Venison Casserole with Beer

Ingredients

900g boned venison shoulder
2 tbsp oil
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
150g piece smoked streaky bacon or pancetta diced
1 tbsp plain flour
300ml beef or venison stock
300ml brown ale
2tsp soft light brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1-2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme

Roasted baby carrots to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 130C/Gas Mark 2.Cut the venison into 3cm/1½” cubes. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a flameproof casserole dish. Fry the venison in batches for 5-6 minutes until browned on all sides, adding a little extra oil as necessary. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add onions to the casserole and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, add the bacon and fry for a further 2 minutes. Return all the meat and any accumulated juices to the pan. Add the garlic then stir in the flour. Gradually stir in the stock and ale, scraping up any juices stuck to the bottom of the pan. Heat, stirring until it simmers. Add in the sugar, bay leaves and thyme and season with freshly ground black pepper. Cover the casserole with a tight fitting lid or foil and cook in the oven for at least 2 hours or until the meat is tender.

Roast loin of venison

Ingredients

800g of Fallow Venison loin approx 200g per person
1 butternut pumpkin peeled halved and deseeded
200g Girolle mushrooms
1 Travise
100g butter
Olive oil
50ml chicken stock
1 lemon
Small amount of chopped parsley
Rock Salt

Preparation

Cut the venison loin into four equal pieces. Next, cut twelve thick equal pieces from the butternut reserving the trimmings for your puree. Wash the girolle mushrooms by submerging in a bowl of water briefly and drain well. Cut the root end off the Travise so it falls apart into individual leaves and take twelve of the nicest leaves.

For the butternut puree

Using the trimmings of the butternut gently cook in a pan with a little butter being careful not to let it colour. When the butternut is soft, add the mix to a food blender and puree until silky smooth.

Using a large pre-heated pan add a little butter and olive oil. Season the venison with salt and pepper, place in the pan and colour on all sides. This will take about four to five minutes. Make sure you turn the venison continuously and do not over cook it, as the meat will dry out; you should be aiming for a nice pink colour. When this is done, leave to rest in a warm place above an oven or under a cloth. Using the same pan, add a little oil and colour the butternut pieces, then reduce the heat slightly and add a tiny amount of chicken stock and cook until almost soft then add the washed girolles, increasing the heat. Cook for one minute tossing the pan two to three times. Then add the Travise leaves and keep on the heat for a further minute until the Travise becomes limp and wilted. Add a squeeze of lemon, a further knob of butter and the chopped parsley and finally season.

To serve, arrange on a plate with pieces of butternut, Travise, girolles and venison with small amounts of butternut puree in between to make a rustic but an attractive looking dish.  Finish with a small amount of the cooking juice and rock salt.

This recipe is from Great British Chefs, from Andy McLeish