Treats and things

With my dad, brothers and husband all being keen hunters, I knew one day I would be faced with the challenge of cooking venison (fine if you purchase it straight from the butcher, not so fine if you have to see the animal being butchered and skinned yourself!). Sure enough, last weekend they returned from their hunting trip with an 8 point stag (well done Mike!), and hubby and I have had a back steak hanging in our fridge for a good week. I knew that wild meat can often be dry and tough once cooked, so I decided that a Beef Wellington inspired method would be the best way of keeping it moist and full of flavour… and it was just that! Read on below for the recipe 🙂

Venison Wellington with a Mushroom Sauce (Anna original)

400 – 500g Venison Back Steak
1 quantity  Shortcrust Parmesan Pastry (recipe here)
2 TBSP Soy Sauce
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
2 TBSP Canola Oil
1 Onion, sliced
2 cups Chicken Stock
10 large Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp Thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste
60g Pate (Duck or Chicken & Port pâté works well)

 Trim the skin and gristle off meat and if desired cut the steak in half (to make two smaller Wellingtons), then place meat in a dish. Combine Soy Sauce with 1 clove of crushed garlic and spoon the mixture over the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to marinade. In the meantime make the pastry and refrigerate until needed.

Heat 1 TBSP of oil in a small pan, saute the onions and remaining garlic until soft and clear. Add sliced mushrooms and cook over low heat. Once mushrooms have reduced in size, darkened and moist, sprinkle over thyme and salt and pepper. Stir well. Pour 1 1/2 Cups of the chicken stock over the mushroom mixture and simmer over low heat until most of the liquid has gone. Remove from heat and set aside.

In another pan, heat the remaining oil, once hot, add the meat and quickly seer on each side, taking care to not to cook the meat!

Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick. Spread over pâté leaving a border of about 3cm. Place 2/3  of the mushroom mixture evenly on top of the pâté (the left over mushroom mix will be used to make the sauce). Place meat in the centre of the pastry and carefully roll pastry up and seal the ends to make a parcel. Brush the top of the parcel with some milk. Place on a baking or roasting dish and bake in oven at 180°C for about 50 minutes or until golden.

Just before removing the Venison Wellington from the oven, heat through the remaining mushroom mixture (add the remaining chicken stock if a thinner sauce is desired), then purée. Remove the Venison Wellington from the oven, cut into thick slices (5-6 cm) and serve on top of mushroom sauce. Enjoy!