With November bringing nippier air and longer, darker nights, it's the time of year for moreish, slow-cooked and homely meals. Venison is a renowned seasonal meat, coming to market at this time of year.
It is one of the leanest red meats you could eat – tasty, healthy and full of iron. I love to use venison in the restaurants as you can get plenty of stock locally and I enjoy cooking with it.
I have paired the venison with a delicious cauliflower cheese, using a mix of three cheeses.
If I were cooking this, I'd definitely be finishing this off with a baked dessert – a fruit crumble perhaps. The more homely the meal at this time of year, the better.
For all budding cooks out there, our 2024 cookery class calendar is online now with plenty of availability in all classes. Why not give them a go? Check them out at: www.waterman.house or follow us on Instagram @waterman.house
Roast Leg of Venison
This dish needs to be marinated in the fridge for up to 12 hours prior to cooking.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 2kg leg of venison
- 1 bottle red wine
- 2 pinches of nutmeg, grated
- 2 pinches of ground cinnamon
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 stick celery, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 4 sage leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
Method
Begin by placing all of the ingredients on top of the venison shank, pouring over the wine. Cover in cling film and place in the fridge overnight for 12 hours.
Once 12 hours has passed, remove from the fridge and bring to room temperature, preheating the oven to 160C. Then take the venison leg and place it into a casserole dish, keeping the remaining liquid and vegetables separate.
Bring the liquid to a boil and then let it simmer. Using a spoon, remove all of the impurities which will naturally rise to the top of the liquid.
Add the purified liquid to the venison leg in the casserole dish along with the vegetables, placing the lid on top and keeping in the oven for two hours, basting from time to time.
The aim is to have the venison falling off the bone. So, once cooked, turn the oven off and leave to rest. Serve with additional boiled vegetables and potatoes and enjoy.
Three cheese cauliflower
Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 1 large cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 70g unsalted butter
- 70g flour
- 600ml of milk
- 100g Gruyère cheese, grated
- 200g mature cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 200g Taleggio cheese, cut into 5mm thick slices
Method
Start by preheating the oven to 200C. Next, place a saucepan of lightly salted water onto the hob, bringing to the boil and adding in the cut cauliflower. Let this boil for two to three minutes at a time, then strain into a colander.
To make the roux, place the butter into a separate pan on a low heat, adding in the flour a little at a time, cooking for two minutes and gradually adding more butter and flour until it is all mixed together. Then add in the milk, mixing as you go along, ensuring there are no lumps until all the milk is added.
Continue to cook the mixture over a low heat for six minutes until it becomes a little thicker. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.
To the roux, add in the grated Gruyère and cheddar cheese and cook. Following this, add in the mustard, keeping on the heat until cooked through, tasting again and seasoning if necessary. Remove from the heat.
Place the cauliflower into an oven-proof roasting dish and pour the cheese sauce over.
Place the Taleggio slices on top of the cauliflower and cheese sauce, transferring to the oven and baking for 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
Lastly, remove and serve immediately.
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Belfast BT1 2LA
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