Cut to the chase with venison - recipes

venison medallions with whiskey cream sauce 150713. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

venison medallions with whiskey cream sauce 150713. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

Published Jul 27, 2013

Share

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

Related Topics: