Guy and I spit roasted a whole roe deer over a fire and served slices of the venison with this Sicilian-inspired sauce, which uses nuts and dried fruit from the store.
It is a lot simpler and quicker, however, to pan-fry steaks cut from the saddle (or fillet), the tenderest part of the animal. Try not to overcook the venison, as it really ruins the texture and flavour. Red wine is an essential part of the sauce, so don’t go off to camp without a bottle.
The sauce would be delicious with a roast haunch (leg) of venison for a fun Sunday lunch. If you do this, cover the meat with bacon fat to stop the lean meat from drying out.
Feeds 4
1. Marinate the steaks in the pepper, olive oil, wine and juniper berries for half an hour.
2. To make the sauce, melt half the butter in a frying pan over a medium–high heat and fry the drained raisins and the nuts for 3–4 minutes until the nuts are lightly toasted.
3. Remove the steaks from the marinade and add the marinade and the rest of the sauce ingredients to the pan. Simmer for 15 minutes until you have a lovely rich sauce.
4. Meanwhile melt the rest of the butter in a smoking hot, large heavy frying pan and cook the steaks for 2–3 minutes a side; the amount of time they need will depend on their thickness. Venison is best eaten pink in the middle, so err on the side of undercooking – you can always put the meat back on the heat if it is too pink for your liking.
5. Pour over the sauce, simmer for 1 minute and serve.
The Wild Gourmets: Adventures in Food and Freedom by Guy Grieve, Thomasina Miers, published by Bloomsbury. RRP £20.
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