Venison Wellington - Ethnic Foods R Us

(Photo Attributed to Author Parkerman & Christie)

Beef and pork wellington dishes have been mainstream British and American meat entrees for centuries. But using wild game, with some slight adjustments to seasonings and ingredients makes for a unique taste treat. Venison Wellington is, for wild game meat lovers, a marvelous “comfort food.”

Venison Wellington Recipe-

Ingredients:

18 oz. (500 g) puff pastry
1 oz. (25 g) butter
2 green onions, trimmed and chopped fine
7 oz. (200 g) white button mushrooms, chopped fine
1 tbsp. red currant jelly
2 oz. (50 g) blueberry preserves
1 lb. 7 oz. (650 g) boneless loin of venison
6 slices Parma ham
1 large egg, beaten
2 oz. (50 ml) chicken broth
2 oz. (50 ml) good quality, dry red wine (suggest Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200°C).
Roll out one-third of the pastry into a rectangle that is 2″ (5cm) wider on all four sides than the slab of venison. Using a fork, prick the pastry all over, then cover and allow to chill for 15 minutes.
Melt half of the butter in a large skillet over medium flame, and gently sauté the green onions for about 5 minutes – long enough to soften them and become fragrant – then add and stir in the mushrooms. Raise the flame to high and cook for 5 minutes, then add and stir in the jelly. Allow to cool.
Bake the pastry on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown, then allow to cool on a wire rack.
Now season the venison with salt and pepper to taste. Heat remaining butter in a skillet over medium-high flame, and fry until nicely browned all over. Then set aside to cool.
Arrange the Parma ham slices on a chopping board, each slice overlapping the other just a bit, in a rectangle big enough to entirely cover the venison.
Spread the cooked mushroom, green onions and jelly mixture over the ham and lay the slab of venison on top. Be sure to wrap the ham tightly around the meat. Place the baked pastry rectangle on a baking tray and place the bacon-wrapped venison on top.
Now roll out remaining pastry, large enough to cover meat and be tucked under the pastry base. Brush the borders of the cooked pastry with the beaten egg, and then cover with the uncooked pastry. Trim the edges (reserving any off-cuts of pastry).
Your Venison Wellington is now assembled. Brush the top with more of the beaten egg.
Optional (for presentation purposes) – Roll out any pastry off-cuts, and then cut out letters to spell ’venison’. Arrange the letters on top of the Wellington. Brush with more of the egg, then allow to chill for half an hour.
Just before placing the Wellington in the oven, brush it once more with the beaten egg. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a rich, deep golden brown.
While the Wellington bakes, make your serving sauce. Simmer the blueberry preserves, broth and wine in a saucepan for 10 minutes.
Serve your Venison Wellington fresh out of the oven, nice and warm with generous slices for everyone. Have the serving sauce set out for people to dip pieces into or spread over their sliced portions.