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High Protein Meals: Venison Haunch Steak & Roasted Loin of Venison

 

Following on from our last blog post on the top 5 lean meats to eat this winter, we take a look at our favourite game meat: venison.

 

If one of your new year’s resolutions is to lose weight and get in shape, then you may wish to stock up on venison.

 

Not only is it leaner than beef, for instance, it contains less saturated fat. It’s also high in nutrients and packed with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid which helps your body reduce fat and build lean muscle.

 

But with so many different cuts to choose from, where to start?

 

Winter can be a hectic time of year, so if you’re short on time we recommend venison haunch steak – it’s quick and easy to cook and utterly delicious.

 

For those of you with a bit more time on your hands, or with families to feed, have a go at our roasted loin of venison recipe below. You won’t be disappointed.

 

 

High Protein Meals: Venison Haunch Steak

 

 

Nutrition Per Serving:

 

Calories: 172 calories
Fat: 4.3g
Protein: 32.1g
Carbs: 0.9g

 

The go-to cut for most people is venison fillet steak, however haunch steak is just as good, in our view. Not only is it cheaper, it’s easy to cook and has a good texture.

 

For the best results, fry your steak – this is the most controllable way of cooking steak. You may wish to grill your venison, however you run the risk of over cooking it if it’s not thick enough.

 

 

How to Cook the Perfect Venison Haunch Steak

 

 

  • Add a mixture of butter and olive oil to a hot pan;

 

  • Once the butter has browned, gently add the steak to the pan;

 

  • Sear the steak on both sides until dark, golden-brown on the outside;

 

  • Reduce the heat and continue to gently fry the steak;

 

  • For a rare steak, cook for 2-3 minutes on each side; 4 minutes each side for medium; and 5-6 minutes each side for well-done.

 

 

High Protein Meals: Roasted Loin of Venison with Red Cabbage & Pumpkin and Vanilla Purée

 

 

Our roasted loin of venison is a bona-fide winter delicacy. Relatively lean and high in protein, this mouth-watering dish is the perfect weekend treat.

 

Notes from our chef, Manuel Monzon:

 

 

“Winter is the most exciting time of the year for me as a chef, because of the challenge to keep things simple, yet exciting and hearty at the same time. Venison is a true winter beast. Pickled red cabbage is a staple of the winter kitchen; I find it’s best made 3 or 4 days in advance. Pumpkin and vanilla have a natural sweet synergy that works wonderfully well with this dish.”

 

 

Our venison is served with a red wine sauce, pickled red cabbage, pumpkin & vanilla purée and toasted walnuts. The following recipe serves 6 people.

 

 

Ingredients

 

 

Venison –

 

 

– 6 x 150g medallions of venison haunch, trimmed (trimmings reserved);

 

– Sea salt and ground pepper;

 

– 25g of butter.

 

 

Red Wine Sauce –

 

 

– 1 tbsp of olive oil;

 

– Venison trimmings (optional);

 

– 1 x shallot, peeled and thinly sliced;

 

– 1/2 a clove of garlic, peeled and chopped;

 

– 1 x sprig of thyme;

 

– 2 x white peppercorns;

 

– 1 tbsp of sherry vinegar;

 

– 1/2 bottle of red wine;

 

– 400ml of chicken stock

 

 

Pickled red cabbage –

 

 

– 1 x medium red cabbage;

 

– 150g of butter;

 

– 15 x juniper berries;

 

– 1 x bay leaf, split;

 

– 75g of demerara sugar;

 

– 500ml of cabernet sauvignon wine vinegar;

 

– 500ml of port;

 

– 600ml of red wine;

 

 

Pumpkin and vanilla purée –

 

 

– 1 x small pumpkin;

 

– 150g of butter;

 

– 1 x vanilla pod, split;

 

– 100ml of chicken stock.

 

 

Toasted walnuts (optional) –

 

 

– 100g of shelled walnuts;

 

– 25g of butter;

 

– Sea salt;

 

– A pinch of sugar.

 

 

Method

 

 

Pickled Red Cabbage (prepared in advance) –

 

 

  • Core and finely shred the cabbage;

 

  • Melt the butter in a large pan, add the cabbage and sweat gently for 2–3 minutes;

 

  • Tie 10 juniper berries and the bay leaf in muslin and add to the pan with the sugar, wine vinegar, port and wine;

 

  • Cook slowly until all the liquid has evaporated;

 

  • Season with a little sea salt and spoon into sterilised kilner jars;

 

  • Seal and keep in a cool place for 3–4 days;

 

  • Before serving, remove the bouquet garni. Crush or chop the remaining 5 juniper berries and stir them through the cabbage to freshen up the flavour.

 

 

Red Wine Sauce –

 

 

  • To make the red wine sauce, heat the oil in a pan and caramelise the venison trimmings (if you have them);

 

  • Add the shallots and garlic and lightly colour. Then add the thyme, the peppercorns and the bay leaf;

 

  • Continue to cook until everything is nicely golden brown;

 

  • Deglaze with the sherry vinegar, then add the red wine and reduce until a syrupy consistency is achieved;

 

  • Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes;

 

  • Pass the sauce through a very fine sieve (or one lined with muslin) into a clean pan and boil steadily until the required consistency is achieved. Be sure to maintain the temperature.

 

 

Pumpkin Puree –

 

 

  • Peel, de-seed and dice the pumpkin;

 

  • Melt the butter in a pan and add the diced pumpkin;

 

  • Cook until soft, without colouring, moistening with a little stock as necessary to keep the pumpkin from catching;

 

  • Whizz the cooked pumpkin in a blender or food processor until smooth;

 

  • Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir them into the purée. Season with salt to taste;

 

  • The purée needs to be quite dry – if necessary, reheat in a clean pan to reduce slightly until you have the required consistency.

 

 

Venison –

 

 

  • To cook the venison, heat the butter in a heavy-based pan;

 

  • Add the venison steaks to the pan and sear on all sides, keeping the meat nice and pink in the centre. Depending on the size of each medallion, this should take 5–10 minutes;

 

  • Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then cut into slices;

 

 

Toasted Walnuts –

 

 

  • Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the walnuts and sauté for a minute or two until lightly browned;

 

  • Tip them out onto kitchen paper to drain and sprinkle with salt and sugar to taste.

 

 

To Serve

 

 

  • Place a generous spoonful of pickled cabbage on each warm serving plate and arrange the roasted loin of venison on top;

 

  • Drizzle over some of the red wine sauce;

 

  • Place a quenelle of pumpkin purée alongside and add a few toasted walnuts. Serve immediately.

 

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