Not my recipe, this was poached from Antonio Carluccio when he appeared on Saturday kitchen (my bird makes me watch it alright!). A little extravagant with the morels I know but you can even buy them on ebay these days and they're worth every penny if you value a good scran! I couldn't find fresh porcini mushrooms myself so I substituted them with chestnut mushrooms and made a creamy wholegrain mustard mash to go with the venison. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For the venison
500g/1lb 2oz venison fillet, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm/1in thick medallions
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
100g/3½oz unsalted butter
2 small onions, very finely sliced
40g/1½oz dried morels, soaked in warm water for 2 hours, drained (reserve the water)
150g/5oz fresh porcini mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (aged for 10-15 years)
4 tbsp dry sherry
6 tbsp double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. For the venison, the day before cooking, place the venison in a dish and cover with three tablespoons of the olive oil, and all of the balsamic vinegar, carrot and onion. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place into the fridge to marinate overnight.
2. For the sauce, heat a non-reactive frying pan until hot. Add the butter and onions and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
3. Add the morels and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the porcini and fry for a further 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the balsamic vinegar, sherry and cream and simmer for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (The sauce may become quite thick, so add a little of the morel soaking water to the pan.)
6. To cook the venison, remove the venison from the marinade, pat dry with kitchen paper, then season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Heat a separate frying pan until hot. Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil and the venison steaks. Fry the venison on each side for 3-4 minutes, until golden-brown on the outside, but still pink on the inside, or until cooked to your liking.
9. To serve, spoon the mushroom sauce onto warmed plates, then top with the venison steaks.
