Roasted Rack Of Venison With Spiced Red Cabbage

Start with the sauce by browning 25g smoked bacon in 1 tbsp butter. Finely cut an onion and 2 mushrooms and sweat with the bacon. Deglaze with 50 ml red wine and reduce as much as possible. Then add 200 ml brown game stock and softly reduce.

After 15 mins add 300 ml cream and 1 tbsp mustard and reduce for another 5 mins. Finish with 13g dark chocolate (min 60% cacao).

Then prepare the cabbage. Cut out the core and finely shred 1/2 red cabbage. Heat a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add 1/2 peeled and sliced onion and sweat for 2–3 minutes, then add the red cabbage and cook for 1–2 minutes.

Add 2 star anise, 1 stick of cinnamon and some salt and pepper and cook for another 1–2 minutes to release the flavours.

Now add the zest of an orange and sprinkle in 50g light brown sugar. Add the juice from the orange and 50 ml white wine vinegar and let bubble to reduce down. 

Pour in 300ml red wine and 100ml red port. Add 50g sultanas and leave to cook gently for 40 minutes.

Peel, core and dice a sweet apple. Add to the cabbage, toss to mix and set aside.

Meanwhile, for the venison, heat the oven to 190°C. Heat a large non-stick ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of oil. Season the venison rack on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the hot pan.

Colour the meat well on all sides, for about 3 minutes. Add 50g butter to the pan and let it melt and foam, then add some sprigs of thyme and baste the joint with the foaming butter.

Transfer the pan to the oven. Roast the venison for 15 minutes, then check; the meat should still be pink inside.

Transfer to a warm platter and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Save any juices in the pan.

Slice the venison and arrange on warm plates with the braised cabbage and some rösti. Reheat any pan juices and drizzle over the meat.

Add a spoonful of redcurrant jelly and a sprinkling of pepper to serve.

(Here Tom Kitchin's original recipe)

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