Viva venison
Roe deer is some of the finest meat to bring to the table – and it is low in fat and relatively inexpensive
On a warm summer’s evening last year, my wife and I were driving through rural Perthshire to the fabulous Ballintaggart Farm for dinner. The sun was beginning to set as the countryside was coming to life. It was very Beatrix Potter. Owls stood guard on fence posts, badgers snuffled away in the verges, red squirrels scampered around in tall trees searching for nuts, there were sheep on the road and the occasional startled roe deer would disappear with a flicker of its tail as it vanished into the bracken.
The Perthshire countryside is a busy place. The farms are a hive of activity and that bio-diversity is so important. A native to Britain, roe deer play their part by keeping vegetation growth down. And roe deer is some of the finest meat to bring to the table. Relatively inexpensive, low in fat and so sweet, it’s available all year round and there are plenty of them.
I love reading about the history of Scottish food. In the Middle Ages, salting of venison was very popular, meaning the meat was available for consumption beyond the hunting seasons. I’ve discovered that in the 18th century we were eating venison collops and neck, and that venison soup was eaten by the servants of grand Perthshire houses. Old records show that Sir John Foulis of Ravelston, Edinburgh, purchased a leg of venison from Colinton in 1703 for one pound – a lot of money back then. And in 1786 Boswell and Johnson ate venison pastries on the Isle of Skye. And it is just as delicious now, so try it.
Roe deer tartare
This is a clean, simple and delicious dish. It’s easy to prepare but it can be tricky to get the seasoning just right.
Serves two
150g haunch or saddle of boned, sinew-free roe deer ½ banana shallot, finely chopped 2 to 3 cornichons, finely chopped 1 tsp capers, finely chopped 1 tsp chopped parsley and chives 1 tsp tomato ketchup 1 tsp Worcester sauce 1 tsp Tabasco sauce or less, up to you 3 tsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil 1 tsp butter a few salad leaves, I like endive and watercress on this, nice and bitter to contrast the sweet tartare a slice of good sourdough cut into 1cm sized croutons a few slices of radish good salt and pepper
Ensure your knife is good and sharp, then cut the roe deer into a smallish dice. Not too small as you still want to taste the meat.
Add this to a mixing bowl along with some of the shallot (you can add more if you wish), cornichons, capers, parsley and chives and mix.
Use your taste buds and add as much or as little Tabasco, ketchup and Worcester sauce as you want. Give the mixture a good season with salt and pepper and add a wee squirt of rapeseed oil. Check the seasoning.
Make the croutons by frying the bread in a teaspoon of rapeseed oil and the butter until golden all over. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes on a low heat.
Dress the salad leaves and radish slices in a little oil and season.
To serve, rub a little oil inside a metal ring and place it on a plate. Fill with half of the tartare mix and repeat on another plate. Top each tartare with the dressed salad and a few croutons.
Roasted haunch of roe deer with braised red cabbage, golden beetroot and hazelnuts
This roasted piece of haunch is a perfect warming dish. The braised red cabbage is a classic partner to venison as its sweetness cuts through the rich meat. The addition of toasted hazelnuts adds a nutty finish and great flavour. Serve with a reduced stock or deglazed pan juices and use the thyme and garlic that you roasted the venison with as a garnish.
Serves two
150g haunch of boned, sinew-free roe deer ¼ red cabbage 1 glass of good red wine zest from half an orange 1 tbsp Californian raisins 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly 1 tsp light brown sugar 1 small cinnamon stick ½ tsp of mixed spice ½ apple, grated 1 large golden beetroot 1 tbsp hazelnuts, toasted a few garlic cloves, halved a few sprigs of thyme 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp of cold-pressed rapeseed oil good salt and pepper 100ml game or brown chicken stock a knob of butter
Heat the oven to 180C/gas Mark 4. Scrub the beetroot, season with salt and pepper, wrap in foil and bake for 2 hours.
Shred the red cabbage and place it in a pot with the red wine, orange zest, cinnamon stick, mixed spice, grated apple, raisins, redcurrant jelly, sugar and seasoning. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook with a lid on for up to 2 hours stirring every 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove the beetroot from the oven and discard the foil. Remove the skin and cut the flesh into 4 or 6 pieces. Set to one side.
Season the roe deer with salt and pepper. Heat the rapeseed oil in a good frying pan, and place the meat in the hot pan and fry carefully all over for a couple of minutes each side. Then add the thyme and bay leaves, and season again. Add the garlic and place the pan in the oven for a few minutes being careful not to overcook the meat.
When ready, the meat should give a little when pressed. If it’s overcooked the meat or will be tough as old boots. Remove the meat from the pan and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the beetroot to the still hot pan with the herbs and garlic and fry until just coloured on all sides. Add the stock to the roasting pan and reduce for a few minutes to deglaze the pan juices. Stir in a knob of butter at the last minute to add some richness.
To serve, carve the venison and place on the plate with a spoonful of the red cabbage. Arrange the beetroot, herbs and garlic then sprinkle the hazelnuts all over. Finish with the sauce.
Vanilla rice pudding with new season forced Yorkshire rhubarb
It’s that time of year when the sound of the creaking rhubarb crowns can be heard in the vast sheds of
the rhubarb triangle in Yorkshire. Harvested by candlelight and grown in the dark to produce the sweet, vibrant, colourful stems so welcome after a long winter of stored apples and pears. I love rice pudding. It reminds me of childhood when my mum would bake it until the skin was almost burnt on top. The creamy, fluffy, sweet, rich rice was hidden underneath that golden blanket. Ah, the memories!
Serves four 100g pudding rice 75g caster sugar 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out 500ml whole milk, I use organic 400g Yorkshire rhubarb zest of half a lemon zest of half an orange a liberal sprinkling of sugar a splash of cream a knob of butter 1 Heat oven to 180C/gas Mark 4. 2 Place the milk in a thick-bottomed pot on the hob. Add the rice and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then add the vanilla seeds. Keep the pod for the rhubarb.
3 Bring this mixture to just below the boil, stirring every minute or so. Be careful not to burn the milk or to let the rice stick to the bottom of the pan. It will take around 20 minutes for the rice to soften. Add a touch of cream and butter to enrich the pudding if you like.
4 Meanwhile, top and tail the rhubarb and give it a good wash. Cut it into roughly 1-inch pieces and place on a baking tray with sides. Add the citrus zests, the vanilla pod and a liberal sprinkling of sugar. Place in the oven until the rhubarb is soft and the sugar has created a wonderful syrup. Allow to cool slightly.
5 To serve, divide the pudding between four warmed bowls and top with the rhubarb.