Roast Venison With Cabbage, Spoonbread and Bourbon
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Roast Venison With Cabbage, Spoonbread and Bourbon
Set aside some time to make this dish, and your efforts will be rewarded by your guests' ardent appreciation and undying gratitude. This recipe is quintessential Southern comfort food, updated with herbal flavors of juniper and rosemary.
For the marinade:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 juniper berries, toasted in oven at 350 degrees and finely ground in a mortar or coffee/spice mill
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup port
2 pounds boneless venison leg, trimmed (reserve trimmings)
For the cabbage:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 dried hot chile pepper
- 1/2 head savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For sauce:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups beef broth
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the spoonbread:
- 3 cups water
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup self-rising yellow cornmeal (or 1 cup regular cornmeal plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt)
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Cholula
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- Freshly ground white pepper
To prepare marinade, in a bowl or other nonreactive container, combine oil, juniper berries, garlic, rosemary, red wine and port. Add venison and massage with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours, or up to 24 hours.
To prepare cabbage, heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and chile pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add cabbage and cook for 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Remove venison from marinade, reserving marinade. In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add reserved venison trimmings and cook until brown and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Add reserved marinade, bring to a boil, and reduce by three-quarters, skimming the surface of any fat. Add broth and bring to simmer. Skim and simmer until reduced by half. Strain sauce and set aside to finish later.
First Published November 3, 2005 12:00 am
