LIMERICK-born Richard O’Connell is Executive Head Chef at the buzzy Tom’s Kitchen restaurants in London.
“I didn’t have much interest in school especially after my mum showed me how to make an apple tart.” He says, describing how he got started in the kitchen. O’Connell attended Galway RTC to train as a chef for two years and his career took off from there. “I had some amazing tutors, that really inspired me to move to London and become a successful chef,” he says.
He chose this venison recipe not just because it’s on the menu at Tom’s Kitchen but because for him, it tastes like home/ “Venison is now in season and really is one of the best tasting meats. It reminds me of home, as it was the first animal I learnt how to butcher when I was in the Adare Manor in County Limerick.”
Scroll to the end to read Richard’s top tips for Christmas cooking below...
VENISON CASSEROLE WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE & MASHED ROOT VEGETABLES (Serves 4)
INGREDIENTS
Casserole
500g ready diced venison haunch 1 tsp fine sea salt
A pinch fresh milled pepper
150ml vegetable oil
30g butter
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 onions, peeled
2 celery sticks, sliced
½ bay leaf
5 tbsp red currant jelly
2g fresh thyme
1g fresh sage cut into long, thin strips 150ml red wine
150ml chicken stock
20g plain flour (oven 170c)
Mashed Root Vegetable
150g carrots
150g butternut squash 150g swede
100g parsnip
100g celeriac
1 banana shallot, peeled, cut in half, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove thinly sliced
50g butter
50ml water
1 pinch salt
1 pinch of finely crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1 bay leaves
1 stick of thyme leaves
Cranberry Sauce (can also use shop bought cranberry sauce)
150g cranberries
90g sugar
60ml orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 pinch crushed garlic
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground mixed spice
1 tsp crushed black peppercorns
2g freshly chopped ginger
1 pinch all spice
METHOD
1. Season the meat with the salt and pepper, put a large frying pan on a high heat and add 150ml of veg oil, once it is hot
add half the meat but not all at once as it could splash. Cook the meat till golden brown all over for approximately 8 -12
minutes, turning the meat around the pan with tongs so they are evenly coloured. Remove the meat from the pan with a
slotted spoon and place in a large, clean sieve to drain. Then place on a large oven tray.
2. Keep the pan on high heat and add more oil if needed adding the carrots first, cook all of the vegetables separately with
some of the thyme, bay leaves and seasoning. Cook each vegetable for approximately 5-8 minutes till golden in colour.
Then place into a sieve to drain the oil, and repeat with the onions and celery, when drained place all the vegetables onto
a second oven tray.
3. Heat the chicken stock in a pan. At the same time, deglaze the pan with the red wine and reduce by half. Then add to the
hot stock, with the butter to make the roux. Once melted, add the flour and cook out for 2 minutes and then add the hot
red wine and stock to make the sauce. Turn the heat to full and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes then pass through a sieve.
4. To make the cranberry sauce, place the cranberries, zest, orange juice, sugar, powdered spices, tie the star anise,
cinnamon stick in a muslin bag and give it a bash to release the flavours. Bring this to a simmer and cook for 40-50
minutes on a low heat till thickened then place on a tray and leave to cool to room temperature and then put in the fridge
to chill. For a quicker alternative you could use shop bought cranberry sauce.
5. Add the homemade / shop bought cranberry sauce evenly to the tray of meat and tray of vegetables and cook in the oven
for 2 1/2 hours at 170˚C. Cook the vegetables for about 30-40 minutes till tender. Remove the meat and vegetables from
the oven and place into a sieve to drain the sauce and then allow the meat and vegetables to cool.
6. Place all the jus back on the stove to correct the consistency checking the seasoning and adding more cranberries if needed.
7. Once reduced and well-seasoned place the meat with the vegetables.
8. To make the root vegetable mash, cut the root vegetables into small cubes, heat up a pan on a medium heat and add the
butter. When melted add the shallots, thyme, bay leaves and garlic, cooking this with no colour till soft. Then add the
vegetables, salt, pepper and sweat in the pan and cover with a lid, continue to cook for 10-12 minutes then add the water.
Carry on cooking for a further 10-12 minutes without the lid and add the honey, cooking till soft. Mash the vegetables to a
course puree.
9. To serve, add a small knob of butter and handful of chopped parsley to the casserole, check the seasoning and place in
four dishes. To finish add a large spoonful of the root vegetable mash.
Richard O’Connell’s Top Christmas Cooking tips
Prepare all your vegetables the day before, by cooking to perfection and chilling down quickly. These can be reheated to serve on the day, making Christmas Day stress free.
Cook your turkey low and slow – cook at 200˚C for 15-20 minutes until golden and brown. Then drop to 150 ˚C until cooked.
Brine your turkey if you know how to do, if not I always find YouTube is the perfect way to learn. Brining helps to make the turkey a lot more moist.
