Green Spelt Risotto with Venison

Rustic Risotto served with Game

• Serves two, generously.
• An impressive meal for entertaining.
• The flavour of the venison is enhanced by the sauce.
• Vegetarians could serve the Risotto with Roasted Veg.

Ingredients    Wholegrain Green Spelt, Organic 500g (Amisa) 150g Green Spelt. This is wholegrain spelt that has been dried over a beechwood fire to provide a naturally smoky flavour.    Organic Coconut Sugar 1kg (Sussex Wholefoods) 3 Tbsp Coconut Sugar. This is used to lightly sweeten the berry sauce which accompanies the venison.    Freeze Dried Blueberry Powder 100g (Sussex Wholefoods) 1 Tbsp Blueberry Powder. Blueberry powder provides a natural sweetness that is not as tart as the traditionally used Blackcurrant or Cranberry berries.    Juniper Berries 4 Juniper Berries, crushed    Hampshire Foods Rosemary 50g 1-2 tsp dried Rosemary    Thyme 50g (Hampshire Foods) 2 tsp dried Thyme    Hampshire Foods Oregano 50g 1 tsp dried Oregano    Chicken Stock Cubes - Very Low Salt, Organic 48g (Kallo) 1 Chicken Stock Cube made into 600ml of stock    Clearspring Organic Balsamic Vinegar 500ml ½ tsp Balsamic Vinegar    Organic Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500ml (Clearspring) 3-4 Tbsp Olive Oil

Other Ingredients

• 240g Vension Steaks
• 120g Chestnut Mushrooms, sliced
• ¼ cup of Pinot Noir red wine
• 1 large red onion, cut in half
• 2 cloves of garlic, roasted (roasting is optional)
• 2 Tbsp of Butter
• Extra boiling water to top up the risotto.

Method

1. Start making the risotto first. Roughly dice one half of the red onion and fry in around 1-2 tablespoon of the Olive Oil along with the sliced mushrooms
2. Then add the herbs (half of the thyme -1 tsp), pepper, garlic and one of the tablespoons of butter to the pan and sautee until the onion becomes translucent.
3. Add the spelt and stir so that the butter, herbs coat the spelt and the other ingredients are evenly distributed. Then gradually add enough stock to cover the spelt. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Whilst the spelt is cooking you can start to prepare the blueberry sauce. Finely chop the other half of the red onion and sautee in the other tablespoon of butter with a little more of the Olive Oil until translucent.
5. Then add the blueberry powder, the other teaspoon of thyme, balsamic vinegar, Pinot Noir and around 100ml of the chicken stock. Bring to a vigorous bubble.
6. Keep stirring and add the Coconut sugar. Now bring the heat down to a slow simmer and cover. The sauce should start to reduce and become naturally thicker over the course of 30 minutes or so.
7. Pass the reduced blueberry sauce through a sieve, cover and set to one side.
8. Whilst the sauce is reducing keep checking the risotto to make sure it has enough liquid to keep cooking the spelt without making the mix too soggy. If you run out of stock just add small amounts of boiling water - you want to concentrate the flavours not the salt. The spelt will take around an hour to soften.
9. Using a griddle or griddle pan over a medium-hot heat rub a little butter over the griddle surface. Add the Vension Steaks and fry on both sides for 5-7minutes or until you reach the required tenderness (i.e. Medium rare, etc. ) Turn the heat down slightly so as not to over-char the the outside of the meat.
10. Before serving warm the smooth blueberry sauce in a small milk pan and if you wish add a little butter to make the sauce more glossy.
11. Spoon the spelt risotto onto the centre of each plate first and then place a vension steak, sliced on top. Drizzle the blueberry sauce over the top of the meat and a little around the outside of the risotto. Serve immediately.