With Christmas only a week away, I hope you are enjoying the festive season and not being overwhelmed. Should you need some inspo for a fabulous venison dish, check out the dish I cooked a few weeks back for my friends-mas. The celeriac pappardelle with kale is also perfect for guests who prefer veg over meat.
CELERIAC – or celery root is cultivated all over the world and its distinct flavour instantaneously reminds me of childhood Christmas potato celeriac puree my dad made. It is great in stews and soups but here I share maybe a different way to cook it: thinly sliced, like pasta, than blanching and finally sautéing. Serving it ever so slightly crisp.
KALE or leaf cabbage, not particularly my favourite cabbage but in winter I yearn for colour on my plate and blanching the leaves keeps them vibrantly green. Kale was practically no longer cooked till a few years ago it became “in” again but it’s been around since Ancient Greece. Traditionally added to vegetable stews, pasta or soups.
VENISON – although venison stood for all game shot, we now refer to it as mostly meat from a deer. I truly adore this meat, leaner than beef but most of all the game-flavour is just fabulous. It is now in season and we often eat it for Christmas. I used the loin or filet here but check out my venison stew HERE made with offcuts.
My perfect venison with celeriac pappardelle with kale
Yield 4 portions
Ingredients
- 600 gr venison ( about 150 to 200 gr per person)
- 1 celeriac
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 50 gr butter
- 3 kale stalks
- 2 table spoon olive oil
Instructions
- Remove the venison from the fridge, leave out on the counter to get to room temperature.
- Clean the celeriac with a brush to remove all dirt and cut away roots if needed. In a bowl add water and lemon juice. Use a mandolin to slice thinly into pappardelle. Add the celeriac to the lemon water to avoid turning brown. Cut the kale leaves from the stem.
- Bring a large pot with salted water to boil and blanch the celeriac for a few minutes and then add to ice water. Same for the kale. Reserve.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan, when getting brown and nutty add the venison filets. Cook on each side for 5 minutes. With a spoon base the butter over the venison filets on both sides. Remove from pan and leave to rest.
- In a sauté pan, add olive oil, on medium heat add the blanched celeriac and kale, season with salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes.
- To plate up, add a little mount of celeriac and kale, top with venison. You can serve this with a mushrooms cream sauce or a simple red wine gravy.
Notes
on www.leeksandhighheels.com by Sandra Slawinski
Writtena nd photographed by Sandra Slawinski without commercial deals. I used my own stuff: tablecloth ZaraHome, vintage cutlery form my parents restaurant, plate Ikea, car Flying Tiger
