Category: Wild and foraged

Venison and red pepper stew

A friend of mine comes up regularly to hunt game, including red deer, and he managed to bag a large stag at a recent visit. The meat was plentiful, but not that tender. I also had a lot of peppers, due to a glut (not my own) so I made this. I did look around in my recipe books and on the internet, so this is a combination of a number of ideas.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1kg venison, cubed
  • Around 250ml red wine
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp hot paprika, or 2 tsp paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp plain flour, preferably white bread flour
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 sticks of celery
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 white onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
  • two bayleaves
  • six juniper berries
  • 1 tsp dried thyme, or Italian herbs for meat, or a sprig of fresh thyme
  • three large red sweet peppers
  • 250ml beef or venison or vegetable stock or water (I used beef stock)
  • Chopped parsley to garnish.

METHOD:

  • Chop the venison into cubes, and marinade in olive oil and red wine overnight.
  • Take the venison from the red wine, and keep the red wine for later. Pat it dry.
  • Comine the paprika, flour and 1 tsp salt and then sprinkle over the meat and stir to coat it all well.
  • In a large casserole pan, heat some olive oil and fry off the meat until it is browned. Take the meat out of the pan and set aside. 
  • Cut the onion, carrot, celery and garlic into chunks and then chop finely in a food processer. 
  • Add the vegetables to the pan over a medium heat. You may need to add a little oil. As the vegetables cook and moisten the brown crust in the pan, scrape it up and keep stirring. 
  • Once the vegetables are soft, add the tomato paste and keep cooking for another minute or so. 
  • Add the red wine marinade, and cook until half the wine has evaporated.
  • Add the meat and herbs  and any juices into the pan and stir to combine. Add enough stock or water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a low simmer. 
  • You could simmer on the top of the stove for around four hours. Check every so often to check that there is enough liquid in the pan, and give it a little stir. An alternative would be to put it in the oven at 140C. 
  • Once the meat is beginning to get tender, chop the peppers into squares, and saute them until they are soft. Add them to the pan, and simmer for another hour. Then the stew is ready. 

You could add the peppers to the vegetables at the beginning, or use red pepper paste, and they will be incorporated into the sauce. I enjoyed the chunks of pepper in the stew. 

I served this with mashed potatoes and parsnips one night, and with sprouts and baked potatoes the next night. When I reheated it, I moistened the stew with a little red wine. SO good. 

 

Venison with Harissa

I got some Belazu rose harissa paste from the co-op, very soft and complex, easy to add to dishes. I also had a stew-pack of venison in the freezer.  I made a version of venison tagine, which can be adapted very easily. I added carrot batons, but butternut squash would be a good addition as well. I served this with bulgar wheat and lentils. Traditional tagines are served with salads and flatbreads. Carrot salad, lentil salad, and mixed salad all go well.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Olive oil
  • 500g diced venison
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp rose harissa paste
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 500ml stock
  • 3 carrots, chopped into large batons
  • 50g dried apricots, roughly chopped
  • Fresh herbs as a garnish (mint, coriander or parsley)

METHOD:

  • Heat some olive oil at a medium/high temperature in a casserole dish, and fry the onions and celery until soft. 
  • Add the garlic and cook for two more minutes
  • Add the meat, and stir until the meat is beginning to brown.  
  • Lower the heat a little, add the spices and harissa and cook for two more minutes
  • Lower the heat a little more, and add the tomato puree and cook for around five minutes
  • Add the tinned tomatoes, carrot batons, and stock, and bring to a gentle boil, whilst stirring. 
  • Cover and put into the oven at 160C for 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Add the apricots and cook for a further ten minutes. 

Garnish with herbs, and serve with side dishes of salads, flat-breads, slivered almonds. If you are cooking for friends, pull out all the stops with the salads. 

Sliced venison with mushrooms, Hungarian Bakony style.

This is anothe recipe from ‘The cuisine of Hungary’. The recipes so far have been striaghtforward and the results, very tasty. The original recipe asks for 450g wild mushrooms, which is a big ask, so I used 40g mixed dried wild mushrooms and a small punnet of chestnut mushrooms. I served this with rice, as suggested in the original recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 600g venison
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 30g plain flour
  • 30g lard
  • 2 small onions, finley chopped
  • 1 tbsp hot paprika
  • 120ml stock
  • 40g dried mushrooms
  • 50g fresh mushrooms
  • 3 tbsp sour cream

METHOD:

  • Soak the dried mushrooms in cold water for 30 minutes. 
  • Cut the meat into 2cm thick slices. Lay them flat, sprinkle with salt and then dredge them with flour on each side. 
  • Melt the lard in a frying pan, and fast-fry the venison on both sides, then put the meat into the bottom of a large casserole dish. 
  • Fry the onions in the same pan until golden in colour, then add 1 tbsp cold water and the paprika. Doing this stops the paprika from scorching. Cover the pan and cook until the liquid has evaporated. 
  • Slice the soaked mushrooms and add to the meat, followed by the onion mixture, along with a little stock. Cover tightly and simmer over a low heat until the meat is half-cooked. 
  • Slice the fresh mushrooms, and fry them in the same frying panfor a minute, before adding to the casserole once the meat is half-cooked. Cook for another thirty minutes. Keep checking on the casserole and add a little stock to keep it from becoming dry. 
  • Mix 1 tbsp flour with the sour cream, and stir into the casserole. Bring the stew back to the simmer and serve with rice. 

Hungarian style venison cutlets

This is another dish from George Lang’s book. The Cuisine of Hungary. My daughers loved it because of the green peppers. I have adapted slightly, as the original recipe did not suggest skinning the tomatoes, and I regretted not doing it. I served this with plain rice. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 600g venison, for example boned leg, sliced into cutlets and pounded to make them flat
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp lard
  • 1 large onion, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
  • 2 tsp hot paprika
  • 2 medium tomatoes, skinned and sliced
  • 800g large potatoes, peeled and cut into long segments.
  • 3 green peppers, sliced

METHOD: 

  • Prepare the cutlets, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry them in 1 tbsp lard and put them into the bottom of a large pan.
  • In a frying pan, melt the rest of the lard, and fry the diced onion until it starts to brown. 
  • Add the caraway seeds, and then a minute later add about 100ml cold water, stir and add the paprika. Cover the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Pour the onion mixture over the meat, as well as a little water, and cook over a low heat. Check every five to ten minutes, topping up with a little water if required.
  • Once the meat is almost done, add the tomatoes, peppers and tomatoes. The cooking time will depend on the meat, but if you gave it a good bashing, then it won’t take too long. 
  • Continue to cook for another half an hour or so, so that the potatoes are done. Adjust the seasoning before serving. 

Venison Tagine

I have no idea if this is authentic, but it is very good. It could be made with the spices listed here, or by substituting Ras el Hanout, a mixed spice blend from Morocco. It is derived from a similar recipe in Norman Tebbit’s book, The Game Cook. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 1kg diced venison
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp hot paprika
  • olive oil
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • a handful of chopped mint
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
  • (or use 2 tbsp ras el hanout instead of all of the spices)
  • 600ml stock
  • 250ml red wine
  • 4 tbsp tomato puree
  • 250g carrots, chopped into large chunks
  • 250g chopped butternut squash
  • Sweet peppers, chopped into large pieces. 
  • 250g ready-to-eat dried apricots
  • juice of a lemon
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

METHOD:

  • Mix the venison with the salt, a pinch of black pepper and 1 tsp paprika, and leave to allow the flavour to develop for at least an hour. 
  • Set the oven to 160C
  • Heat the oil in a large casserole dish, and fry off the meat, remove and set aside. 
  • Add the onions to the oil, and as they start to soften, add the garlic, and fry for another five minutes or so. 
  • Add half of the mint and all of the spices, mix well, fry for a minute, and then add the red wine, stock, and tomato puree. Bring to a simmer and add back the venison, and the chopped carrots. 
  • Cook in the oven for around an hour and half to two hours. 
  • Add the butternut sqush, apricots and peppers, along with the lemon juice, the rest of the mint and cayenne pepper to taste. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes, so that the vegetables are done. 

 

Fesenjan: walnut and pomegranate stew – with goose breast – version 1 with beetroot

This is an adaptation from a classic Persian recipe. Traditionally, it is made with duck legs, and simmered slowly until the duck meat is tender. It can be made with goose legs as well, simmering for five hours or more. However, I had goose breast meat which goes strangely dry and stringy if overcooked, so it is best flash-fried in thin strips and then added to the stew at the end. 

Everyone says their version is the best, and there are variations. Next time I make this, I will be trying out using butternut squash. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tbsp duck fat
  • 2 goose breasts, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 100ml pomegranate molasses
  • 100g walnuts, toasted, cooled and ground finely in a food processer
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • 1 beetroot about the size of a tennis ball, peeled and diced
  • a pinch of saffron
  • a small cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • chopped parsley to garnish

METHOD:

  • In a large pan, melt the fat and saute the onions over a low medium heat until it softens. 
  • Add the stock, walnuts, pomegranate molases, and spices and bring to a simmer.
  • Add the diced beetroot and simmer very gently until the beetroot is cooked. 
  • In a hot pan, melt duck fat, and fry the strips of goose meat until they are browned and still tender and moist. 
  • Add the meat to the sauce, heat through and serve with rice, and garnished with chopped parsley. 

Venison goulash

This is inspired by the excellent shops online, selling Hungarian food. I tried out ‘best of Hungary’ which did me proud, but there are many others. I would love to visit Hungary, I am googling the methods on ‘the man in seat 61’.  I bought a tube of goulash seasoning to appease my longing. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tbsp beef dripping or lard
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 200g celery, diced
  • 1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, ground for preference
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 bayleaves
  • 2 1/2 tbsp hot smoked paprika (or use mild smoked paprika if you prefer) 
  • 900g stewing venison, in small cubes
  • 1 can tinned tomatoes
  • 2 red peppers, skinned and sliced into rings (or use 2 tbsp red pepper puree)
  • 1 tbsp goulash paste
  • 1 litre beef stock
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • 400g waxy potatoes, diced
  • 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • A bunch of parsley stems
  • a litre of hot water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 100g csipetke – Hungarian pinched pasta – or use Italian soup pasta or orzo pasta. 

That seems like a lot of ingredients, but the recipe is easy. 

METHOD:

  • Heat the lard in a very large saucepan or casserole dish. Add the onions and celery and cook over a low-medium heat for around 8 minutes, stirring so they don’t burn.
  • Add the caraway seeds, black pepper and bayleaves and cook for a further two minutes.  
  • Turn off the heat, and add the paprika, and stir in well. Add a little stock or hot water to help it mix. It is a lot of paprika. 
  • Add the venison and garlic, stir it all together and cook over a medium heat until the meat starts to brown. 
  • Add the tomaotes, peppers, goulash paste and the stock. The meat should be covered well buy the stock. 
  • Cover and simmer for an hour and a half. 
  • Add the carrots, parsnips and potatoes, along with the parsley, and add enough hot water to cover the ingredients by a couple of centimeters. Season with salt, bring to the boil, and then simmer, uncovered, for around 15 minutes.
  • Add the csipetke pasta and boil uncovered for another 15 minutes. Check the seasoning before serving.  

This is excellent with red wine, and cabbage as a side-dish. 

Persian wild goose meatball soup

This is an excellent way to cook with wild goose; the meatballs were tender and the flavour of goose was enhanced by the broth and the chickpeas. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 goose breasts
  • 1/2 onion
  • 3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp chopped mint
  • 70g brown flour
  • 1500ml chicken stock
  • 1 tin of chickpeas in water
  • 1 dried lime
  • a pinch of saffron
  • Chopped chives

METHOD:

  • Mince the goose meat and the onion
  • In a large bowl, mix the minced goose, minced onion, garlic, mint, beaten egg, salt, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper and flour, and kneed together.
  • In a large pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer, and add the dried lime and a small pinch of saffron
  • Form the meatball mixture into around 18 balls about the size of a golf-ball. Add the meatballs to the simmering stock and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes. 
  • Add the chickpeas inclidng their liquid, and simmer for another 20 minutes, until the chickpeas are tender. Adjust the seasoning at the end of cooking. 
  • Serve in deep bowls, allow three meatballs per person, and garnish with chopped chives. 

Hungarian goose and barley (Ludaskasa)

I have a great colleague who is really into cooking, so it is a real pleasure to meet and discuss new cooking ideas. I really like Hungarian food, and he’d been experimenting with confit wild goose leg. So this is where we ended up. 

This is a traditional Hungarian recipe, I’m sure there are many versions. I made mine with dried porcini mushrooms, but there are recipes that don’t use them. It takes a while to make, so be prepared. 

First of all, when presented with a wild goose, peel off the skin without plucking it. Take off the breast meat and save that for another day, in the freezer. Next, take the legs, trim them and cook them in hot duck or goose fat. The legs should be completely covered, and then put in a covered dish in a very low oven, around 90C for 4 to 6 hours. 

Next, while the goose legs are being cooked slowly, make a goose soup. 

INGREDIENTS FOR GOOSE SOUP

  • 1 goose carcase, including liver, heart, gizzard, if possible
  • 2 tbsps goose or duck fat
  • 1 large onion, cut into wedges
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 sticks of celery, chopped
  • 2 red peppers, chopped
  • a couple of bay leaves
  • 15g dried porcini mushrooms
  • Salt and pepper

METHOD FOR GOOSE SOUP

  • In a large stock pot, melt the fat and fry the onion. As it starts to soften, add the celery, carrots and peppers, and cook until they are beginning to brown
  • Add the goose carcase, enough water to cover, salt and pepper, bayleaves and the porcini mushrooms. 
  • Bring to a low simmer, and simmer for four hours. When the soup is made, cool it and remove the remains of the carcase. Strain the soup. Any cooked meat on the carcase, plus the heart and liver can be shredded and reserved. 

Now you are ready for the next step. You won’t use all of the strained soup, and it is good in its own right. It also freezes well in case you want to make more of the Orzotto. 

INGREDIENTS FOR THE LUDASKASA

  • Goose fat
  • Hot stock
  • Saffron
  • White wine
  • Confit goose legs
  • Shredded goose meat from the soup preparation
  • 160g pearl barley soaked in water for 1 hour or more
  • Chopped parsley

METHOD: 

  • Reheat the soup
  • Take a cup of hot goose stock and add a pinch of saffron
  • In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp goose fat on high, and add the soaked and drained barley. Toast it for a minute or so, and then add a glass of white wine. Let this cook away and then start adding the stock, a ladleful at a time. I started with the saffron stock first. Simmer away the moisture from each ladleful before adding the next, just like making a risotto. Keep adding the stock until the barley is well cooked and tender. 
  • Serve in a deep bowl, stir in the shredded meat, and top with the confit goose legs and chopped parsley. 

I found the barley part of the dish to be the bit I liked the best, and I had plenty of goose soup left at the end, so I can make that again. 

Grilled lobster with charmoula butter

Thanks to a kind gift of two very lively lobsters, we had this delicious meal during the week. In honour of the lobsters, we also had a bottle of champagne, the whole evening was very messy and delicious. 

We learned several lessons. First off, we split the lobsters before grilling them. It is better to use a finer grill support. The claws are best boiled in a separate pan for around 10 minutes. The half lobster tails need to be grilled on high for 10 minutes, with the butter poured on before serving, with slices of brown bread. 

If you don’t have a grill, you could boil the lobsters whole for ten minutes, and then split in half. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Two local lobsters, claws removed and cut in half
  • 100g butter
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander leages
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • a pinch of Aleppo chilli pepper, or other mild chilli pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp hot smoked paprika 
  • Salt, to taste 

METHOD:

  • Boil the claws for ten minutes. Grill the tails for ten minutes under a hot gril
  • While the lobster is cooking, melt the butter in a small pan, and add the garlic, and simmer in the butter for a minute. 
  • Add the rest of the ingredients, season with salt. 

To serve, pour the dressing into individual ramekins. You can pour the sauce onto the lobster, or dip the lobster in. Mop up the juices and the left-over sauce with thick slices of white bread.