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Spiced Venison, Sweetcorn Pancakes, Cabbage and Wild Mushrooms

8

Ingredients

  • Red cabbage slaw
  • ½ small red cabbage
  • ½ small red onion
  • 1 raw beetroot, peeled
  • 1 red skinned eating apple
  • 2 tsp light musocvado sugar
  • 25g currants
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • Spiced venison
  • 16 x 50g venison steaks (from the saddle - well trimmed and trimmings reserved for gravy)
  • 1 tsp crushed black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 25g unsalted butter
  • Sweetcorn pancakes
  • 100g plain flour
  • 50g fine ground cornflour or semolina
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 250g canned or frozen sweetcorn kernals, thawed
  • 250ml buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 scallions, finely chopped
  • ½ mild red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
  • Sunflower oil, for greasing
  • Cumberland gravy
  • 150g venison trimmings (see above)
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 celery stick, chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 100ml port
  • 1 heaped tbsp redcurrant jelly
  • 1 orange
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 50g unsalted butter, diced
  • Wild mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 25g unsalted butter
  • 300g chantarelle mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  • Red cabbage slaw
  • To make the red cabbage slaw, finely shred the red cabbage on a Japanese mandolin.
  • Finely grate the red onion and add to the cabbage, then grate the beetroot and apple on a box grater and add in with the currants, walnuts, sugar, vinegar and olive oil. Stir well to combine.
  • Cover with clingfilm and set aside until needed.
  • Spiced venison
  • To marinate the venison, mix the peppercorns with the coriander seeds, cinnamon and ginger.
  • Rub the spice mixture into the venison steaks, cover with clingfilm and set aside at room temperature to allow the flavours to develop.
  • Cumberland gravy
  • To make the Cumberland gravy, sauté off the venison trimmings in the oil and then add the vegetables.
  • Add half of the port and reduce until almost all the liquid has gone, then cover with just enough water to cover, then simmer gently for another hour or so until you have a well-flavoured stock.
  • Strain into a clean jug and set aside until needed - you should have about 300ml in total.
  • Sweetcorn pancakes
  • To make the sweetcorn pancakes. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Place half of the sweetcorn into a food processor with half the buttermilk and eggs and blitz until just combined.
  • Stir the rest of the buttermilk into the dry ingredients and then fold in the sweetcorn and egg mixture with the scallions and red chilli. Season to taste.
  • Heat a flat griddle pan and brush with a little oil, then add small ladlefuls of the sweetcorn pancake batter and cook for a couple of minutes on each side until slightly risen and golden brown.
  • You will need to cook these in batches, keeping them warm in a low oven. Make two per person so that’s 16 in total.
  • Spiced venison
  • Meanwhile, cook the spiced venison steaks. Heat a large heavy-based frying pan and add the oil. Add a single layer of the steaks and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
  • Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remainder. Season with salt.
  • Wild mushrooms
  • In a separate frying pan, heat the oil and then tip in the butter. Once it stops sizzling add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
  • Add the garlic and parsley and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms are just tender.
  • Cumberland gravy
  • To finish the Cumberland gravy, add the rest of the port to a heated pan and allow to reduce down until all the liquid has almost gone. Whisk in the redcurrant jelly, then grate in the zest of ½ the orange and squeeze in the juice.
  • Pour in the reserved venison stock, whisking to combine. Add the vinegar and finally whisk in the butter to create a nice emulsion.
  • Serve
  • Arrange a spoonful of the red cabbage slaw on each warmed serving plate and add two spiced venison steaks and two of the sweetcorn pancakes to each one.
  • Drizzle over a little of the Cumberland gravy and serve the remainder on the table in a gravy boat.
  • Place a small warm dish of the wild mushrooms alongside each serving.