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  Venison in Sherry with Roquefort Cheese

Now that evenings are a bit cooler I start to think more about slowcooked meals rather than the BBQ. Last weekend Deidre of WILD GAME convinced me that I should buy her diced wild venison. I'm glad she did. It was delicious. It was obviously meat from a young animal as it was the colour of veal. I decide that rather than cook it in red wine, it needed something a bit lighter but still full of flavour. I looked for inspiration in one of my books 'The Food of Spain'.



 VENISON IN SHERRY WITH ROQUEFORT CHEESE

1 kg diced venison marinated in 250ml rich sweet sherry (marinate in the fridge for at least a few hours but preferably up to 24 hours)

 Drain the venison, dry thoroughly and brown in a heavy flameproof casserole on a high heat in a little olive oil. Set aside the marinade.
When browned remove the meat from the casserole. Add a little more oil if necessary and soften 1 diced leek, 1 diced carrot, 1 sliced leek
and a chopped onion. Also add 100g diced speck or Spanish jamon and 12 cloves of chopped garlic.
Return the venison to the casserole. Mix everything together with approx 2 tbsps flour. Add the reserved marinade, 2tbsps tomato paste, 1 cup of beef stock, a few sprigs of thyme, chopped fresh marjoram.

Place in a moderate oven and cook for 2 hours. Stir occasionally. If it becomes too thick, add a little more stock. Season if necessary.

Just before the venison is ready, mash together 100g Roquefort cheese and 1 tbsp of cream. In a small pot over a low heat, combine 2 tbsps cream and 1 tbsp sweet sherry. When warm, add the cheese mix and stir till the cheese is melted. Pour into a small serving bowl.
 Remove the venison from the oven. Serve on mashed potatoes. Let everyone drizzle some of the cheese sauce over the top of the venison.