FOOD + DRINK
A KENTISH CHRISTMAS CONT .
Loin of Venison with Chestnuts , Bacon and Cabbage
Recipe by : Will Devlin , Small Holding , Kilndown www . thesmallholding . restaurant
Venison is a hugely underrated meat . It ’ s wild , plentiful , sustainable and delicious cooked fast and pink or low and slow . This is a warming wintery dish , but it is celebratory enough to grace the festive table .
Serves : 2 Ingredients :
• 2 x 200g venison pieces , trimmed of any sinew
• 300g winter cabbage such as savoy or cavolo nero , washed and shredded
• 100g chestnuts , ether vac packed or roasted and deshelled weight
• 100g smoked belly bacon
• 4 cloves garlic , peeled and lightly crushed
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 500ml beef or chicken stock
• 250ml red wine
• 150g unsalted butter
Method :
1 . Prepare the sauce by simmering the stock and wine until reduced by three quarters and intensely flavoured . Keep warm .
2 . Season the venison pieces well with salt and pepper and sear in a medium hot pan with a little rapeseed oil , turning often for an even colour all over . Add 50g butter , two lightly crushed garlic cloves and a sprig of thyme . Keep spooning the foaming brown butter over the venison as it pan-roasts , for about four minutes . At this stage it should feel firm to touch and will be medium rare on the inside and caramelised and golden on the outside . Keep warm and leave to rest .
3 . In a small frying pan , add a drizzle of rapeseed oil and the bacon and fry until the fat renders and is crispy . Add the chestnuts and coat in the bacon fat until starting to caramelise and add the reduced stock and wine liquid to deglaze the pan . Stir and keep warm .
4 . In a small saucepan , with a lid , add 100g of butter and the remaining cloves of garlic and thyme . Stir until melted and you can smell the garlic and add the finely chopped cabbage . Stir and replace the lid , moving the pan every so often while the cabbage cooks in its own steam . Remove the garlic cloves and thyme and season with salt .
5 . To serve , slice each venison loin into three or four pieces and plate with the cabbage and bacon and chestnut sauce . This dish is good served with mashed potato and swede and a glass of the same wine used in the sauce .
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