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Venison, coconut-curried pumpkin and mustard cabbage

Name: Venison, coconut-curried pumpkin and mustard cabbage
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 pieces Venison leg steaks, 150g each (Main); ¼ Small savoy cabbage, core removed, thinly shredded; 1 Tbsp English mustard; 3 Tbsp Cider vinegar, or other white vinegar; 1 tsp Caster sugar; 500 g Pumpkin flesh, cut into chunks (Main); ½ tsp Cumin seeds; 20 Curry leaves; 1 Tbsp Sesame oil; 1 Tbsp Sunflower oil; 1 Red onion, halved and thinly sliced; 2 Star anise; 2 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 5 cm Fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks, or coarsely chopped or grated; 1 Red chilli, chopped; 2 Tbsp Fish sauce; 5 cm Lemongrass stem, use the lower end, the two outer layers discarded and the inside thinly sliced; 4 Kaffir lime leaves; 300 ml Coconut milk

for 4 people

Lisa Linder

Peter Gordon

Chef, restauranteur and author

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The venison, cabbage and curried pumpkin salad is warming and will make use of the delicious pumpkins around at this time of the year. This recipe serves 4 as a main meal.

This recipe is taken from Peter Gordon's new book, Savour: Salads for all Seasons.

4 pieces	Venison leg steaks, 150g each (Main)
¼	Small savoy cabbage, core removed, thinly shredded
1 Tbsp	English mustard
3 Tbsp	Cider vinegar, or other white vinegar
1 tsp	Caster sugar
500 g	Pumpkin flesh, cut into chunks (Main)
½ tsp	Cumin seeds
20	Curry leaves
1 Tbsp	Sesame oil
1 Tbsp	Sunflower oil
1	Red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2	Star anise
2	Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 cm	Fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks, or coarsely chopped or grated
1	Red chilli, chopped
2 Tbsp	Fish sauce
5 cm	Lemongrass stem, use the lower end, the two outer layers discarded and the inside thinly sliced
4	Kaffir lime leaves
300 ml	Coconut milk

Heat the oven to 170C. Sit the venison on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and leave to come to room temperature.
Put the shredded cabbage into a bowl. Mix the mustard, vinegar, sugar and ½ teaspoon of salt together, then pour over the cabbage and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and set aside.
Put the pumpkin in a roasting dish, along with the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Drizzle on 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Toss together and bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place a medium pan over a medium heat. Add the sunflower oil, onion and star anise and cook until the onion begins to caramelise, stirring often. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring. Add the fish sauce and cook for 30 seconds, then add the lemongrass, lime leaves and coconut milk and bring to the boil. Cook over a medium heat for 4 minutes.
Remove the roasting dish from the oven and pour the curry sauce over the pumpkin. Return to the oven and continue cooking until the pumpkin is cooked and coloured. Turn the oven off and keep the pumpkin warm in the oven.
Meanwhile, cook your venison. Place a heavy-based saucepan over a medium–high heat and wait until it gives off a blue haze. Brush the steaks with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and lightly season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the steaks inthe pan and cook for 3 minutes. Turn over and cook to your preferred degree of doneness. (If you like it medium–rare, and the steaks are 3cm thick, they'll need just another 2 minutes.) Remove the steaks and rest them on a warm plate, covered with foil, for 5–8 minutes.
To serve, spoon the pumpkin on to four warmed plates and lay the cabbage across it. Slice the venison 1cm thick and lay on top, then spoon over the sauce. Serve warm.