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Braised roe deer shoulder

Braised roe deer shoulder from the May buck

Name: Braised roe deer shoulder from the May buck
Cook time: 3 h
Ingredients: 150 g deer shoulder 4 lbs; 3 EL lard / tbsp; salt; black pepper; 1 carrot; 1 yellow beet; 1 celery root; 2 red onions; 2 garlic cloves; 150 g boiled pork belly / 5.3 oz; 1 EL tomato paste / 1 tbsp; 1 l full-bodied red wine / 4 cups; 10 juniper berries; 10 black peppercorns; 8 allspice berries; 2 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 EL preserved lingonberries / 2 tbsp; 1 EL plum butter / 1 tbsp; 1 TL brown sugar / 1 tsp; 1 EL cornstarch / 1 tbsp; 65 ml red port wine / ¼ cup; 80 g dark rye bread slices / 3 oz; 150 g guanciale / 5.3 oz; 20 g clarified butter / 1½ tbsp; 200 g durum wheat semolina / 1 cup; 120 g organic guanciale / 4.2 oz; 1 sprig fresh parsley; 100 ml smoked pork stock / 7 tbsp; 1 egg; 1 yolk

Meat
Main course

• Recipe by: Michelin-starred chef Clemens Grabmer from the cookbook 'Originals Only'

Game holds a firm place on the menu at the Waldschänke restaurant in Grieskirchen, Upper Austria. It stands for regional produce, simple ingredients and rich flavour.

Preparation

Preparation time: 180 min
4 Servings

Step 1

Deer shoulder

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (top and bottom heat). Remove any tendons from the shoulder. Heat the lard in a roasting tin. Season the meat with salt and pepper and sear briefly on all sides without browning. Remove and set aside.

Peel the vegetables and onions, cut into cubes; peel and crush the garlic. Cut the bacon into thin cubes. Fry the vegetables, onions, garlic and bacon in the roasting tin for approx. 10 minutes. Add the tomato purée and fry briefly. Deglaze with half the wine. Place the meat in the tin, then add the spices, thyme, cranberries, plum jam and sugar.

Braise in the oven for approx. 2.5 hours, basting regularly with the remaining wine and turning the meat. Remove the meat and leave to rest for 10 to 15 minutes in the switched-off oven, using the residual heat. Remove the bones.

Strain the sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix the cornflour with the port, stir into the sauce and cook for 1 minute until it glistens.

Step 2

Dumplings

Remove the crust from the bread and cut into small cubes. Heat the clarified butter and fry the cubes over a medium heat until crispy. Leave to cool, then mix in the semolina.

Cut the guanciale into thin cubes and fry gently over a medium heat. Pour over the semolina and bread mixture and mix together. Add the finely chopped parsley.

Heat the smoked pork broth and pour it over the mixture. Fluff up with a fork, then leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Beat in the egg and egg yolk using a hand mixer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for a further 10 minutes.

Bring stock with parsley stalks to the boil in a large saucepan. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out about 8 balls from the mixture and shape into dumplings. Add them to the boiling water, immediately reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper.

Guanciale is an air-dried, unsmoked bacon made from pork cheek (Italian: ‘guancia’) or pork neck.

Step 3

Cabbage

Cut the cabbage into quarters and slice thinly. Place in a bowl and mix well with the remaining ingredients. Finely chop the nettle leaves and stir them in.

Step 4

To garnish

Slice the deer shoulder and arrange on plates with cabbage and dumplings. Garnish with deep-fried nettle shoots.

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