Venison Chilli

We asked local chef Philippa Davis, the food writer for The Field, for the best place to start when cooking game. Philippa also researched and wrote the recipes for the Deepest Books series (Deepest Dorset, Deepest Wiltshire and Deepest Somerset):

If you are new to trying venison meat, firstly I must say you are in for a treat! You are about to try some of the most delicious, sustainable and nutritious meat we have here in the UK.
Although less fatty, it is very similar to cooking and eating beef, and the various venison cuts can be swapped in for most recipes: use it in your next bolognese, cottage pie, curry, pie or ‘steak’ and chips. This hearty venison chilli recipe makes the most of the rich, flavourful meat. It can be made a couple of days ahead and it also freezes well, so is great for batch cooking. As well as the venison, I’ve put in italics ingredients you can source from local producers. Philippa

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
• 500g wild British venison mince (Dorset Game Larder)
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
• 3 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 30g fresh coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp chipotle paste
• ½ – 1 tsp of chilli powder depending how much spice you like
• 1 x 400g chopped tin tomatoes
• 1 tsp Dorsetshire sauce (From Dorset With Love) or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 x 400g tin of kidney beans, strained and lightly rinsed
• 30g 70% Chocolate (Chococo)

To serve

• 4 – 6 tbsp of plain yogurt (The Dorset Dairy Company)
• 4 tbsp grated cheese (try Hardy’s from The Book and Bucket Company or Coastal Cheddar)

Method

1. In a heavy-based pan on a medium heat, add the oil and venison mince. Season with salt and pepper and – stirring often with a wooden spoon to help break up the meat – fry until the moisture has evaporated and the meat starts to brown (this will take about 15 minutes).
2. Once the meat has browned, add the onions, garlic and coriander stalks. Still stirring often, fry for another ten minutes until the onions start to soften.
3. Stir in the cumin, oregano, cinnamon, chipotle paste and chilli powder and cook for a couple of minutes before pouring in the tinned tomatoes. Fill the can with cold water, swill it around then tip into the pan.
4. Add the Dorsetshire sauce and bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low. Cook for one hour, stirring occasionally.
5. After an hour, stir in the kidney beans and chocolate. Continue to cook on a low heat for a further 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Finally take off the heat, stir in the coriander leaves and check the seasoning. This is now ready to serve.

I love to eat mine with basmati rice, tortilla chips, spoonfuls of yogurt, a sprinkling of cheese and a green leaf salad.

*Philippa Davis is a Dorset-based chef and food writer who loves to champion local produce. You can follow her foodie adventures on Instagram @philippadavis_food