Venison Wellington Food

VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Remove the venison from the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
• Crush the juniper berries in a pestle and mortar until fine. Pick the leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme and all the rosemary, then finely chop together.
• Place the venison on a board and rub all over with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, then scatter over the juniper and herbs, and give everything a good rub.
• Preheat a large frying pan on a high heat and sear the venison for 2 minutes on all sides, turning with tongs, then remove to a plate.
• For the filling, clean the mushrooms and roughly tear any larger ones. Place the porcini in a small bowl, just cover with boiling water and leave to soak for a few minutes. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
• Wipe the frying pan clean, then add the garlic and mushrooms with the butter and a lug of olive oil. Strip in the remaining thyme leaves, then roughly chop and add the soaked porcini and its soaking liquid (straining to remove any grit). Cook on a medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has gone and the mushrooms are soft, stirring regularly.
• Tip the contents of the pan onto a board, drizzle with ½ a teaspoon of truffle oil and a few gratings of nutmeg, then roughly chop to a coarse pâté-like consistency with a sharp knife (or blitz in a food processor). Taste and season to perfection, then leave to cool.
• On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the pastry to 30cm x 40cm. With one of the longer edges in front of you, spread the mushroom pâté over the pastry, leaving a 3cm border.
• Beat the egg and use to brush the edges. Sit the venison on the mushroom pâté then, starting with the edge nearest to you, snugly fold and roll the pastry around the venison, pushing it away from you and cupping each end to shape it around the fillet. Press the ends together to seal, then indent with the back of a fork.
• Transfer the Wellington to a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, and brush all over with egg wash (you can prep to this stage and chill until needed - just remove it 1 hour before cooking so it's not fridge-cold).
• When you're ready to cook, heat the tray on the hob on a medium heat for a couple of minutes to start crisping up the base, then transfer to the oven for 30 minutes for blushing, juicy venison.
• Once cooked, leave the Wellington to rest for 5 minutes, then slice. Delicious served with gravy and steamed greens.

VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a hot pan over medium-high heat. Brown venison in the hot butter, about 2 minutes per side. Set meat aside.
• Melt remaining butter in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Saute until mushrooms are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Spread thyme, salt, and pepper onto a large cutting board and roll backstrap halves on top to form a coating of herbs. Wrap each piece of backstrap in enough bacon to cover it.
• Unfold 1 puff pastry and place first piece of backstrap into the center. Bring the sides of the pastry together and pinch to seal. Repeat with other backstrap and remaining pastry. Place each into an ungreased baking dish.
• Mix egg yolk and water together in a small bowl. Coat the tops of the dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Continue to bake until dough is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.

VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• For detailed step-by-step images to help with creating your wellington, visit our guide page. Firstly, dry the venison with kitchen paper, then season well. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sear the meat all over for about 8 mins. Brush with mustard, leave to cool, then chill for 20 mins. Reserve any juices for the gravy.
• Melt the butter and soften the shallot and garlic. Add the mushrooms, herbs and seasoning, and cook for 10 mins until you have a paste-like mixture. Add the brandy and cook until it's evaporated. Leave to cool.
• Overlap 2-3 sheets of cling film on a clean surface and lay the prosciutto in 2 rows, slightly overlapping each slice. Spread the cooled mushroom paste all over the prosciutto, creating a thin, even layer.
• Place the fillet in the centre of the mushroom mixture. Using the edge of the cling film, carefully draw the layer of prosciutto and mushroom around the meat.
• Roll into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of the cling film as you do, to form a tight log. Chill for 30 mins to firm up.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to a rectangle a little larger than a magazine, and trim the edges to neaten.
• Carefully unwrap the prosciutto parcel and lay in the middle of the pastry.
• Fold over the bottom half of the pastry. Lightly brush the rest of the sheet with beaten egg.
• Roll the whole thing around the meat to encase. Neatly fold under the shorter edges to create a parcel.
• Transfer to a baking sheet and, using your hands, smooth the pastry around the meat, pressing it firmly to avoid any air being trapped. Brush the pastry all over with beaten egg yolk.
• Chill for at least 30 mins or up to 24 hrs. Then, using the back of a knife, mark the pastry, being careful not to cut all the way through. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
• Lightly oil a non-stick baking tray and heat until hot. Put the wellington on the tray and bake for 30 mins (35 mins for well done). Remove from oven, brush with extra egg and rest for 20 mins.
• To make venison gravy, melt a large knob of butter in a medium pan, add 1 finely chopped shallot, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1 thyme sprig, and cook until soft. Add 1 tbsp flour, brown for about 1 min, then pour in 250ml Port and reduce by two-thirds. Add 400ml beef stock and any reserved juices from the venison, then reduce again by two-thirds until syrupy. Season, add 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly, if you like, and strain before serving.

MINI VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Place a large nonstick frying pan over the highest possible heat. Sprinkle the meat all over with salt and pepper. When the pan is smoking hot, put in the steaks and sear for 30 seconds on each side. Remove and set aside.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the butter and onions. Sprinkle with salt and sugar and gently cook the onions until caramelized and soft, 20 minutes. Add the Armagnac and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become drier, 10 minutes longer.
• Let cool for 10 minutes, and then blend to a smooth paste in a food processor. Refrigerate until cold (or freeze for speed), about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F/200C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll the pastry between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 1/5-inch/1/2cm thick. For each piece of steak, cut 2 pastry rectangles slightly larger than the steak. Brush each piece of steak with some of the mustard on both sides, then place in the middle of a piece of pastry. Top the steak with a heaping tablespoon of the onion mixture. Brush the egg wash around the pastry edges and cover with another piece of pastry. Press the edges to seal the parcel, and then trim the excess pastry to leave a 1/2-inch/1cm border and crimp with a fork. Repeat for the remaining steaks.
• Cut a little cross in the top of each parcel and brush the pastry with the egg wash. Place the parcels on the lined baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes for medium-rare.
• Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

VENISON & WILD MUSHROOM WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Heat half the oil in a frying pan and quickly seal the venison for about 2 mins on each side until browned. Remove the meat from the pan, brush all over with the mustard and leave to cool.
• Mince the mushrooms in a food processor. Place the pan back on the heat with the rest of the oil and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and fry over a high heat for 5 mins until the excess moisture has evaporated and you have a thick paste. Season, transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and leave to cool.
• Lay 2-3 large sheets of cling film overlapping each other on a clean surface. Lay the slices of prosciutto overlapping lengthways in 2 rows of 3. Sit one of the pieces of venison in the middle of the prosciutto. Press the mushrooms over the venison and sandwich with the other piece of venison. Roll into a tight package (see step-by-step images above) and leave to chill in the fridge.
• Lay out another couple of pieces of cling film. Trim the pancakes into squares and lay them overlapping on the cling film. Remove the cling film from the prosciuttowrapped meat and place the meat on top of the pancakes. Roll up tightly again in cling film, then place in the fridge to hold its shape.
• Roll the pastry out to a large rectangle big enough to easily wrap the meat in, then brush all over with egg yolk. Unwrap the cling film from the pancake-wrapped venison and roll to completely encase in the pastry. Tuck the ends in and trim any excess. Lay out more cling film and finally roll into a tight package to get an evenly thick log. Tie the ends of cling film to keep the package tight and leave in the fridge overnight or in the freezer for an hour. Can be made to this point up to a day in advance.
• When ready to cook, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Remove the cling film and brush the Wellington all over with egg yolk. Sit it on a baking tray lined with baking paper and lightly score in a feathered fashion. Bake for 50 mins for medium rare, dropping to 200C/180C fan/ gas 7 if the pastry becomes too brown. Remove from the oven to rest for 20 mins. If you prefer the meat well done, turn oven off after 40 mins and leave to rest inside. Trim the end of the pastry, carefully carve in slices about 3-4cm thick and serve.
• To make the pancakes for the wellingtons, tip 100g plain flour into a bowl. Beat 1 egg with 250ml milk and gradually whisk into the flour until smooth. Stir in some snipped chives and a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley just before cooking, then heat a drop of oil in a large non-stick frying pan and swirl around some of the batter to make a thin pancake. When the pancake is done, make another 3 and set aside. The pancakes can be made two days in advance.
• For a creamy mash, chunk 1kg floury potatoes. Place in a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 mins until completely tender, then drain and return to the pan over a low heat for a few mins to dry out. Press the potatoes through a ricer and gradually add 150ml warm double cream and 50g butter. Season to taste and serve, or leave to cool and reheat in a pan or microwave with a touch more cream and butter. The mash can be made a day in advance.
• For the carrots, peel and trim 24 baby carrots (a mix of white and orange if you can find them) but keep them whole. Boil for 2-3 mins in salted water until just tender, then drain. Heat a large knob of butter in a frying pan and sizzle the carrots for 8-10 mins until golden. Serve the carrots or cool and reheat in a pan with a touch more butter or in the microwave. The carrots can be made a day in advance.
• To make a delicious port sauce, sweat 1 finely chopped shallot in a little butter with a thyme sprig. Pour in 300ml port and reduce by two-thirds, then add 600ml fresh chicken stock and reduce again by two-thirds until syrupy. Strain into another saucepan ready to be reheated. The sauce can be made two days in advance and reheated in the saucepan, adding a splash more stock if too thick.