Here is my recipe for sea buckthorn marinade. This is especially good in the late Autumn and Winter months. The spices make it smell like Christmas and, after the warm reception it got from my resident tasters, I think its a hot favourite for Christmas dinner. Serves 4.
Ingredients
4 large (or 8 small) venison sirloin steaks (I was given red deer but roe deer will be fine too)
200 ml sea buckthorn juice
200 ml maple syrup (an extravagance but it was on sale in the shop, otherwise use dark honey with an optional dash of molasses)
200 ml red wine
1 tsp curry powder (or 2 tsps powdered hogweed seed)
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
Salt and pepper.
Directions
Combine all the ingredients and pour over the venison steaks in a bowl. Cover and leave overnight in a cool larder but don’t refrigerate. When you are ready to cook, take the steaks out and pat dry with paper, but keep the marinade.
Fry the steaks in a frying pan, in olive or rapeseed oil, for two minutes on each side. This will caramelise the outside and cook them, leaving a pink centre. Perfect!
Nest them in a shallow oven dish, ideally on a bed of sautéed dulse seaweed, and keep them warm in a low oven. Cover them lightly with foil so they don’t dry out.
Heat the marinade up, adding any juices from cooking the venison, and simmer for 5-10 minutes to reduce the mixture to a gravy consistency. Pour over the steaks. Serve hot with buttered new potatoes and peas.