Mike Robinson's Recipes
Linguini with Brixham Crab, cherry tomatoes, garlic and chilli.
Takes 20 minutes – Serves 4
250g of really good linguini – I like De Cecco. 200g white crab meat 2 punnets of cherry tomatoes – very ripe 2 cloves of garlic ¼ of a red chilli 2 handfuls of young and peppery rocket 4 tablespoons of really good extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lemon Salt and pepper
Start by boiling a really big pot of water for the pasta. Add a handful of salt and cook the pasta for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to a big pan with the olive oil and ¼ of a chopped chilli. Simmer them together for 5 minutes, then grate the garlic into the mix. Now squash the tomatoes lightly to release their juices and add the lemon juice. Add the crabmeat and the rocket leaves and mix. Take the pasta straight from the pan and mix it with the tomatoes. Season and serve immediately (for God’s sake, no parmesan!!) with lots of very cold white wine!
Rack of Roe deer with potato puree and a bacon and onion sauce
Serves 4 – Takes 30 minutes
4 four bone racks of Roe deer. 2 sprigs of thyme 1 clove garlic 1 tbsp olive oil Maldon salt and pepper
Potato puree 4 large baking potatoes, peeled 200mls double cream!! 200g butter (oh God!) Salt and white pepper
Bacon and onion sauce 100g chunk of streaky dry cured bacon 100g pearl onions 2 banana shallots, finely chopped 150 mls red wine 150mls reduced beef stock
In a pan, fry the onions and cubed bacon until brown in a dash of oil (the bacon fat will do the rest). Now add the wine and stock and reduce until the sauce is glossy and thick, then season to taste. Put it to one side.
Boil the spuds – whole – until they are tender. Drain and shake them outside so they go all dry and fluffy, then push them through a sieve with a spoon or spatula. They will now hold for ever.
Pop the cream and butter on to heat in a big pan and bring up to the simmer, then take off the heat. Now cook the deer: Pound up the garlic, oil and thyme in a pestle and mortar, then liberally smear it all over the racks.
Sear the meat in a red hot pan until brown, then pop the racks in a 200c oven for about 7 minutes. Let the rest for the same again, then assemble. Bring the cream/butter mix to the simmer again and fold in the mash handful by handful (honest!) until you have a wildly decadent smooth puree. If you think there is too much cream and butter just taste it.
Spoon the potato onto plates, carve the racks into 4 juicy tender bones each, arrange artfully over the mach and spoon the sauce around. The best game dish ever, I promise.
Tartare of roe fillet
Serves 4 as a starter
2 Roe tenderloins 50 g cornichons 50g capers 2 shallots 1 clove garlic 1 tbsp chopped parsley 1 lemon Worcester sauce Tabasco 4 quails eggs
Finely chop the meat with a really big knife, DO NOT put in the food processor or you will get goo.
Finely chop all the other ingredients (except the lemon) and add them to your liking.
Do this at the last minute before you serve, then form the tartare into little patties, with a raw Pheasant or Quails egg on top. I eat this with toast and salt.
Bucklebury chop of wild roe deer with champ mash and peppercorn sauce.
This is a double chop of venison, essentially 2 T bones joined together by the chine bone. Your butcher WILL do this for you, if he won’t then you can tell him I think he is a work shy charlatan.
Serves 10
10 Bucklebury chops, about 1 inch thick. A sprig of thyme A tablespoon of olive oil Salt and pepper 6 large peeled potatoes 200g butter 200mls double cream 1 bunch spring onions Salt and Pepper
1 bottle red wine 1 litre of beef stock 1 tbsp ketchup 2 tbsp green peppercorns 1 tbsp cognac
Start with our sauce. Use 2 pans, one for wine and one for stock. Reduce both ingredients by ¾, then add together and reduce by half again, adding ketchup and peppercorns at the end. At the last minute add the cognac. Yummy.
Now make the champ/mash
Boil the spuds, having peeled them first. When soft, mash well, then boil up the cream and butter together and add the two together. Stir in the chopped onions and season. The great thing about this is that it can be done well in advance and reheated with ease in a fast oven (microwave).
Finally sear the chops in a couple of red hot heavy pans for 1 minute on each side, then pop them, pan and all, in a hot – 200c – oven for 5 minutes, exactly.
Rest the chops for another 5 minutes then serve on a bed of champ with dribblings of gorgeous sauce. They will love you, guaranteed.
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