At Wickedfood cookery school we use this basic red wine sauce in our cooking classes for many red meat roasts. It makes the base for a gravy for any game recipe. add a little extra ingredient here and there as for the different flavours.

1kg beef bones
2T tomato paste
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1/2 bunch celery, chopped
2 leeks, sliced
1 cup red wine
2 litres water
Bouquet garni – (thyme, bay leaves, parsley stalks etc.)
1/2t black peppercorns
Little flour to thicken
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place bones in a baking tray and bake at 200°C for about 1 hour until browned.
2. Place bones (and any fat that was rendered) in a large stock pot.
3. Deglaze the baking tray with a little red wine.
4. Add it, together with the tomato paste to the stock pot and cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add vegetables and cook for a further 5-10 minutes.
6. Add water, bouquet garni, peppercorns and remaining red wine. Bring to the boil, turn heat down and simmer for 6-8 hours.
7. Strain and thicken sauce with a little flour. Season to taste before serving.

For more information on venison click here

Here are a few venison other recipes that the Wickedfood Cooking School team enjoyed tasting:

Fillet of venison

Roast kudu fillet

Roast venison

Ostrich neck casserole

Guineafowl

Venison pie

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking school runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Lamb has a delicate tender meat with a fine grain and white crumbly fat to keep it succulent. Allow the roasted leg of lamb to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving to allow the meat to relax and the juices to disperse. At Wickedfood’s cooking classes, students make this dish with roast potatoes and grilled root vegetables.

lamb chopped bones from butcher

1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
1 x ±2kg leg of lamb bone in
6 garlic cloves, halved
1 bunch fresh rosemary cut into 2cm sprigs
1T  butter
salt and pepper

• Preheat the oven to 220°C
• In the bottom of a roasting tin scatter the chopped bones, trimmings and garlic head.
• Make 2.5cm deep incisions in the lamb, into each incision insert a half garlic clove and rosemary sprig.
• Rub the butter over the lamb and place the leg on top of the bones, season and place in the oven for 1-1½ hours (15 minutes per 450g for rare and 20 minutes for medium) turning over half way through.
• Remove the lamb from the oven, season again and transfer to a tray to rest.

Gravy

• Place the roasting pan over a moderate heat to caramelise the lamb juices, this will take 2-3 minutes. Strain of any excess fat.
• Pour in 350ml cold water, reduce heat and simmer gently for five minutes. Strain through a sieve. Serve the lamb with the gravy and seasonal vegetables.

Serves 6-8

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Boksburg – (011) 823-5365 boksburg@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.