Cooking Venison – Delicious recipe on Yacht and Boat

A big howdy this week folks from far away….

I’ve dropped anchor in Blighty for a while to visit various rellos.

The seasons have swapped.  It was Autumn back in Sydney, but Spring over here. It’s a reminder that some dishes lend themselves to re-heating, particularly stews and curries. They can be cooked ashore then served afloat.

While wandering past the village butcher, I spotted ‘venison’ on the kerbside blackboard. In Australia venison is a farmed product, whereas over here it’s shot in season as game. This is part of the culling process to keep numbers manageable, much like kangaroos back home. They taste similar and are lean and healthy to eat.

With Venison it’s best to use a marinade prior to cooking. Marinade is just a term for ‘flavoursome, tenderizing liquor’.
Here’s my recipe for this one, just used on the venison:

INGREDIENTS:

800g of Venison

250g Red onion or french shallots

5g Fresh herbs (preferred). If dry, double it to 10g

Knob of butter

Olive oil

Sea salt

1/2 cup of red wine or port

1 tsp sugar

1 tin of whole tomatoes

A few chopped anchovy fillets (optional)

EQUIPMENT: Bowl for marinade. (1.5L container. I use a plastic milk carton, laid on its side with the top cut off.) Fry pan. Oven pan.

METHOD: Preheat oven 180C

1. Place venison in bowl and cover with red wine/port, good dose of Olive oil, tomatoes, herbs and anchovies.

2. Leave for 30 mins at room temp (18-20C deg.) not out in the sun!

3. Heat the fry pan to a high heat.  (The venison should be cooked quickly at a high heat and be served rare.) Add Olive Oil and cook venison until a golden brown crust forms.  Season with sea salt whilst cooking to aid in the caramelisation.  Move the meat to the oven for 10 mins.

4. Heat the Pan to a medium heat.   Add butter and shallots/onions and allow to soften.

5. Add the rest of the marinade, sugar and salt to taste.  Allow to reduce until sauce has thickened slightly.

6. Remove venison allow to rest for at least 5 mins whilst the sauce reduces.

7. Serve with sauce over venison & fresh cracked pepper.

8. This dish can be accompanied by crusty bread, vegetables, potato mash or even rice.

Clean down galley and equipment.

CFC