Kamouneh-spiced venison, yeasted celeriac purée and coffee jus
Ayesha Kalaji presents venison two ways here – braised venison shoulder in a borek wrapped in brik pastry, and venison loin that is coated in kamouneh (a spice blend that includes dried rose petals, cumin, cinnamon, allspice and dried herbs from the south of Lebanon). Ayesha rubs the venison loin in this spice blend before finishing the cooking on the barbecue, brushing with pomegranate molasses and melted butter for a sweet, charred flavour. Served with a yeasted, umami celeriac purée, pickled sour cherries, nasturtium oil and a coffee jus – this dish has an abundance of roasted, earthy and aromatic flavours.
Ayesha says: “This might be one of my all time favourite dishes at Queen of Cups. It's everything I love in a dish. Meaty, rich, warmly spiced, decadent, and a celebration of local produce.”
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
PICKLED SOUR CHERRIES
- 100g of sour cherries, pitted
- 150ml of red wine vinegar, ideally a merlot agridulce
- 150ml of water
- 75g of caster sugar
BRAISED VENISON
- 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods, green
- 1.5kg venison shoulder, bone in
- 1 onion, cut into large chunks
- 1 carrot, large, cut into large chunks
- 1 leek, cut into large chunks
- 2 celery sticks, cut into large chunks
- 500ml of white wine
- 500ml of red wine
BOREK
- 1 onion, small, chopped
- rapeseed oil, for frying
- 2 tbsp of kamouneh spice mix, sometimes called kibbeh spice
- 50g of dried barberries
- 1 tsp meat glue, optional
- 5 sheets of brik pastry
- 50g of unsalted butter, melted
- unsalted butter, for cooking
VENISON LOIN
- 350g of venison loin
- 2 tbsp of kamouneh spice mix, sometimes called kibbeh spice
- 1 tbsp of pomegranate molasses, plus extra for brushing
- 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
- 1 sprig of thyme
- unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
- nasturtium leaves, for garnish
- pomegranate molasses, or ideally sour cherry molasses, to garnish
CELERIAC PURÉE
- 1 celeriac, peeled and diced into 2.5cm pieces
- 50g of unsalted butter
- 1/2 onion, small, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 250ml of whole milk
- 250ml of double cream
- 1 tsp Marmite, or more to taste
NASTURTIUM OIL
- 200g of nasturtium leaves
- 150ml of rapeseed oil
COFFEE JUS
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- rapeseed oil, for cooking
- unsalted butter, for cooking and finishing
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 cardamom pods, green
- 500ml of red wine
- 2l beef stock
- 2l venison stock
- 2 tbsp of espresso
Equipment
- Vacuum bag and machine
- Water bath
Method
- 100g of sour cherries, pitted
- 150ml of red wine vinegar, ideally a merlot agridulce
- 150ml of water
- 75g of caster sugar
- 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods, green
Generously season the venison shoulder and brown it in a little vegetable oil until golden brown, then remove and brown the vegetables – deglazing with water in between batches, if needed (reserve the liquid)
- 1.5kg venison shoulder, bone in
- 1 onion, cut into large chunks
- 1 carrot, large, cut into large chunks
- 1 leek, cut into large chunks
- 2 celery sticks, cut into large chunks
Place the meat and vegetables back into the pan, add in the spices, wines and any reserved deglazing water (top up with more water to come two-thirds up the side of the meat if needed). Cover and cook for 10-12 hours, or until tender and the meat is falling apart
- 500ml of white wine
- 500ml of red wine
Strain the liquid through a fine sieve set over a bowl and reserve the liquor. Discard the vegetables and shred the meat – you should get around 1 kilogram
To make the borek, sweat the onion in a little oil until soft and reduce the venison’s cooking liquor to around 250ml. Mix together the shredded meat, reserved liquor and softened onion with the kamouneh spice mix, barberries and meat glue (if using). Use cling film to roll the mixture into a thick log and chill in the fridge until set (or overnight)
- 1 onion, small, chopped
- rapeseed oil, for frying
- 2 tbsp of kamouneh spice mix, sometimes called kibbeh spice
- 50g of dried barberries
- 1 tsp meat glue, optional
For the venison loin, rub the loin with the kamouneh spice and pomegranate molasses. Vacuum in bags with the garlic and thyme and cook in a water bath for 2 hours at 52°C. If you don’t have a vacuum packing machine and water bath, you can pan-fry the loin in a little oil on a medium-high heat, until you’ve achieved good colour on all sides, then baste liberally with butter until it is cooked to your liking – do this when you’re ready to serve
- 350g of venison loin
- 2 tbsp of kamouneh spice mix, sometimes called kibbeh spice
- 1 tbsp of pomegranate molasses, plus extra for brushing
- 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 celeriac, peeled and diced into 2.5cm pieces
- 50g of unsalted butter
- 1/2 onion, small, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 250ml of whole milk
- 250ml of double cream
- 1 tsp Marmite, or more to taste
For the nasturtium oil, place the nasturtium leaves and rapeseed oil in a Thermomix and blend it on high until it reaches 65°C then strain through a muslin cloth over a fine mesh sieve, leaving it to drip through. If you don’t have a Thermomix, simply blend in a food processor or blender on a high speed for 7 minutes, then strain – the oil needs to get warm to set the chlorophyll. Keep in the fridge until needed
- 200g of nasturtium leaves
- 150ml of rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- rapeseed oil, for cooking
- unsalted butter, for cooking and finishing
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 cardamom pods, green
- 500ml of red wine
- 2l beef stock
- 2l venison stock
- 2 tbsp of espresso
Once the venison log is set, lay out two sheets of brik pastry, overlapping in the middle to create a base. Brush with melted butter. Layer up the remaining sheets, brushing with plenty of butter. You want the sheets to be at least the length of the venison log
- 5 sheets of brik pastry
- 50g of unsalted butter, melted
- unsalted butter, for cooking
To serve, preheat the oven to 180°C and light a barbecue or grill for direct grilling. Bring the pickled sour cherries to room temperature. Bake the borek for 10-12 minutes until golden and hot through
- unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
To plate, spoon some celeriac purée onto a plate and make a well in the middle. Add some jus into the well. Place the borek on top, then slice and add a slice of venison loin on top of each borek. Finish with pickled sour cherries, nasturtiums, some drops of molasses and a little nasturtium oil
- nasturtium leaves, for garnish
- pomegranate molasses, or ideally sour cherry molasses, to garnish
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