Two quick ways with venison
Lift your summer cooking game with this flavoursome, lean cut, says Nicola Galloway.
Barbecue season is here and, along with loads of vegetables on the grill, we have been enjoying some venison steaks. It is a very lean meat and stronger in flavour, so I do find a small amount goes a long way.
Add flash-cooked venison to a flavourful noodle salad or use in a quick weeknight stir-fry with a rainbow of vegetables.
Spicy venison noodle salad
Venison steaks are best cooked hot and fast until medium rare. Beef steak, such as rump or tender ribeye, can also be used.
The noodle salad is light and flavoursome, balanced with salty, sweet, sour, spicy and bitter from salad greens.
I like to use bean thread vermicelli noodles made from mung beans, alternatively use rice noodles (check packet for cooking times).
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 4
Salad
400g venison steak (or use beef steak –
see note above)
1 tsp fish sauce
Drizzle of olive oil 200g bean thread vermicelli noodles
or rice noodles
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
cucumber, halved and thinly sliced 2 large handfuls (150g) salad leaves Handful each coriander, mint and
basil – roughly torn
1 red chilli, chopped
Dressing
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
Juice of one lime, about 3 tbsp 4 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
Place the venison steak into a bowl and add the fish sauce and oil. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight, to marinate.
Prepare the salad. In a saucepan, bring 2 litres of water to a rapid boil. Add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Tip into a large serving bowl.
Prepare the vegetables, salad, herbs and chilli and add to the noodles.
Combine the dressing ingredients in a jug, stirring to combine.
Heat a barbecue grill on a high heat. Cook the venison steak for 3-4 minutes on each side, until medium rare. Rest on a plate for 5 minutes, then use a sharp knife to cut into thin slices. Add to the noodle salad and toss to combine.
Drizzle over the dressing and serve.
Venison & ginger stir-fry
A simple stir-fry uses quick-cook venison steak – as with the previous recipe, beef steak can also be used. This recipe is a request from a reader.
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 4
1 tsp peanut or rice bran oil
400g venison steak, thinly sliced 4cm fresh ginger root, cut into
matchsticks
3-4 cups fresh seasonal vegetables, for example: carrot, thinly sliced on a diagonal broccoli or cauliflower florets red pepper, thinly sliced zucchini, thinly sliced on a diagonal red or green cabbage, shredded snow peas
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil Sesame seeds to garnish (optional) 2 cups cooked brown rice to serve
Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat until a drop of water dances over the surface.
Add a thin slick of oil (about tsp), followed by the venison and ginger.
‘‘Stir fry’’ by moving the venison around quickly with chopsticks or a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes, until evenly browned. Transfer to a plate.
Add another slick of oil to cook the vegetables. Begin by adding the harder vegetables, such as carrots and broccoli.
Add 1 tbsp soy sauce and a splash of water (about 1 tbsp) and stir-fry as above for 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and continue to cook over a high heat for 3-5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but still crunchy.
In the last minute, add the venison and ginger back to the wok to reheat. Tip the stir-fry on to a serving plate and drizzle over the sesame oil and extra 1 tbsp soy sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve with brown rice and extra soy sauce at the table.