Grilled Venison Steaks with Red Onion, Grape and Raisin Confit

Venison steaks are very lean and tender and, so, perfect for a low-fat supper dish. A confit to serve with them is, I think, far nicer than a sauce containing lots of cream and butter. Having made the confit once, you might want to serve it again with other meats, such as lean gammon steaks or low-fat, very meaty sausages.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 venison steaks (each weighing about 5 oz/150 g)
2 teaspoons groundnut or other flavourless oil
a few salad leaves, to garnish

For the confit:

1 medium red onion, chopped but not too small
6 oz (175 g) black grapes, halved and deseeded (no need to peel)
3 oz (75 g) raisins
10 fl oz (275 ml) red wine
2 fl oz (55 ml) red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dark soft brown sugar

Begin by making the confit. You can make it at any time – even the day before. What you do is put all the ingredients together in a medium-sized saucepan, bring everything up to a very gentle simmer, then let it cook as gently as possible, without the lid, for 45-60 minutes – you'll need to give it a gentle stir from time to time – until all the liquid has reduced to a lovely sticky glaze.

When you are ready to cook the steaks, season them with freshly milled black pepper. Then pre-heat the grill to its highest setting for about 10 minutes. Brush the steaks lightly on both sides with the oil and grill them for about 4 minutes on each side if you like them medium-rare, otherwise for a little longer. Meanwhile, gently re-heat the confit. Serve the venison on warmed plates with the confit and a crisp salad.

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Three.

PER SERVING: 312 kcal, Fat: 4.1 g; Saturates: 1.5 g; Protein: 34.5 g; Carbohydrate: 24 g.

Print this page
email a friend