Recipe: Fillet of Venison, Pomegranate and bean Cous Cous

Ingredients

One red pepper, diced
Two diced shallots
1/2 Red onion diced
75g Cous Cous
Up to 1/2 litre vegetable stock
Two 200g Venison Fillets, loins or Haunch, marinated in a glass of red wine, Thyme, Rosemary and garlic for 8 hours
1/2 tin mixed beans
One pomegranate, seed capsules removed
Chopped chives
Oil and butter
Seasoning

Method

Heat a large sauce pan, saute the red pepper, shallot, red onion in a little oil and butter until soft
Stir in the cous cous and enough stock to cover, bring to the boil, remove from the heat and cover with cling film or a lid
Remove the venison from the marinade and season them
Heat a frying pan, add a little oil and fry the Venison, 15 minutes at a medium heat should mean they will be medium rare.
Ensure the Venison is allowed to rest
Add the beans, pomegranate and chives to the cous cous
Place the cous cous on the serving dish, slice the venison and place on top, reheat the juices in the venison pan add a little butter, shake until the sauce is thick and glossy, spoon the glaze over the Venison

Recipe: Gluhwein (mulled wine)

When we lived in Germany winter for me was the best time of the year.
My Mam and Dad ensured we enjoyed the local culture and we experienced alot of different foods at local Markets and festivals, this was fantsatic especially in the snow as Dad made me and my Sister Mandy bespoke sledges, these turned out to be some of the fastest sledges in the camp and they went everywhere with us.

Anyone that knows me will tell you i love the simple things in life and have done since i was little, Bockwurst, Bratwurst, Currywurst and Frikadeller are what i would call the foods of my childhood.

Winter for most people is dull, wet and depressing. For me its about bringing back memories that i love. If you have ever been lucky enough to experience a German market you will understand what i mean.

When i was young we used to hang around wooden huts in a market squares, watch the man cook sausages over open coals and smell the most amazing smells on a winter evening, a child eating a Bratwurst with semi stale bread and mustard out of a cardboard take away tray was nothing unusual, even more special when you got Paprika chips to go with them.

Now a grown man life has moved on and changed in so many ways, My family are growing up and lifes busy!

One thing that has never changed is my love of Gluhwein and speciality sausages. Zoe my wife being half Swiss shares my passion and its great that i can share my childhood memories with her.

Today i would like to share a recipe that i have used for many a year, on a winters evening we enjoy lighting the wood burner roasting chestnuts and sharing a Gluhwein

This recipe is one that has been used, adapted and we like the balance of flavours it delivers, although it may not be to everyones taste. The good thing about this is you can alter the recipe until it is right for you.


1 bottle red wine
1 cinnamon stick
Fresh grated nutmeg
75g brown sugar
1 orange, sliced
1 dried bay leaf
Four cloves
Pour the wine in a pan and add all of the ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer.
Pour the Gluhwein into glasses and serve.

Recipe: My beef stock

For the stock
Two carrots chopped
Two sticks of celery chopped
Two cloves of garlic peeled
Two onions chopped
One leek washed and chopped
100g parsley
25g thyme
25g rosemary
1.5kg beef bones
3 tablespoons of tomato purée
300ml red wine
Cold water
25g pancetta rind chopped
Vegetable oil

Method
Place the bones into a roasting tin and brown in a preheated oven at 250c until coloured but not burnt. Meanwhile, in a large pan, colour the vegetables, herbs and pancetta in a little oil. When the bones are ready, remove them from the roasting tin, shake off any excess oil and add them to the vegetables.
Stir in the tomato purée , add the red wine and water, use enough to cover the bones. Bring to the boil, turn down to a rolling boil and reduce by two- thirds, skim the stock every 20 minutes. Once reduced pass the stock through a fine sieve, allow to cool and store in a fridge until required.
The stock can be kept for up to five days, you can freeze the stock if you wish to keep it longer, freeze it in ice-cube trays for easy portion control.