vegetables.
Put the strained juices into a small pot and bring to the boil. Add the redcurrant jelly and butter and boil for about 5 minutes until slightly reduced and thickened.
Carve the meat into slices and serve with the gravy, roast potato wedges and roasted onions if desired. - The Star