My father, William, has an amazing sense of humour and likes to share his jokes with all that will listen. His personal favourite is:
Q: What do you call a deer with no eyes?
A: I have no I (eye) – deer! (idea)
We all smile politely, whilst rolling our eyes to the ceiling!
Many people are under the assumption that Venison is tough, strong taste and only available to eat when Angus shoots a Stag on his estate in Scotland. All of these three notions are completely and utterly wrong (apologies to the Scottish for stereotyping).
I will be honest; I adore Venison – My love for Venison started back home in the North of England. As a family we enjoyed many Winter ‘AGA casseroles’ using Venison shoulder, flavoured with warm spices and served with Cheddar Mustard Mash. If “word” got out I was cooking Venison, more often than not, I would have additional “unplanned” visitors to feed! Family gatherings…!
We are very fortunate to have one of the worlds leading suppliers of Venison here in Abu Dhabi at Mushrif Market. Brendon, from Firstlight Foods, is very passionate about the meat on offer and proudly explains that all the deer are 100% Grass-Fed and grown for a maximum of 22 months (this is the deer equivalent of lamb). Eddy, the Regional Manager, informed me: “We want to see Venison eaten as regularly as beef and hope our new Venison options (kebabs, burgers etc.) will encourage families to incorporate the meat into their daily meals.” I personally have found all the Venison options easy to use in my every day recipes. My children and husband have found the dishes to be tasty with no strong “gamey” taste (very similar to beef).
Venison is high in protein, low in fat and unbelievably tender. I’ve cooked shoulder and shank in my slow cooker and pan-fried the loin, burger and mince. Additionally, when my parents are over for the festive season, they will enjoy roast leg with all the trimmings.
For the Cross-fitters, professional athletes, lifters, endurance athletes and rugby players, there’s no purer meat. To anyone that takes their sport and diet seriously, the protein is second to none. Perfect for Paleos and Clean Eaters alike! Jeremy Manning commented “This has to be the best Venison I’ve ever tasted, its fat content was super, super low, the protein is high and the best thing about this venison, its 100% grass-fed in New Zealand – no antibiotics, no hormones”.
For this month’s recipe I have chosen Venison Shank, which I cooked for 9 hours in my slow cooker – divine is all I will say! Firstlight Foods’ Venison truly is one of the cleanest meats I have ever tasted; after all – the ingredients are grass, water and fresh air!
Slow Cooked Venison Shanks (Serves 4)
- 3 (4 if you like your meat!) Venison Shanks
- 1 sliced onion
- 2 peeled, chopped red apples
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- Grated fresh nutmeg
- 450ml Organic Mushroom stock (Kallo)
- 1 tsp cranberry sauce
- Salt & Pepper
Put the shanks in your slow cooker, add the other ingredients, stir. Turn your cooker to low – go to work, have a day out – but leave it for 7-9 hours. Serve with steamed brown rice and fresh chopped parsley. The Cranberry Sauce has sugar in it, which is why I have only added a teaspoon (this can be left out). For Paleos, you can substitute the rice for steamed cauliflower and broccoli. Enjoy!
By Donna Howarth/@cleaneatuae December 2014
