Ingredients:
2 Venison Steaks/Medallions (cost me about £4 for two)
Instant Polenta
Cabbage (savoy or green)
Pancetta cubes (you can buy little packs of cubed pancetta which is easiest)
2* Shallots
2 large mushrooms chopped
Thyme, Rosemary and a Sage Leaf
Glass of red wine
Add the pancetta to a pan for a few minutes then add half a small cabbage sliced. Put the lid on and leave to soften.
Add 8 tablespoons of (instant) polenta to boiling veg stock slowly and continue to stir for 5 to 10 minutes.
In the meantime add two venison sirloin steaks (or medallions) to a frying pan. Fry for a minute each side then transfer to an oven for about five minutes.
Whilst the steaks are in the oven, add some diced mushroom and shallots to the pan you cooked the meat in. Also add some thyme, rosemary and sage. Cook for a few minutes then add some beefstock and half a glass of red wine.
Reduce the stock and strain.
Add the polenta to a plate, stick the venison on top, put the cabbage to the side and the jus around.
Then Nom :)
If I did it again?
I haven't quite mastered polenta yet. I added it to quickly - plus I used the quick kind. There is a version available which takes up to 45minutes, but gives a much less grainy result. Apparantly some people add milk as well.
I used a green cabbage, instead of savoy as there weren't any in the supermarket. Savoy is so much cooler!
The jus was nice but I didn't use enough red wine. This was an intentional mistake - I only had one bottle and didn't want to share it with the gravy!
Presentation wise, I used too much polenta and was a bit lazy with pouring over the gravy/jus. It's always a bit of a tradeoff really. I want a proper portion of food for my tea which doesn't make for a perfectly presented plate. The belly always wins.
