This recipe will knock your taste buds into orbit!
The combination of cilantro, garlic, olives and salt-preserved lemons is a refined combination of delicacy, punch, and something unusual. Serve with a crusty bread and herbed couscous, and make rhubarb clafoutis for dessert. Although there are numerous steps, this is actually a fairly uncomplicated recipe. Try it once, and you'll definitely make it again!
INGREDIENTS
The combination of cilantro, garlic, olives and salt-preserved lemons is a refined combination of delicacy, punch, and something unusual. Serve with a crusty bread and herbed couscous, and make rhubarb clafoutis for dessert. Although there are numerous steps, this is actually a fairly uncomplicated recipe. Try it once, and you'll definitely make it again!
INGREDIENTS
- ~2-3 lbs. meat, fresh or thawed*
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro (minced)
- 3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 large onion (minced)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon (or 6 T lemon juice)
- Ground black pepper & salt (to taste)
- Olive oil
- 8-12 plain green olives (without pimento or other stuffings)
- 1 preserved lemon (See this post for instructions on how to make your own!)
- Cooking string (to tie roast together after stuffing)
PREPARATION
- For venison, thaw 1 day in advance.
- Brine for ~12-24 hours, depending on desired level of saltiness.
- Pre-heat oven (or toaster oven - we love ours!) to 350 °F.
- Turn roast "upside down" and cut approximately 1/2 way into meat.
- Fill cavity with cilantro, garlic, a dash of salt, and enough lemon juice to make a paste.
- Roll roast back together, tie with string, and set right-side up in a baking dish (ideally one with a lid).
- Drizzle surface of meat with olive oil and fresh-ground pepper.
- Cover with minced onion.
- Fill baking dish up ~1/2 way (or more) with hot water.
- Put on the lid, place in the oven, and cook for ~45 minutes-1 hour.
- Remove from oven, and remove most of the liquid to a pot. Simmer to reduce juices.
- Place green olives and preserved lemon in baking dish.
- Return to oven without the lid until meat reaches 120 °F (for rare-medium rare venison), which is approximately 15-20 minutes more.
- Use a meat thermometer to determine when the meat is cooked to your taste.
- *Venison, chicken or fish are well complimented by the spices.
- Adjust cooking time according to type of meat, and desired degree of "done-ness".
- Serve with a cold dry white wine. We had this with a 2008 Columbia Valley semillon, which complimented the citrus and cilantro punch.
- Couscous from Marché Label Terre (385 Rue Soumande)
- Venison was wild-harvested. Yes, we hunt. I'll be posting soon with more information about wild-harvested meat.
- If a reader knows where to purchase preserved lemons locally, please let me know.
