Venison Wellington with pickled cabbage

Ingredients

For the pickled red cabbage
500g/1lb 2oz red cabbage, cored and finely shredded
20g/¾oz coarse rock salt
For the brine
290ml/½ pint red wine
100ml/3½fl oz Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar, or other red wine vinegar
20g/¾oz sugar
1 star anise
¼ cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3 crushed black peppercorns
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
1 tsp crushed juniper berries
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1 sprig of thyme
½ bay leaf
1 clove garlic, crushed
For the venison sauce
250g/9oz venison bone, chopped (ask your butcher to do this for you)
2 tsp vegetable oil
25g/1oz carrots, chopped
25g/1oz parsnips, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
25g/1oz leeks, chopped
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 crushed juniper berries
100ml/3½fl oz red wine
50ml/2fl oz ruby port
290ml/½ pint veal stock (substitute beef or chicken stock if unavailable)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the venison
1 venison fillet, about 650g/1lb 7oz
1½ tbsp juniper berries
1½ tbsp freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
500g/1lb 2oz shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ bunch thyme, leaves only
2kg/4½lb button mushrooms, chopped
50ml/2fl oz brandy
200g/7oz foie gras, chopped (optional)
handful flatleaf parsley, chopped
4 leaves Savoy cabbage, central stalk removed, blanched for 1-2 minutes and refreshed in ice water
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, about 500g/1lb 2oz
1 free-range egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.
2. First, make the pickled red cabbage. Toss the cabbage in a large bowl with the rock salt. Cover with cling film and keep overnight in the fridge. Next morning, rinse well and drain.
3. To make the brine, put the wine, vinegar and sugar in a heavy pan. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Tie all the remaining ingredients in a piece of muslin and add to the pan. Add the cabbage and stir, then leave to simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Place in a container, cover and leave in the fridge until you need it.
4. To make the venison sauce, roast the venison bones in the oven for 15-20 minutes, then leave to cool.
5. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and brown all the vegetables with the thyme, bay leaf and garlic. Add the crushed juniper berries, venison bones and red wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the port and reduce by half again. Add the veal stock and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Leave to cook slowly at a slight simmer for one hour.
6. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and put into a clean pan. Using a ladle, skim the top off the sauce. Place back on the hob and cook until the volume is reduced by half.
7. For the venison, season the venison fillet with the juniper and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick frying pan until hot. Add the venison fillet to the pan and sear for one minute on each side, to colour. Remove from the pan and allow to rest.
8. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a separate pan and sauté the shallots and garlic with the thyme for 1-2 minutes to soften. Add the mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the brandy. Add the foie gras (if using) and parsley.
9. Place a large sheet of cling film on a flat surface. Spoon the mushroom mixture onto the cling film to make a layer that is the same length as the venison fillet and twice the width. Place the venison on top and roll up tightly in the cling film to form a cylinder shape. Secure, then place in the freezer to set for 20 minutes.
10. Spread out another sheet of cling film. Arrange the blanched cabbage leaves on top to make a layer the same length as the venison fillet and twice the width. Unwrap the mushroom and venison cylinder and place on top of the cabbage leaves and wrap again.
11. Roll out the puff pastry to an oblong large enough to wrap around the fillet. Unwrap the cabbage, mushroom and venison parcel and place on top of the puff pastry. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
12. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg, then roll up tightly into a cylinder shape, sealing the edges firmly. Brush the pastry with egg and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
13. Turn the oven up to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
14. Place the pastry parcel on a non-stick baking tray and bake for 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for eight minutes.
15. To serve, slice a thick piece of venison and place it on a plate with a spoonful of the reheated red cabbage and drizzle venison sauce around it.