Venison has a noble taste and unique aroma. It is he althier than the meat of farm animals, because it is leaner and not contaminated with chemicals. Contrary to appearances, preparing venison is not complicated. So get to know the types of venison, game recipes and read the story behind the preparation of this meat.

Fall and winter is a time-honored hunting season. That is why game was hosted on our tables most often during these seasons of the year. Today it is a real rarity, and a cheap one at that, but it is worth trying. Venison can be prepared just like any other meat - boil, stew, fry, bake. Cooking venison is not at all difficult. You just need to know the specificity of this meat.

- You don't have to be afraid of venison, says Artur Świerżewski, chef at the Trylogia Hotel. - You can do anything with it: cook, bake, stew. Even fry a pork chop, although I think it is a sin to break a saddle. Especially if it is deer. You can eat it even raw, to make tartare or delicate carpaccio with it. The forest wins over the farm.

A portion (100 g) of roast wild boar has 4.8 g of fat and 19.4 g of pork!

Venison: nutritional values ​​

Venison is mostly a he althy protein, with very little fat. It does not cause allergies, it does not poison, because it does not contain chemicals. It contains littlecholesterol , and provides a lot of iron and B vitamins. In the past, venison was only for the select few, today you can buy it in larger stores.

- Game animals feed the forest, field and meadow. They don't get any boosters, no growth hormones, no antibiotics. They live in freedom, they are run away. Their muscles do not contain as much lactic acid as pigs, which stand in pens, cannot move, but only fatten them and make them fat with enriched feed, explains our expert.

Venison is one of the least calorific types of meat - the average energy value of venison of various species is 120 kcal per 100 g. Wild boar meat is 108 kcal per 100 g, venison - 130 kcal per 100 g, and for example in In the case of pork, the ratio is 300 kcal per 100 g. Moreover, 80 percent of the calories in game come from wholesome protein. The fat content of venison is also low - 1.3 g per 100 g of raw meat - all thanks to the fact that the animals live in the wild, always remainingon the move and burning fat. Due to its low energy value, venison is recommended in slimming diets, especially wild bird meat: partridges, pheasants.

Venison contains large amounts of protein, much richer in exogenous amino acids, i.e. those that the body cannot produce itself. It is rich in vitamins, especially from group B, and minerals - calcium,phosphorus ,magnesiumand easily digestibleiron(100 g of pork neck contains 1040 μg of iron, while in 100 g of deer - as much as 5000 μg). The he alth benefits of game meat also result from their diet. It is based on wild plants that do not contain pesticides or artificial fertilizers. The game is also free of antibiotics and feed chemicals. In venison, we find only minimal amounts of adrenaline, because the animals do not experience the stress of being transported to the slaughterhouse.

Roasted deer - nutritional value per 100 g (energy value - 158 kcal)

Fat

3.2 g

- saturated fatty acids: 1.3 g

- polyunsaturated fatty acids: 0.6 g

- monounsaturated fatty acids: 0.9 g
Cholesterol112 mg
Sodium54 mg
Potassium335 mg
Protein30 g
Calcium7 mg
Magnesium24 mg
Iron4.5 mg

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Worth knowing

Venison is meat for the royal, princely table, It used to be unavailable to the common man. Unless it was a… poacher. - The so-called donor - explains Artur Świerżewski. - They weren't touts. They surrounded the game, cutting off its escape route. They were the ones who trotted the most, although they were punishable by the death pen alty. And they invented the bigos … They cooked the meat of the hunted game in pots. And because they were afraid that someone would discover it, they covered a piece of deer, hare or wild boar with mushrooms and mushrooms. The meat fell apart and died in additives, and they saved the head. Hunting has always been the domain of the nobility, the upper class of society. After the war, both hunting and game became the privilege of communist dignitaries. Of course, game was good, so they wanted to keep it for themselves: the best pulpits, the best baits were reserved for them. The former chief hunter of Poland, now 74 years old, told me thatsuch pulpit were with a bed, electricity, and even water!

Game: types

Venison is game meat that has been released for consumption after veterinary examination. We distinguish:

  • coarse venison- e.g. roe deer, red deer, wild boar, fallow deer
  • fine game- e.g. hares
  • wild birds- e.g. partridges, quails, pheasants

Polish cuisine also uses less frequently wild rabbits (small game), wild ducks, teals and teals (wild birds).

Wild boar meat

Wild boar meat is one of the most popular varieties of game. It has a dark red color and is very aromatic. They are most often used in the preparation of stews, stews, ham and sausages. The meat is tender, with dense fibers, and therefore harder than that of pigs.

Sarnina

Sarnina is the most juicy meat from the group of game animals, with a delicate, slightly sweet taste and no tendons. It has a specific aroma, depending on the season in which the deer was hunted and what the animal ate, e.g. in May, the aroma of deer is spicy, while in summer it is very strong, because the deer eats young leaves and beech twigs, oats and wheat. In autumn the meat has a nutty flavor.

Jelenina

Red-brown meat with long fibers, firm and compact. The meat of young animals is especially valued, and the older animals gain more juiciness after freezing.

Daniel

Daniel is an animal from the deer family, and the kitchen uses his leg, shoulder blade, bacon, neck and saddle (part of the half-carcass from the lumbar part of the back without the kidney). We most often stew and bake fallow deer meat, it is also used for the production of cold cuts, sausages, pates, delicatessen products.

Hare

Soft meat from juveniles is most often used. It is a lean meat with a rusty color and a slightly sweet taste. The meat of young hares is most often baked and fried, and of older hares - stewed for a stew or stew. Before cooking, the meat of the hare crumbles and hangs in the air for a few days.

Quail

Quails have been eaten in Europe only since the 20th century. Females after 5 weeks of age and males after 6 weeks of age are used for slaughter. As much as 40 percent of the carcass are breasts (in the case of other birds this ratio is lower). Quails are usually baked or grilled.

Pheasant

Caught in the period from October to February, the most commonbreasts and thighs that are baked, fried or stewed are used. Younger birds are boiled in broth and smoked.

Partridge

Partridge is the most numerous species of game grouse in Poland. It is prepared in a baked and stewed form, as a stew and an ingredient of soups. Seasoned with bay leaf, garlic, and allspice.

Venison preparation

The meat of game animals is firm, firm, so before preparing a dish from it, it must lie down in a cool, airy place. Then it softens, that is, crumbles. The time depends on the age and species of the animal. The hare is hung in the cold for 4-5 days, the gutted deer for 7-20 days, pheasants for 5-7 days. After crumbling, and before cooking, the meat should lie in the marinade. It includes dry wine or vinegar, spices and herbs or vegetables. For the herbal marinade we need: 2.5 cups of dry white wine, 3 tablespoons of oil, 3 cloves of garlic, 5 berries of juniper and pepper, a teaspoon of mustard, 1/4 teaspoon each of savory, thyme, lovage and rosemary, a piece of celery and leek, carrot . Vegetable marinade is made of: 5 tablespoons of oil, tablespoon of wine vinegar, tablespoon of sugar, medium chopped onion, grated carrots with large eyes, parsley and celery, crushed bay leaf, a few grains of allspice and pepper. Frozen venison does not require crushing. After harvesting, it is first hung - usually for a week - at 0 ° C. Then, after dividing into pieces, it is slowly frozen, then ice crystals form in it, which break the tight structure of the meat, making it softer and more delicate.

Venison is better after freezing, because low temperature speeds up the crushing process. It is essential because this type of meat is high in protein and collagen. If it does not crumble, it will be hard and dry. During freezing, water crystals form, which break the fiber structure from the inside, making the meat softer and easier to process.

- It is also important how we defrost them - the cook advises. - You have to do it slowly, preferably take it out of the freezer the day before, move it to the fridge and wait for it to defrost itself.

Many venison recipes recommend pricking and stuffing them with fat to keep them dry.

- I do not recommend this method - says Artur Świerżewski. - First of all: the addition of lard will make lean, high-protein meat soaked in fat, so it will lose its uniqueness. Second: by making cuts, punching holes in the boar ham, we will help leak out all the precious juices. I suggest you bake the meat at high temperature eitherfry in a pan. The former is better. If someone has such an oven, preheat it to 300ºC and put the roast for 10 minutes. The outer layer will close together beautifully, and if you continue baking at a lower temperature (160 ° C), the center will come up and stay juicy. The baking time depends on the age and quantity of the meat. Chefs follow this rule: as much as it weighs, this is how long it takes to cook. So 1 kg - an hour, 1 and 1/2 kg - one and a half hours. You have to be careful, because the venison is afraid of overcooking …

This will be useful to you

Venison pate

Although we use 2nd and 3rd class meat to make venison pate, it can be a royal delicacy. We use trimmings, worse, more fat pieces of meat. Fry them with onion and juniper seeds and stew them until tender. Fry the liver separately (it can be veal or poultry): briefly so that it does not become hard.

- In the case of venison pate, you need little, because it gives bitterness and suppresses the taste of this noble meat - our expert advises. - Grind all ingredients 3-4 times on a fine pate sieve, add eggs, nutmeg, season with s alt and pepper. Bake at 180 ° C and it's ready.

Game: herbs and additives

The trick is to emphasize the taste of venison, the best in fall and early winter.

- The game is run out, well fed with fruit and herbs and only gets fat for the winter, changes its fur; then it is tastiest - says Artur Świerżewski. - And young arts are always the best. Such meat does not need special seasoning. All you need is s alt, freshly ground pepper, juniper seeds, fresh rosemary and thyme … And of course, with the addition of cranberries and mushrooms. Everything from the forest, so it fits perfectly together. Spices should be added in moderation so that they emphasize the flavor, not dominate it. Only meat from old animals requires strengthening, adding garlic, wine vinegar, dry wine, so that the characteristic unpleasant aroma is suppressed and eliminated. But if it is a young, autumn game, the spices need to be spiced delicately and carefully. Let us remember the first-rate principle: "noble to noble, noblest to noblest". If we have deer saddles, then we give boletus and red pine mushrooms, but for ham you will only need buttermilk and bay boletes.

There is a belief that cooking game involves many complicated procedures. Meanwhile, the noblest of meats does not need them at all. The simpler the recipe, the tastier it is. That is why we should avoid spices and ingredients typical of exotic cuisines. Let us leave them for poultry dishes that have a rather vague taste. FROMvenison are best suited for herbs growing in Poland (e.g. thyme, marjoram, rosemary), vegetables, fruit (plums, blueberries), juniper berries. Use such additives in moderation to emphasize the taste of the game rather than suppress it.

Worth knowing

Polish hares in extinction

What is contributing to this situation? First, the biggest enemy of the hare - the fox is vaccinated, resistant to disease, and its population has grown rapidly. And it is not profitable for hunters to hunt foxes, because the carcass has to be disposed of, and you get pennies for the skin. - In our hunting club we are trying to counteract this - says Artur Świerżewski. - Everyone is obliged to shoot at least five foxes a season, otherwise they pay a fine of PLN 50. The second reason for the extermination of hares are newly established multi-hectare farms. Bushes are plowed - places where hares and partridges breed. Many animals die under the wheels of agricultural machinery. And the disease that inhibits reproduction - testicular inflammation, does its job. There is a vaccine for it that can be thrown from airplanes, just like the one for foxes, but neither the Ministry of Agriculture, nor the Environment, nor the State Forests want to pay for it. So today we have bunnies for sale, but English, Portuguese …

Venison: recipes

Wild boar ham with fruit

Ingredients:

  • 2 kg wild boar ham
  • 10 grams of pitted dried plums
  • 5 dag of dried apricots
  • 5 dag raisins
  • apple
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • teaspoon dried basil
  • tablespoon of marjoram
  • s alt

Preparation method:

Stuff the meat with plums and apricots, rub with s alt grated with garlic cloves, basil and marjoram. Wrap in foil and place in a roasting tin. Bake for 1.5-2 hours at 200 ° C with water. Cut the meat into thick slices. Put them in a saucepan with baking sauce, add the raisins and the sliced ​​apple, stew for 30 minutes.

Wild boar pate

Ingredients:

  • 1.2 kg of boar leg
  • 10 dag of pork fat
  • 30 grams of chicken liver
  • 25 dag Italian
  • 5 dag of lard
  • ground nutmeg
  • rosemary sprig
  • teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 5 juniper berries
  • teaspoon of dried thyme
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 10 grams of dried bay boletes
  • 5 eggs
  • s alt
  • pepper

Preparation method:

Clean the meat from the membranes and cook it together with vegetables, spices and mushrooms. Fry the liver briefly. When it cools down, run everything through the food processor 3 times. Add peeled andchopped garlic cloves. Add eggs, s alt and pepper and knead until smooth for 3-5 minutes. Put into a mold greased with lard and sprinkled with breadcrumbs. Bake for 45 minutes at 180 ° C.

Grilled deer sirloin

Ingredients:

  • deer sirloin - 1 kg
  • rosemary - sprig
  • garlic - 1-2 cloves
  • juniper berries - 1 teaspoon
  • hammered pepper
  • coarse sea s alt
  • olive

Preparation method:

First, wash the meat and pat dry with a paper towel. Then, cut them into 2 cm slices. The next step is to chop the garlic and throw it into the mortar. Add the olive oil, juniper and rosemary leaves and grate. Use the ready-made stain to rub the meat and put it on the hot grill pan, frying 2-3 slices at the same time. Fry them briefly - for about 2 minutes on each side - to keep them juicy and crisp.

Quail with thyme sauce

Ingredients:

  • quail - 1 pc.
  • lamb's lettuce - 15 g
  • quail eggs - 2 pcs.
  • arugula - 15 g
  • cranberry - 5 g
  • orange - 1 pc.
  • thyme - 1/2 teaspoon
  • birch sap - 120 ml
  • olive
  • French mustard - 1 tablespoon
  • clarified butter for frying
  • pepper
  • s alt

Preparation method:

Wash the quail, remove the bones and cut it in half. Then s alt the meat and pepper it. The next step is to heat the butter in a pan and fry the quail for about 7-8 minutes on each side, over medium heat. In the meantime, you can prepare the sauce by adding half a teaspoon of s alt, thyme and a pinch of pepper into the bowl. Then birch sap, olive oil, mustard and orange halves, mix everything thoroughly.

Hard-boil the quail eggs, wash the rocket and lamb's lettuce, tear them into smaller pieces, and mix again. Then fill out half of the orange and put the greens on a plate, pour the sauce over it. Place the fried quail halves on top, which you can decorate with quail egg halves and oranges.

Sarnina baked in wine

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg of roe deer
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • spoon of butter
  • 10 juniper berries
  • 3 sprigs of rosemary
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 150 ml of red wine
  • s alt
  • pepper

Preparation method:

Crush rosemary and juniper berries, mix with s alt and pepper. Coat the saddle in spices and fry in olive oil. Post topans, add crushed garlic, a little water. Bake for 30 minutes at 180 ° C. Pour the baking sauce into the pan, add the wine, butter, season with s alt and pepper. Keep warm until it thickens. Pour the sauce over the sliced ​​saddle.

Hare in cream

Ingredients:

  • saddle and thighs of a hare
  • carrot
  • celery
  • parsley
  • dried boletus
  • 200 ml cream 18%
  • 5 juniper berries
  • tablespoon of flour
  • 50 g butter
  • s alt
  • pepper

Preparation method:

Rub the meat pieces with crushed juniper berries, s alt and pepper. Peel the vegetables and cut them into slices, cover the hare with them and set aside in a cool place for a few hours. Then put the meat in a roasting pan, cover with pieces of butter, add the porcini mushrooms and bake for an hour at 180 degrees Celsius, pouring over the sauce. Put the meat into a pot, pour the cream mixed with flour into the sauce and stew it together for 15 minutes.

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