Venison Meatballs with Red Wine Demi-Glace, Lemon Ricotta, Grilled Peaches, Pickled Cherries & Mint
Makes 6-8 Servings
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WINE PAIRING | |
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An Italian Barbera |
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Create dinner party drama (the good kind!) with a dish that is a tour de force of colors, textures, and tastes. Venison is a lean meat, so adding a little pork sausage lends some fat as well as flavor. Serve one or two meatballs as a starter or scale up the plate and make it your meal’s main event. Use moderately ripe fruit for this dish, so the slices don’t soften too much from the heat. If peaches are out of season, you might substitute pears.
INGREDIENTS
- For the meatballs:
- 2.5lbs ground venison
- 1.25lbs mild Italian sausage
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp toasted ground fennel seed
- 1/4 tsp toasted ground coriander
- 3/4 tsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup ricotta
- 3.5oz Ritz crackers (1 package sleeve), crushed
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Red wine demi-glace
- 2-3 peaches, sliced
- Mint leaves for garnish
- For the pickled cherries:
- 2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 cup Bing cherries, pitted
- For the mint oil:
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh mint (reserve a few leaves for garnishing)
- For the lemon ricotta:
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, such as arbequina
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- Kosher salt & pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Prepare the cherries:
1
Put red wine in a pot and reduce it by half. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Let cool to room temperature and pour over cherries. Let cherries sit in pickling liquid overnight.
- Prepare the mint oil:
2
Heat canola oil and herbs to 200°F. Mix in a blender for 1 minute on high speed. Strain through a coffee filter and set aside.
- Prepare the lemon ricotta:
3
Put all ingredients for the lemon ricotta in a mixing bowl. Stir until well combined and set aside.
- Prepare the meatballs:
4
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Put all the meatball ingredients (except the demi-glace, the peaches and the mint) in a large bowl and mix until the meat becomes tacky and sticky. Shape into 24 balls, about 2.5oz each. Roast in the oven for about 15-18 minutes until fully cooked.
5
While the meatballs are cooking, warm the red wine demi-glace in a skillet. Add the cooked meatballs to the demi-glace and keep warm until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve:
6
Brush peaches with olive oil and place on a hot grill or grill pan until they soften slightly and acquire grill marks. Salt to taste.
7
To plate: Place a spoonful of ricotta into shallow bowls or onto individual plates. Arrange meatballs on top, along with some peach slices and pickled cherries. Drizzle mint oil and a little demi-glace around the edge of bowl or plate. Garnish with mint leaves.