Ahead of the game
Many people shy away from cooking with game, but the flavours on offer are worth getting familiar with. We turned to the team at Lyle’s restaurant in London to guide us through the UK’s wonderful wild meats Recipes by James Lowe Photography David Munns
J
ames Lowe is certainly making his mark. After stints as head chef at St John Bread and Wine and as a founding member of culinary collective The Young Turks, he launched Lyle’s in east London in 2014. This year the National Restaurant Awards named it one of the top 10 restaurants in the UK. The success of Lyle’s surely lies in its focus on seasonal, local ingredients, and British game in particular. “We’re fortunate that, because of our location and attitude to conservation, we still have game left,” says Lowe. “All the animals have such unique flavours; I want people to see that, so I use the produce in approachable ways.” This enthusiasm for wild meats also inspired Game, Lyle’s annual feast. Lowe invites talented cooks from all over the globe to join him on a hunt and create a one-off menu (see game.co.uk for more on this year’s event). “I’m hoping they will use their own cultural references to create something relevant to them,” says Lowe, “and that we can open people up to new experiences.” Game is also easy to cook at home. “Buy it from a reputable supplier,” says Lowe. “And use a digital probe and oven thermometer – I promise the results will be better.” These gorgeous recipes from the Lyle’s team will really help you get your game on.
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PHEASANT “Pheasant is a much mistreated bird, so it doesn’t have the greatest reputation – but when cooked with care it is brilliant and makes the most amazing stocks. The main problem with it is that it is very lean and the breasts and legs cook at completely different rates. To get the best out of them I braise the legs and roast the crown [the name given to the two breasts when still on the bone] separately.”
grilled pheasant thighs
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Grilled pheasant thighs
Makes 6 skewers • 100g salt • 6 pheasant thighs, deboned • 100g buckwheat • 50g butter • 300ml pheasant stock • 20g brown sugar • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar • 2 tsp reserved pheasant fat (or use olive oil) • A bunch of chives, finely chopped • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced • 3 sprigs of lemon thyme, leaves picked
Whole roasted pheasant
You’ll need a digital thermometer probe here to ensure the meat is cooked to perfection. Serves 6 • 3 hen pheasants (600g per bird) • 150g butter • 1 carrot, peeled and cut lengthways • 3 onions, peeled and thinly sliced • 75ml white wine vinegar • 100ml white wine • 1 sprig of lemon thyme • 1 litre chicken stock • Salad, to serve
1 Make a brine by putting the salt in a large pan along with 1 litre of water. Place it over a medium heat and bring it up to 40C, stirring until the salt has completely dissolved. Leave in the fridge to cool. 2 Place the pheasant thighs in the cooled brine, return to the fridge and leave for 1 hour. 3 Take the legs out of the brine and skewer them on both sides, pulling the skin tightly across the flesh to stop it from shrivelling while cooking. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat, then cook the thighs, skin-side down, for about 6 minutes, or until the skin is brown and crispy. Flip the meat over and cook briefly for 1–2 minutes on the other side. 4 Toast the buckwheat in a dry frying pan for 5 minutes, or until it starts to colour. Add the butter and fry until the buckwheat has a lovely toasted taste. Tip into a sieve to strain the butter. 5 Heat the stock and add the sugar, vinegar and fat or oil (essentially you’re making a meat-stock vinaigrette). 6 Add the chives, spring onion and buckwheat. Slice and serve the thighs with the mixture spooned over. Pop the picked thyme leaves in a pestle and mortar and grind with a pinch of salt, then use to season the pheasant and serve immediately.
1 Preheat the oven to 170C/gas 3. Take both legs off the birds and snap off the back bone at the base of the breast bone (or get your butcher to prepare them for you). Place a shallow, heavy-based casserole dish over a medium–high heat, add 50g butter and brown the legs, skin-side down. Flip and repeat on the other side. 2 When they are brown all over remove from the pan, add the carrot and onion and reduce the heat to low, pop on the lid and cook slowly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3 Add the vinegar and wine, then reduce by half. Put the legs back in the pan, skin-side up, add the lemon thyme and pour over enough chicken stock to almost cover. Bring to a simmer, put the lid on and place in the oven for 1½ hours. They’re done when you can pull the meat from the bone. 4 Leave the dish in the oven but take off the lid so that the skin on the legs colours and crisps up. Season again. 5 Place a heavy-based frying pan over a medium–high heat and cook the pheasant until coloured on all sides. 6 Add the remaining butter to the pan, reduce the heat and continuously baste the birds. Once they look golden and crispy, place in the oven and reduce the heat to 100C/gas ¼. Cook until you reach a temperature of 59C in the thickest part of the breast. Carve up and serve with a green salad.
Per serving 343 cals, 20.3g fat (7.7g sat fats),
Per serving 530 cals, 35.9g fat (17.4g sat fats),
22.9g protein, 18g carbs, 3.9g sugars
39.2g protein, 9.6g carbs, 7.1g sugars
2013 Asda Extra Special Dão
2013 Huntaway Central Otago Pinot Noir
(Portugal), £5
(New Zealand), £9.99, Morrisons
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whole roasted pheasant
mallard, yoghurt & pickled blackberries
MALLARD
“Mallard is one of several wild ducks we use a lot at Lyle’s during the game season. I find people will put up a barrier straight away because they’re not entirely sure what it is. It can be quite intimidating, as it often has a strong smell and is a very dark meat, but it is almost universally loved by our guests. It’s tougher than farmed duck, but is a lot smaller with less fat. I think it has a fantastic chew.”
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Mallard, yoghurt & pickled blackberries
“We stick to fairly simple preparations with mallard, as it just needs to be cooked carefully to give the best results.” As in previous recipes, it’s best to use a digital probe thermometer here to ensure accurate cooking. Serves 6 • 250g plain yoghurt • Olive oil • 1 x 1kg mallard crown • 200g white wine vinegar • 150g sugar • 200g blackberries • About 400g of black cabbage or cavolo nero • A knob of butter 1 Spoon the yoghurt into a fine mesh strainer or piece of muslin, then hang it over a bowl while you prepare the rest of the dish. This will allow some of the whey to drain off and the yoghurt to thicken naturally.
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2 Preheat the oven to 100C/gas ¼. Add a splash of oil to a large heavybased frying pan and place it over a medium–high heat. Once hot, place the crown of the mallard in the pan on its side (so one breast is being cooked) and fry for 4 minutes. Turn the crown around to cook all sides, allowing 4 minutes per side, until it’s browned all over, the fat renders out and the skin starts to crisp up. 3 After the bird is coloured, drain away most of the fat, then place in the oven and cook until the thickest part of the breast reaches 56C on your thermometer. Take the bird out of the oven and allow to rest for 6 minutes. 4 Pour the vinegar into a pan, bring it to the boil over a medium heat, then add the sugar. Stir until dissolved and bring back to the boil. Pour over the blackberries and set aside to cool. 5 Pick the black cabbage into individual leaves and wash. Put a knob of butter and 50ml water in a large pan. Add several black cabbage
mallard tacos
leaves per person and cook, stirring, over a medium heat for 1 minute, or until the cabbage leaves have wilted. Season with salt and pepper. 6 Take the mallard breast off the bone. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt, the cabbage and some of the berries and pickling liquid. Per serving 254 cals, 8.3g fat (3.8g sat fats),
• • • • • • •
Juice of 1 orange 150ml pineapple juice 1 garlic bulb, peeled and minced 2 avocados 1 small bunch of coriander 12 tortillas 1 red onion, peeled and finely diced, to serve • 1 tsp mulato chilli powder, to serve
12.2g protein, 33.1g carbs, 32.9g sugars 2014 Dominio del Plata Terroir Series Malbec (Argentina), £12, Marks & Spencer
Mallard tacos
This bright, spicy dish is a fun way to try mallard for the first time. If you can’t get hold of mallard, use four regular duck breasts instead. Serves 6 • 3 mallard crowns, breasts removed (ask your butcher to do this), or 6 mallard breasts • 100g achiote paste (see note) • 10g salt • Juice of 3 limes
1 The night before you want to make the tacos, remove the mallard breasts from the bone. In a large dish, combine half of each of the following ingredients: the achiote paste, salt, lime, orange and pineapple juices, and garlic. Place the mallard in the mixture, ensuring it’s coated. Cover and leave overnight in the fridge. 2 Rub the marinade off the breasts, place them in a hot frying pan and cook as you would a steak, leaving them pink in the middle (2–3 minutes for medium-rare). Remove from the pan and allow to rest for a minute on a plate. Cut the mallard into small
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slices across the length of the breasts and place in a bowl. 3 Combine the remaining achiote with the remaining garlic and pineapple and orange juices. Pour over the sliced mallard and mix. 4 Blend the avocados, coriander, remaining lime juice and a pinch of salt. Add a splash of water so that the sauce is smooth and silky. 5 Place the tortillas in a warm frying pan until softened, then transfer to a bowl and cover with a cloth to allow them to steam and keep them from drying out. Serve everything together and allow everyone to dive in! Note Achiote paste is made from earthy Mexican annatto seeds. You can buy it from speciality shops or online at souschef.co.uk. Mulato chilli powder is made from a dark, mild pepper. Find it at thespiceshop.co.uk. Per serving 588 cals, 26.2g fat (5.1g sat fats), 36.2g protein, 55.4g carbs, 6.1g sugars 2013 Château de Fauzan Minervois, Languedoc (France), £8.99, Tesco
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gamekeeper’s pie
venison
“Deer is a fantastic animal to cook with and far less intimidating and strong in flavour than people think if handled correctly. Approach the various cuts in the same way you would any other animal; the shoulder and neck are best braised, the loin and haunch roasted pink or grilled. Roe and red deer are different in flavour and should also be treated differently. Ask your butcher or game supplier for advice – they should know!”
Gamekeeper’s pie
Serves 8 • 2 onions, peeled and finely diced • 175g butter • A splash of olive oil • 2.5kg roe deer shoulder, cut into three sections (ask your butcher to do this) • 50ml red wine vinegar, plus an extra splash • 150ml red wine • 100ml port • 1 carrot, peeled and cut in half lengthways • 1 leek, whole but green parts removed • 1 small bunch of thyme, tied together • 1.5 litres chicken stock • 500g parsnips, peeled, cut in half lengthways and thinly sliced • 500g maris piper potatoes (or any other variety suitable for mashing), peeled • 2 large egg yolks, beaten 1 Place the onion in an ovenproof saucepan over a low heat along with
75g butter. Cover and allow to sweat down. Cook for at least 1 hour, until very soft, clear and sweet. Don’t let them get too much colour (the lid should stop this happening, but keep a close eye and stir regularly). 2 Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 2–3. Place a heavy-bottomed casserole dish over a medium heat, add a splash of olive oil and brown the sections of shoulder one by one. Once coloured all over, remove from the pan – if you do this carefully there should be lots of brown proteins left on the bottom of the pan. 3 Tip in the sweated onions, allow them to colour slightly, then pour in the vinegar and let it reduce by half. Add the wine and reduce by half, then add the port, carrot, leek, thyme and the meat. Pour in enough stock to just cover the ingredients. Pop the lid on and cook in the oven for 3 hours. 4 Meanwhile, put the parsnips in a heavy-based pan with the remaining butter, cover and sweat over a low heat for 30 minutes, until mashable. 5 Boil the potatoes in a pan of boiling,
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salted water for about 15 minutes, until soft. Once the potatoes and parsnips are done, add the parsnips, melted butter and beaten eggs to the drained potatoes, then season with salt and pepper and mash. 6 The stew is done when the meat falls away from the bone. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. When it’s at room temperature, lift out the meat, pull it off the bone and shred into rough chunks, discarding any fat and gristle. 7 Remove the carrot, leek and thyme from the braising liquid and discard. Place the meat from the braise in a shallow pie dish (roughly 35 x 25cm). Pour the braising liquid back into a pan and reduce by a third. Check the seasoning, add salt and maybe a splash of vinegar, then pour over the meat and onions. Place in the fridge to cool, until the stock has set. 8 Spoon the mash into a piping bag and pipe on top of the pie mix. Turn the oven up to 180C/gas 4 and cook the pie for 45 minutes, until the potato goes a nice golden brown.
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raw deer with jerusalem artichokes & walnuts
Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, then serve. Per serving 680 cals, 26.6g fat (14g sat fats), 78.6g protein, 26.2g carbs, 9.6g sugars 2014 Domaine de Montval Syrah, Pays du Gard (France), £6.66, Majestic
Raw deer with Jerusalem artichokes & walnuts
You’ll need a piping bag or squeeze-nozzle bottle for this. Serves 10 • 500g jerusalem artichokes • 50g butter • 100g walnuts • 500g deer loin • 1 litre sunflower oil • A splash of white wine vinegar • 20ml walnut oil • ½ bunch of watercress, to serve 1 Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 2–3. Boil the artichokes in a pan of salted water, cover with a lid and cook until soft – depending on your artichokes
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this can take anywhere between 20 minutes and 1½ hours, so make sure you allow enough time. 2 Remove the artichokes and set aside. While still warm, cut in half and scrape out the flesh from the skin (it should separate easily). Put the skins to one side. Using a blender, blitz the flesh together with the butter and a pinch of salt. 3 Place the walnuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5 minutes, until they just start to give off a decent aroma – but keep an eye on them, because they will taste too bitter if roasted until dark. 4 Trim the loin of all sinew and fat, rub with a little of the sunflower oil. Place a griddle pan over a high heat, then griddle the whole loin, turning regularly, until just coloured all over – this will kill off any surface bacteria. As soon as the meat has some colour all over, place it in a dish in the fridge and leave to chill. 5 Fill a pan about 6cm deep with sunflower oil and place over a high
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heat. Once the oil reaches 180C, deep-fry the artichoke skins until brown and crispy. Don’t let them get too dark or they’ll be bitter. When they’re done, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, place on kitchen towel and season with salt. 6 Take the deer out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving and allow it to come to room temperature. Cut into 5mm cubes and season with a splash of white wine vinegar, the walnut oil and some salt and pepper. 7 To serve, arrange 50g venison in a thin layer on each plate. Scoop the purée in a squeezy bottle or a piping bag and pipe small dots all over the meat until it’s covered. Top with a couple of sprigs of watercress. Break the crispy artichoke skins into crumbs, scatter over the top and then finely grate the toasted walnuts over the dish to finish. Per serving 185 cals, 13.9g fat (3.8g sat fats), 14g protein, 1.7g carbs, 0.9g sugars 2014 Taste the Difference Languedoc (France), £8, Sainsbury’s