• Venison on a bed of vegetables is the perfect dish for a chilly winter weekend afternoon. It’s filling and deliciously flavourful.

    Venison on a bed of vegetables

    Serves: 6
    Cooking Time: 2 hrs 10 mins

    Ingredients

    • 1,5kg leg of venison
    • 3 carrots, chopped into thick chunks
    • 1 stick celery, coarsely chopped
    • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 5 cloves
    • 5 juniper berries, slightly bruised
    • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
    • handful of fresh rosemary, chopped into smaller twigs
    • 250ml white wine
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • 25ml Frantoio olive oil

    Instructions

    1

    Preheat the oven to 240°C.

    2

    Place the leg of venison in a large casserole dish on a bed of vegetables. Add the spices and juniper berries.

    3

    Make incisions in the meat and insert thin slices of garlic and chopped rosemary. Pour the wine into the casserole dish and season well. Drizzle the olive oil over the venison.

    4

    Cook for 15 minutes, covered, then lower the oven temperature to 180°C. Roast for a further hour and 15 minutes. Uncover the dish for the last 30 minutes.

    5

    Let the meat rest briefly then carve into slices. Serve with the oven-roasted vegetables and slices of mielie bread.

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