NICHOLA FLETCHER'S VENISON WITH MORELS

If you are lucky, you find morels from April to June


The texture of mushrooms goes well with venison. This time, however, I lend a touch of luxury by using morels, the only wild spring fungi; For once, though, it is actually better to buy them dried because by steeping them, it adds flavour to the stock.

Any type of steak can be used for this recipe though haunch steaks (topside or silverside) give larger ones! For tips on cooking steaks, see the "ordering venison" pages and click on my face for the tips. We can supply stock bones if needed, just add them into the "comments" box.

Ingredients for 4
4 x 150-180g/5-6oz venison steaks
30g dried morels
300ml/ ½ pt venison stock or water
300ml/ ½ pt red wine
A good sprig of fresh thyme
Seasoning to taste

Marinade for the steaks
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons red vermouth or port
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
10 crushed juniper berries
225g/8oz seedless grapes, red or white

Liquidise the marinade ingredients, pour them into a dish and add the steaks, stirring them around so they are well covered. Leave them to marinate for a few hours or overnight.

At the same time, soak the morels in the stock or water; they will need 4 - 6 hours. When the morels are well softened, strain off the liquid and put it into a pan with the wine and thyme.

Remove the steaks from their marinade and pat them dry. Add the marinade to the other liquids and boil fiercely to reduce it to a good strongly flavoured syrup. Return the morels to this and simmer them gently till cooked. Add a little water if it is getting too thick. 

Season the sauce right at the end, and serve it around the steaks, which you have pan-fried to taste and rested. Mashed potato made special by steeping a few threads of saffron in the milk for half an hour before adding to the potato is delicious here, or a carrot and coriander purée. Or both!