Strawberry salad with venison, pistachio and balsamic
( SERVES 4 )
31/10/2012
There was a time when strawberries were commonly included in chicken salads which never tickled my fancy and ruined for me the thought of strawberries being used in a savoury dish. After a bit of experimenting, however, I think pairing them with tender slices of rare venison, toasted pistachios and sweet well-aged balsamic is a winner. The flavours and textures work well and look gorgeous.
Ingredients
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| 1 | Venison tenderloin |
| 2 tbsp | Balsamic, plus 1 extra for dressing (choose a good quality aged balsamic) |
| 2 tsp | Brown sugar |
| 1 | Orange, finely grated zest |
| 1 tsp | Chilli flakes |
| 1 tbsp | Extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 extra for dressing |
| 1 pinch | Salt & freshly ground pepper |
| ½ cup | Pistachio nuts, toasted and chopped |
| 4 handfuls | Rocket, or 1x 120g bag |
| 1 punnet | Strawberries |
Directions
1. Place the venison into a container then add the balsamic, sugar, orange zest, chilli, olive oil and seasoning. Massage with your hands then cover and leave to marinate for as little as 2 hours or up to 24.
2. Heat a fry pan and add the oil. Cook the venison by first searing on all sides then covering and letting cook on a gentler heat for 10 minutes. Let rest until cool then slice.
3. Arrange the venison with the pistachios, rocket leaves and sliced strawberries. Drizzle over the extra balsamic and olive oil then serve.
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