Here I've matched venison with a spiced red cabbage recipe I discovered while working in Holland with my friend Gerdy, who is a fabulous chef in her own right. With her front-of-house husband Jouk, she introduced me to my first European Michelin meals.
Serves 6
6 portions of venison tenderloin, about 180g each
Olive oil for cooking
60g salted butter, in pieces
30g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
100ml port
50ml red wine
400ml veal stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the braised red cabbage:
1 small red cabbage, about 700g
Olive oil for cooking
70g caster sugar
2 pinches of ground cinnamon
2 pinches of freshly grated nutmeg
2 pinches of ground cloves
2 pinches of ground allspice
120ml red wine vinegar
300ml port
For the glazed chestnuts:
50g salted butter
240g cooked peeled chestnuts (vacuum-packed are fine)
2 tbsp thin honey
100ml veal stock
To serve:
Mash
First prepare the braised cabbage. Quarter, core and thinly slice the red cabbage. Heat a wide flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Add the cabbage and sweat for 5 minutes without colouring. Scatter over the sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes, then sprinkle in the spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine vinegar and bring to the boil, then pour in the port. Cover the surface with a piece of greaseproof paper and cook over a gentle heat until the cabbage is tender and most of the liquid has reduced away, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C (fan) / 195C (conventional) / gas 4. For the glazed chestnuts, heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat, then add the butter followed by the chestnuts and honey. Cook, turning the chestnuts, until the honey caramelises, then pour in the veal stock, stirring. Let bubble to reduce over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until the liquor has reduced down to a glaze and coats the chestnuts. Keep warm.
Season the venison with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick ovenproof pan over a medium-high heat, then add a drizzle of olive oil. Place the venison in the pan and colour all over, turning as necessary, until well browned on all sides. Add a knob or two of the butter and transfer to the oven to finish cooking. Allow 5 minutes for pink venison, turning halfway through cooking. Transfer the venison to a warm plate and set aside to rest in a warm place for 5 minutes.
For the sauce, put the chocolate into a bowl and set aside. Add the port and red wine to the pan used to cook the venison, stirring to deglaze, and let bubble to reduce by half. Pour in the veal stock and reduce again by half. Whisk in the rest of the butter and, just before serving, whisk into the chocolate to make a smooth sauce.
Spoon the creamy mash onto warmed plates and drag a spoon though decoratively. Pile the braised cabbage onto the plates. Slice the venison and arrange on top. Finish with the glazed chestnuts.
• This recipe is taken from Monica's Kitchen by Monica Galetti (Quadrille, £20). Order a copy for £15 from the Guardian bookshop
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