Shake up your usual Sunday roast routine with the gamey flavours of this roasted rack of venison.
The lean meat with the spiced red cabbage is a marriage made in heaven
Ingredients
• 1 kg rack roe deer venison on the bone
• vegetable oil, for cooking
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 50g butter
• 1 thyme sprig
For the spiced red cabbage:
• 1/2 medium-large red cabbage
• olive oil, for cooking
• 1/2 onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 orange, zest pared and juiced
• 50g soft light brown sugar
• 50ml white wine vinegar
• 400ml red wine
• 100ml port
• 50g sultanas
• 1 dessert apple
To serve:
• rowanberry jelly or redcurrant jelly
Method
1 First, prepare the cabbage. Cut out the core and finely shred the cabbage. Heat a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add the onion and sweat for 2–3 minutes, then add the cabbage and cook for 1–2 minutes.
2 Add the star anise, cinnamon and some salt and pepper and cook for another 1–2 minutes to release the flavours.
3 Now add the orange zest and sprinkle in the sugar. Add the orange juice and wine vinegar and let bubble to reduce down. Pour in the red wine and port. Add the sultanas and leave to cook gently for 40 minutes.
4 Peel, core and dice the apple. Add to the cabbage, toss to mix and set aside.
5 Meanwhile, for the venison, heat the oven to 200°C. Heat a large non-stick ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of oil. Season the venison joint on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the hot pan.
6 Colour the meat well on all sides, for about 3 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt and foam, then add the thyme and baste the joint with the foaming butter.
7 Transfer the pan to the oven. Roast the venison for 15 minutes, then check; the meat should still be pink inside.
8 Transfer to a warm platter and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Save any juices in the pan.
9 Slice the venison and arrange on warm plates with the braised cabbage. Reheat any pan juices and drizzle over the meat.
10 Add a spoonful of redcurrant jelly and a sprinkling of pepper to serve.
Recipe and image credited to Tom Kitchin, extracted from Kitchin Suppers
