Well Worth the Work, the Time and the Wait!

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This impressive main course sees the classic pairing of chocolate and venison presented in the surprising form of chocolate tortellini. To cut through the rich venison, the addition of spiced lentils and tender salt-baked celeriac does the trick. Although there are many elements to this dish, with careful planning they are all achievable and come together to form a beautiful plate of food.

Venison, Salt-Baked Celeriac and Chocolate Tortellini

Ingredients

Venison

1 1/4 lb of venison loin, cut into 4 even pieces

3 1/2 tbs of vegetable oil

1 tbs of butter

1 sprig of rosemary

1 juniper berry

Tortellini

5  oz of pasta flour

3 oz of cocoa powder

1 pinch of salt

3 tbsp of water

1 egg

3 egg yolks

3 tbsp of olive oil

3 oz of dark chocolate chips

Venison Sauce

2  lb of venison bones

2 tbsp of vegetable oil

1/2 carrot, roughly chopped

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

1/2 leek, roughly chopped

1 celery stick, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves

1 star anise

2 juniper berries

6 fl oz of port

1 1/2 cups of red wine

2 cups of veal stock

2 cups pint of chicken stock

3 tsp passion fruit juice

3 tsp lime juice

1 3/4 oz of chocolate

Salt-Baked Celeriac

1 small celeriac, washed

2 1/4 lb of salt

4 1/2 oz of egg white

Spiced lentils

5 oz of lentils

salt

2 tsp sweet chilli sauce

1 3/4 oz of dark soya sauce

1 3/4 oz of balsamic vinegar

2 tsp  ketchup

1 tsp cumin powder

1 onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely diced

3/4 oz of stem ginger, finely diced

Celeriac Purée

1 celeriac, peeled and chopped into small even sized chunks

milk

salt

black pepper

lemon juice

To Plate

2 oz of spinach

2 oz of sea beans (substitute with thin asparagus or green beans)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Pasta Dough

In a large bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the water, egg, egg yolks and oil. Gradually mix the flour and wet ingredients together until it forms into a ball, but don't overwork.

Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Venison Sauce

Place the venison bones on a large baking tray and roast for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

While the bones are roasting, heat the oil in a medium saucepan and fry the carrot, leek, onion, celery and garlic until golden. Add the juniper, star anise, port and red wine and simmer until reduced by half.

Add the roasted bones to the vegetable saucepan along with the veal and chicken stocks. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Return to the heat and continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until reduced to a sauce-like consistency.

Season the reduced sauce with the passion fruit juice, lime juice and chocolate to taste. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Baked Salted Celeriac

Mix the salt and egg whites in a large bowl until a thick paste forms. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and create a base by spreading a little of the salt paste in the middle. Place the celeriac onto the base and cover with the remaining salt mixture.

Bake the celeriac for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender and soften in the center when pierced with a skewer. Remove from oven and set aside.

Lentils 

Boil the lentils in salted water for 30 to 35 minutes or until tender, then drain and set aside.

Letil Purée

Add the peeled and chopped celeriac to a medium pan and pour in enough milk to just cover. Bring up to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender and cooked through.

Meanwhile, shape the tortellini. Roll out the rested dough on the thinnest setting of a pasta machine into a large sheet. Cover a large area of work surface with a layer of plastic wrap and place the pasta sheet on top.

Using a 1 2/3 inch cutter, cut out discs of pasta dough and place a chocolate chip in the center of each one. Using a little flour for dusting, fold the pasta into a semi circle shape and press the layers together to seal.

Gently press the center of each pasta disc, bending the edges around to join one another to form a tortellini shape. Repeat this process with the remaining pasta, dusting each piece of tortellini with flour to prevent it from drying out.

Crack open the salt crust and remove the celeriac, slicing it evenly in half. Using an apple corer, cut out cylinders of celeriac and slice these into 1 inch pieces.

To finish the lentils, sweat the onion, garlic and ginger in a medium saucepan for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Add the cumin, sweet chilli sauce, soya sauce, balsamic and tomato ketchup and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir through the cooked lentils and keep warm until ready to serve.

Once cooked, pass the poached celeriac through a fine sieve – reserving the milk – and transfer to a blender. Process until smooth, loosening the consistency with a little of the milk if required, then season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste and keep warm until ready to serve.

To cook the venison, heat the oil a large frying pan and, once hot, carefully add the loins in the pan to sear for 2 minutes. Turn over and sear for 2 further minutes, then add the rosemary, juniper berries and butter to the pan.

Reduce the heat and cook for a further 5 minutes, turning from time to time. Once cooked, transfer the venison to a carving board, cover with foil and leave to rest for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the tortellini floats to the top, then remove with a slotted spoon.

Place the salt-baked celeriac on a metal tray and blowtorch until caramelized all over. Meanwhile, wilt the spinach and the green of your choice(asparagus, green beans) in a small frying pan and season with salt and pepper. Check the seasoning on the venison sauce, reheating if required/

To serve, spoon portions of the celeriac purée and the spiced lentils onto the middle of each plate and top with the wilted spinach. Slice each venison loin in half and place on top of the spinach, scattering pieces of caramelized celeriac and tortellini around the plate. Finish with a drizzle of the venison sauce and a garnish of your greens.

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