Spiced Venison Steaks With Red Cabbage Confit And Red Wine Sauce Food

RED-CABBAGE CONFIT

Steps:

• In a kettle of boiling salted water blanch the cabbage for 2 minutes and drain it. In the kettle, cleaned, cook the onion, the bay leaf, the thyme, the allspice berries, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, add the cabbage, the apple, the wine, 1/4 cup of the vinegar, the sugar, and 3/4 cup water, and bring the liquid to a boil. Simmer the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender, discard the allspice berries, and add the currants. Simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until most of the liquid has evaporated, discard the bay leaf and the garlic, and season the confit with salt and pepper and the additional vinegar. The confit may be made 2 days in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated just before serving.

BLACKBERRY BRAISED RED CABBAGE WITH VENISON

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook slowly for 10 mins until really soft. Add the cabbage, vinegar, sugar, mixed spice and half the jelly along with 100ml water, then season. Bring to the boil, stir, then cover with a lid. Cook for 40 mins over a medium-low heat. Meanwhile, remove the venison from the fridge to come to room temperature.
• Add the blackberries and crème de mure or crème de cassis, if using, to the cabbage mixture. Continue cooking, uncovered, for 5-10 mins until the liquid has evaporated and the blackberries have broken down slightly.
• Heat a frying pan until hot. Rub the venison steaks with the oil, then season. Cook in the hot pan for 4-5 mins on each side, depending on thickness, for medium-rare. In the final 1 min of cooking, add the remaining jelly to the pan and spoon it over the steaks as it melts. Remove the steaks from the pan and leave to rest. Serve the cabbage and venison with mashed potato.

STICKY SPICED RED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan, add cabbage, ginger, onions, allspice and mustard seeds, then cook for 5 mins until just starting to wilt.
• Scatter over the sugar and pour in the vinegar. Cover pan, gently cook for 10 mins, then remove lid and turn up the heat to medium. Simmer the liquid in the cabbage for about 20 mins, stirring occasionally, then stir continuously for the last few mins until all the liquid has evaporated and becomes sticky on the bottom of the pan. Tip cabbage into a large bowl and serve.

SPICED VENISON STEAKS WITH RED-CABBAGE CONFIT AND RED-WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Flatten each steak to a 3/4-inch thickness between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. In a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag or between 2 sheets of wax paper crush the peppercorns and the allspice berries coarse with the bottom of a heavy skillet. Press the peppercorn mixture into both sides of the steaks and chill the steaks, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• In each of 2 heavy skillets heat 1/2 tablespoon of the butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat until the foam subsides and in the fat sauté the steaks, seasoned with salt, for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until they are just springy to the touch for rare meat. Transfer the steaks with a slotted spatula to a platter and keep them warm, covered loosely. Pour off the fat remaining in the skillets, to each skillet add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter and half the minced white scallion, and cook the scallion over moderate heat, stirring, until it is softened. Deglaze each skillet with 1/2 cup of the wine, scrapping up any brown bits clinging to the skillet, and pour the wine mixture form one skillet into the other. Boil the wine mixture until it is reduced to a glaze, remove the skillet from the heat, and whisk in the remaining 8 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding each new piece just before the previous one has melted completely. Whisk in the scallion green and salt and black pepper to taste. Divide the red-cabbage confit among 8 dinner plates, arrange a venison steak over each serving, and spoon some of the sauce over each steak.