Roast Loin of Venison with curly kale, & caramelised fig tartlet

Image courtesy of cheshire wildlife trust

Venison is a wonderful meat, and using the loin here shows respect to its wonderful texture and flavour. I have kept the construction of each component seperate so that you cam omit and replace other things if you wish. The whole dish however provides wonderful flavours and textures, coupled with all the expected luxury elements used with the festive season. Its an ideal alternative to Christmas, boxing day or new years dinners, and will delight the palates of your guests. Its also quite aromatic and can be a good introduction to palates not yet graced in the wonderful ways of the venison.


You will need (Serves 4)

(For the kale) You can substitue savoy cabbage here, or even spinach. Adjust cooking times accordingly.

450g of Curly Kale
Seasoning
Nutmeg
Butter

Steam the Kale or 5 minutes, then glaze with butter, seasoning and nutmeg

4 x trimmed 200g of venison loin possible barrelled rolled
2 Rasher smoked bacon (per serving)

Wtap Loin barrels in bacon, and seal in a hot pan, season once coloured on all sides roast for 12 minutes for medium 20 for well done. Be sure to let the meat rest before serving.

For the Sauce

50g of finely diced shallots
8 crushed black pepper corns
300ml of high quality veal or chicken stock
Grated zest and the juice of an orange
Teaspoon of grated dark chocolate
Tsp demerera sugar

Saute pepeprcorns and shallots together giving a little colour (until soft). Add brandy & flame, then add orange juice, sugar and zest when flames have subsided. Allow syrup to form then add stock and reduce by half. Fold in chocolate
just before serving.


For the fig tarts

200g of Puff Pastry
Flour for dusting
6 Figs cut in half lengthways
50g of Butter
2 tablespoon of nut oil/ olive
1 beaten egg
6 teaspoon of Demerara sugar
Cracked black pepper
Pinch of sea salt

Roll out the puff pastry and cut out 4 rectangles about 10cm by 7 cm

Place the pastries on a slip mat, and prick them lightly with a fork now chill for 30 minutes
Pan fry the figs cut side down in hot oil and butter till coloured
Place three of the fig halves on each, with the open side up.
On top of each of the figs put some butter, sugar, black pepper and a little sea salt

Bake for 10-15 minutes at 200C

Plate and serve. Devour.

Stir fried sesame & ginger pork with roasted pepper & butternut squash (with balsamic glazed plum garnish)

It sounds a bit of a mouthful, and I apologise for that. But to leave out the features that this dish would present, I suppose would be a crime in itself. This dish presents I guess a fusion of influences, from the continental approach of the roast butternut squash and pepper, to the eastern influences of sesame, soy & ginger with plum for added sweetness. It's a colourful dish that spans the sweet and savoury barriers, and nutritionally is quite healthy also. Did I happen to mention its a hearty dish thats perfect for this time of year also? Oh and its phenomenally cheap (He smiles)

So knowing it ticks all the boxes for a hungry and adventurous palate, we begin.

Ingredients

(serves 2)

2 x pork loin steaks (tenderised and cut into strips). If you can get any other pork cheaply by all means do so - but bear in mind the tenderness etc. fattier cuts will take longer to cook.
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 peppers cut into same proportions as squash - you choose the colour. I favour red and yellow ones for sweetness, but green ones can balance out the dish.
1 Plum, cut in half
1 clove of garlic, sliced
Soy sauce
sesame oil
1/2 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
200g baby button mushrooms
Ground cinnamon
tbsp balsamic vinegar.

Preparation

Marinade the pork

In a suitable container combine the pork, ginger, a coating of sesame oil and a few lashings of soy sauce. Cover and allow to marinade for a couple of hours (the longer the better).

Preheat oven to 200C and on an oven tray add the peppers, plum (hole side up) and squash. Give a slight coating of olive oil and a very slight sprinkling of cinnamon. On the half of the plum divide the garlic and put in the hollow where the stone was. Drizzle plum with small amount of balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with a little salt and sugar.

Put in oven and check regulary - When the squash has coloured and begins to soften its almost there. If youre cooking this in advance for reheating later the time to take it out is now. Otherwise heat up your wok and add some sesame oil.

When the wok is blisteringly hot, add the mushrooms and cook for a minute. Add the pork and keep moving until cooked.

Remove pepper / squash mix from the oven and plate, adding pork and mushroom mixture on top. Garnish with balsamic plum on the side. Add a sprig of rosemary for theatrical effect if you wish.

Devour.