Charred venison and pickled onions

Compression pickling is a method that ensures that a quick pickle is pickled all the way through (alternatively, you can place the onions in a zip lock bag, press out any air and stand until ready to serve). Using the pickling juices also adds an acidic note to the sauce.

Charred venison and pickled onions Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 6 pickling onions, unpeeled, root end cleaned
• 600 g piece of venison sirloin, at room temperature
• sea salt and pepper, to taste
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 200 g cold butter, diced
• 3 sprigs lemon thyme, plus extra picked leaves, to serve

Pickling liquid

• 200 ml raspberry vinegar
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp fennel seeds
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise

Instructions

1. Preheat a chargrill pan over medium high heat. Cut the onions in half, root to tip and place cut side down onto the very hot pan. Don't add any oil. Cook until the onions are very blackened and charred.
2. Meanwhile, for the pickling liquid, place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and add 100 ml water. Stir over low heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from the heat and stand to cool slightly.
3. Place the onions and some of the pickling liquid into a vacuum bag and compress. Alternatively, place in a zip lock bag, press out any air and stand until ready to serve.
4. Drizzle the venison with a little olive oil and season on both sides. Heat a large heavy-based non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook the vension for a few minutes on each side or until browned and cooked to rare.
5. Just before venison is done, add the butter and thyme sprigs to the pan and when melted, baste the venison with the butter, turning occasionally. Remove the venison from the pan and place on a wire rack over a tray, lightly covered with foil to rest.
6. Return the pan to the heat and add a small amount of the onion pickling liquid to taste. If there are any of the resting juices from the venison, add those as well.
7. Thickly slice the venison and place on a serving dish. Separate the pickling onion petals and pace on top of the venison. Drizzle over the brown butter, garnish with the lemon thyme leaves and serve.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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In A Pickle

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Watch The Full Episode Here

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