Dinner recipes

Daub of Venison with Red Wine

Seaneen's Sunnyside KitchenLeave a comment

I was lucky enough to be given some venison by a friend who’s husband enjoys hunting.

I know looking at this, the meat might be a bit too rare for some people. Venison is super healthy and very low in fat. Due to this it can dry out very quickly and become tough if it’s over cooked. If you enjoy your meat well done you can make this dish with beef which had a higher fat content.

Opaque layer needs to be removed to prevent it toughening while cooking
Film is easily removed with a sharp knife

Sometimes you’ll see a filmy layer on the meat, it’s really important to remove this as it will toughen up when you cook it. The good news is that it’s easy to remove, just slip a sharp knife behind it, it should pull away without too much hassle.

Ingredients

0.75 Kg Daub of venison (allow to come to room temperature before cooking)

1 Large carrot (chopped finely)

1 Large Onion (chopped finely)

Half bottle of red wine (I recommend drinking the rest)

1 Tbsp Olive oil

25 Grams Butter

1 Tbsp Dried thyme

1 Bay Leaf

Method

  1. Heat the oil and half the butter in a large oven proof dish (one that has a lid)
  2. Add the meat and seal on all sides over a high heat
  3. Turn down to a medium heat and add the herbs, vegetables and wine and allow to come to a simmer
  4. Cover with a lid and put in a pre heated oven for 20 minutes
  5. Take the dish from the oven and remove the venison and allow the meat to rest for 10-15 minutes
  6. Over a medium heat the wine and vegetable mix and allow to reduce. Add the remaining butter and stir in until melted and the sauce is glossy
  7. Slice the venison and serve on top of the sauce and vegetables

Lockdown Chilli

Seaneen's Sunnyside KitchenLeave a comment

Yep, we’re in bloody lockdown again and we’re all trying to limit how much we go out.

With this in mind, like last time I decided to have a look and use up food I already had at home. I first made this type of chilli years ago when I was a flat broke student. My Mum would sometimes send me home with a bag of tinned food. I came up with this version of chilli and it’s surprisingly flavoursome.

I know most people wouldn’t use corned beef in a chilli, but it works well. If you don’t want to use baked beans you can use whichever beans you like, just maybe add some vegetable stock to loosen up the mix. This is also a good dish to use up any vegetables that have been hanging around your fridge or freezer for a while.

It’s cold and miserable outside and while I’ll admit it’s not fine dining it’s quick, cheap and proper comfort food. This goes well with rice, or pasta, in a baked potato or with garlic bread.

Ingredients

340 Gram Tin of corned beef (cut into cubes)

500 Gram Carton of passata (or a tin of chopped tomatoes)

410 Gram Tin of baked beans

1 Tbsp Oil

1 Tbsp Tomato purée

1 Onion (chopped fairly finely)

1 Carrot (grated)

1 Red pepper (cut into 1 cm chunks)

1 Tsp salt

1 Tsp Ground cumin

1 Tsp Chilli powder

1 Tsp Ground coriander

3 cloves of garlic

Method

  1. Heat your oil in a large flat bottom pan. Fry the carrot, pepper, and onion over a medium heat until the the onion becomes translucent
  2. Add the garlic, spices, tomato puree and corned beef, and stir through the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes until the corned beef starts to break down.
  3. Stir in the passata, and baked beans, mixing well. Cook over a medium heat for a further 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking
  4. Serve with your favourite carbs. This keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days