venison w juniper, blueberries & thyme

venison w juniper, blueberries & thyme

After making so many sweet dishes with all the blueberries, I thought it would be nice to make something savoury. I stumbled across this great venison dish on Jamie Oliver’s website.

Jamie brilliantly pairs hearty game meat with juniper and thyme and blueberries. It’s a great match with the sweetness of the blueberries cancelling out the slight bitterness of the juniper and both cutting through the iron richness of the venison.

Venison w Juniper, Blueberries & Thyme
Recipe by Jamie Oliver. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
800g venison loin, trimmed
1 small handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
5 dried juniper berries
4 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 glass of robust red wine
200g fresh blueberries
2 large knobs of butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Method:
1. Bash up the thyme and juniper berries in a pestle and mortar with a really good pinch of salt and pepper. Loosen with 2 good lugs of olive oil.
2. Pat the venison dry with some kitchen paper and rub the thyme mixture all over it.
3. Sear the meat in a hot pan on all sides (roughly 6 minutes for medium rare, 7-8 minutes for medium: don’t cook it anymore than that and use your instincts not your clock!).
4. Remove it from the pan when it’s cooked to your liking and allow it to rest on a plate for 4 minutes, covered with tinfoil.
5. Reduce the heat under the pan and add a good lug of oil.
6. Add the shallots and the garlic and fry gently for around 3 minutes until translucent and tender.
7. Turn up the heat again, add the wine, and let it reduce by half.
8. Add the blueberries and simmer slowly for 4 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
9. Add the butter and jiggle and shake the pan around so the sauce goes slightly opaque and shiny. Season to taste.
10. Slice the venison into 2cm slices. Add the meat’s resting juices to the sauce and spoon over the venison. Serve with vegetables or salad passed separately.
Note: If you haven’t got a pestle and mortar, use the end of a rolling pin and a metal bowl.