WHAT’S COOKING: A trio of venison recipes from the heart of the Karoo

It was the Jerepigo jelly that caught my attention first. I could almost taste it, just at the thought of it. Then I saw the photograph. A shiny crimson sheen of fruity joy sitting on top of a loaf tin of kudu liver pâté. Halved grapes captured in it like amber. I had to have it.Paging through this book – a real standout, it’s one for the venison connoisseur as well as the oke standing in his kitchen wondering what the heck to do with this hunk of meat – my eye also alighted on the recipe for Karoo springbok with lambs’ tails, and gemsbok fillet with streaky bacon.Skaapstertjies as an additional element alongside a roast – you are talking about proper meat people here, for whom even the side dish is meat.As for gemsbok, in my home town of Oranjemund, back in the Sixties, gemsbok were a part of the scenery. They roam wild in those parts, and it’s surprising that I have few memories of us eating them in those days.But I will now, and if I am delivered a gemsbok fillet by a generous hunter friend (this is a normal thing in the Karoo, where a kuier by a friend or neighbour usually involves a gift of some venison or a jar of pickles or jam) I will quickly open this book and follow the recipe.Cast an eye around the butcheries in your neighbourhood, or travel further afield if you need to, and buy some venison. Then get stuck into one of these recipes.Kudu liver pâté with Jerepigo jelly(See main photo. Makes 1 pâté dish)50ml butter, plus a little extra for frying and greasing100ml cake flour750ml milk30ml butter125g rindless bacon, chopped1 large onion, chopped2 garlic cloves, finely chopped1 celery stalk, chopped500g kudu liver, cleaned and cubed5ml saltfreshly ground black pepper to taste1ml ground clovesa pinch of grated nutmega pinch of ground coriander30ml sherry2 eggsPreheat the oven to 160°C. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Remove from heat. Add the milk, return to the stove and stir until it reaches boiling point. The white sauce must be smooth and thick. Set aside.Heat a little more butter in a pan and fry the bacon in it. Add the onion and sauté until soft, then add the garlic and celery and continue stir-frying. Remove the onion mixture before frying the liver until firm and medium done. Remove as well.Decant the white sauce into a food processor and add all the fried ingredients, as well as the remaining ingredients. Purée until smooth and adjust seasoning if necessary.Grease a 1.5 litre dish with butter and pour the mixture into it. Place the dish in a deeper pan or ovenproof dish and fill with hot water to halfway up the pâté dish. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1-1¼ hours until firm and set. Allow to cool, cover and refrigerate while you make the jelly topping (recipe follows).Garnish with grapes, if preferred, and serve with melba toast or fresh bread rolls and gherkins.Jerepigo jelly toppingStir 20ml gelatine powder into 125ml boiling water. Use a fork to whisk well until all the gelatine has dissolved. Stir in 350ml red Jerepigo dessert wine and mix well. For a deep pink-red colour, stir in 1ml food colouring. Pour the liquid over the chilled pâté and refrigerate until set.Karoo springbok with lamb tailsKaroo springbok with lamb tails. (Photo: Donna Lewis)(Serves 6)Toinette du Toit, the author’s friend, likes to pair venison with lamb: “Usually I put bacon in a venison leg for a bit of fat, but necessity is the mother of invention. One evening lamb tails were all I had in my freezer. Since then I have not cooked a leg any other way. It is beyond delicious.”1 small leg of venison, deboned500ml plain yoghurt or buttermilk8 lamb tailssalt and pepper to tasteMarinate the leg in the yoghurt or buttermilk for at least 7 hours in the refrigerator. Wipe and pat dry.Make a large wood fire. The leg will take 1-1½ hours to cook. If preferred, make 2 fires so you can feed the braai fire from the other one.Season the tails with salt. Grill until golden brown, remove from the fire and allow to cool. Season the leg on both sides with salt and pepper. Cut long, deep slits in the leg so the tails can fit in them and push the tails into the slits.Put the leg in a hinged grid and grill quickly on both sides to seal the meat on both sides. Grill the leg slowly over moderate coals for 1-1½ hours. Turn regularly. When cooked, remove from the coals and leave to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.The deboned leg with lamb tails can also be rolled up and tied – ideal for cooking in a kettle braai. Then baste the roll during cooking using caul fat, bacon strips or seasoned, melted butter. You can also enjoy the leftover meat with ramen noodles.Gemsbok fillet with streaky baconGemsbok fillet with streaky bacon. (Photo: Donna Lewis)(Serves 6)1.5kg gemsbok fillet, membranes removed60ml soy sauce60ml olive oil40ml lemon juice20ml finely chopped garlicsalt and pepper to taste rashers of streaky bacon for wrapping around the fillet (barding)Marinate the fillet for 12 hours in the soy sauce, oil, lemon juice and garlic. Turn the piece of meat regularly.Remove the meat from the marinade, pat dry and then rub with salt and pepper. Wrap in rashers of bacon and secure with skewers so that the bacon does not fall off during cooking.Roast over moderate coals for 20 minutes – the meat must still be pink inside. Remove the skewers and slice the meat into medium slices. Serve with a green peppercorn cream sauce and stewed dried apricots (recipe below).Variation: Butterflied, stuffed fillet wrapped in caul fatButterfly the fillet in half lengthwise and stuff with:30ml olive oil30ml butter250g button mushrooms, finely chopped60ml chopped spring onions60ml sweet wine or brandy60ml venison stock 30ml chopped fresh parsleysalt and pepper to taste1 clean, fresh, whole caul fat* for wrapping the fillet (barding)Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan. Sauté the mushrooms and spring onions. Add the wine or brandy and stock, and simmer until the liquid evaporates. Season with parsley, salt and pepper. (Remember that the marinade contains soy sauce, which is already salty.)Wrap the stuffed fillet in the caul fat, secure with skewers and roast for 20 minutes over moderate coals.Stewed dried apricotsServes 4300g dried apricots200ml water200ml lemon juice2.5ml salt1 cinnamon stick12.5ml cornflour45ml water50ml semi-sweet sherry Soak the apricots in the water and lemon juice for 3 hours. Transfer to a pot, add the salt and cinnamon stick, and heat until the apricots are simmering gently.Mix the cornflour with the 45ml water to a smooth paste and stir into the apricot mixture. Simmer until the mixture thickens and is cooked. Remove from the heat and stir in the sherry.* Caul fat is a fine, lace-like fatty meat that surrounds the innards of a sheep or other animal. It is often wrapped around a saddle or whole fillet of venison to baste the meat while it roasts. Ask your butcher to order it for you. Caul fat can be stored in the freezer for up to two months. DM