You can’t cook with wine and not have a glass yourself! This red wine veal with rigatoni is the perfect dish to make on a lazy Sunday afternoon while sipping on a glass of red (or white), surrounded by your guests.

SERVES 4–6 // COOKING TIME 2 hours 30 min

INGREDIENTS
500 g stewing beef
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp flour
½ tsp black pepper
2 cups red wine
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
5 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped or 2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to serve
2 bay leaves
2–3 cups beef stock
500 g rigatoni
Microherbs, to garnish

METHOD
1. Brown the veal in olive oil over medium-high heat. Turn frequently to ensure even browning on all sides.
2. Add the onions and cook for 2–3 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add the celery, carrots and garlic, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with flour and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the wine, tomatoes, thyme, tomato paste, parsley, bay leaves and enough stock to cover the meat.
6. Reduce the heat to low, cover loosely, and simmer for 2 hours. The sauce will thicken as water evaporates during cooking. If it becomes too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock.
7. Once the veal is cooked, shred the meat with two forks.
8. Cook the rigatoni until al dente, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C.
9. Toss together the rigatoni and cooked veal in an ovenproof dish or pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
10. Serve garnished with microherbs.

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Over at Haute Cabrière, it’s all about celebrating seasonal, locally sourced and organically farmed food through their menu of classic dishes – with a modern twist, of course. For chef Westley, it’s a no-brainer, having grown up on his grandparents’ farm. From there, he followed his dream of studying to become a chef. Now, he finds himself cooking alongside Nic van Wyk at the iconic Haute Cabrière Restaurant & Terrace. He showed us how to perfectly prepare grilled venison with dark chocolate sauce.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 60 min

INGREDIENTS
For the dark-chocolate sauce
150 g brown sugar
½ cup white wine vinegar
1 cup crème de cassis
2L beef stock
2 cloves
1 star anise
½ stick cinnamon
130 g mixed frozen berries
40 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa), chopped
For the crispy kale
1 bunch kale
Vegetable oil, to deep-fry
Salt and pepper
For the venison loin
1 kg venison loin
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 sprigs thyme
2 peaches, halved

METHOD
For the dark-chocolate sauce
1. In a pot, heat the sugar, stirring until caramelised.
2. Deglaze with the white wine vinegar and reduce until all the liquid has evaporated.
3. Deglaze with the crème de cassis and reduce by ⅔.
4. Add the stock and spices, and reduce again by ¾.
5. Add the berries and reduce again until sauce is the desired consistency. Strain out berries.
6. Add the chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth.
For the crispy kale
1. Cut off the kale stems.
2. Blanch kale leaves in salted, boiling water, then shock in ice water. Squeeze out all the water.
3. Deep-fry the kale. Drain on paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
For the venison loin
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Season the venison with salt and let it rest for 5 minutes.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a griddle pan until smoking hot. Brown the venison, turning constantly. When almost brown, add butter and thyme. Ensure the venison is evenly coated with butter.
4. Transfer the venison to an ovenproof dish and roast it for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
5. Rub the peach halves in the remaining oil. Heat a griddle pan and grill them until char lines appear.
6. Serve the venison loin topped with crispy kale, grilled peaches and dark-chocolate sauce.

The post Chef Westley Muller’s grilled venison with dark chocolate sauce appeared first on MyKitchen.

Game is becoming more and popular in South African restaurants these days, and we just love its wild, earthy taste. Serve it up and impress your guests right at home with this fusion dish.

Serves 8 // COOKING TIME 100 mins, plus marinating time

Ingredients
1 pawpaw, peeled and seeded
2 tbsp brown sugar
12 sprigs thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper
1.6 kg springbok leg, deboned
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bulb garlic, halved
120g cherry tomatoes, quartered
100g mung bean sprouts
20g coriander, chopped
20g mint
1 red chilli, seeded and sliced
Juice of 2 limes
2 tsp caster sugar

Method
1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Place half the pawpaw, brown sugar, leaves of 6 thyme sprigs, 2 tbsp oil, soy sauce and mustard in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Season.
3. Place the purée and the springbok in a large ziplock bag. Marinate for at least four hours, or overnight.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Brown the springbok all over. Transfer to a roasting tray.
5. Season the springbok, then add the remaining thyme and the garlic. Cover with foil and roast for 1 hour, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes with the foil still on.
6. Chop the remaining pawpaw and place in a bowl. Add tomatoes, bean sprouts, coriander, mint and chilli.
7. Mix the remaining olive oil, lime juice and caster sugar. Pour over the salad, toss to coat, and season.
8. Carve the springbok and drizzle the roasting juices over. Serve with the pawpaw salad.

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