Seared Medallion of Venison with Peppered Pineapples and Shiraz Sauce

Main courseServes 2

# Trim the loin of all gristle or silver lining. In an acid resistant tray add the chopped veggies and all the other marinade ingredients. Put the loin therein and marinade for 24 hours in the fridge, turning from time to time. # Brown the onions in the butter in a saucepan, then add sugar till melted. Splash in the stock and wine, lower the heat and reduce till syrupy. # Season the pineapple with pepper and fry in oil. # Remove venison from marinade and wipe excess bits away. Season with salt. pepper and mustard all over. # Wrap pancetta or bacon strips around the venison securing with string or toothpicks. Fry gently on a ripple pan till bacon is crisp but the meat still rare at the core. When done, rest for five minutes. # Serve and enjoy.

Ingredients

For the Venison

* 800g loin of venison
* crushed black pepper and salt
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 8 slices of pancetta or other quality bacon

For the Marinade

* 1/2 onion, diced
* 1 carrot, diced
* 1 stick of celery, diced
* 1 leek, white part only, diced
* 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
* 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (rosemary and thyme)
* 1 bay leaf, crushed
* 2 juniper berries
* 1/2 cup red wine
* 4 tablespoons olive oil

For the Shiraz Sauce

* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 1 cup game or beef stock
* 1/2 cup Shiraz
* berries, fresh or in liqueur, syrup or jam, to taste

For the Peppered Pineapple

* 4 slices pineapple, cored
* crushed black pepper
* oil for frying

Method