Pot Roasted Elk (Kikoklu)

We had better start at the beginning. We have been on a tour of the Baltic states and all the way round Linda had been wanting to cross paths with an Elk, she had photographed the Elk Beware signs in the Baltic (each one has a different symbol for the elk). Alas her prayers had not been answered, she hadn't seen a one, much like the bears of USA last year. But we did manage to get a big hunk of elk from a game butchers in Stockholm's Haymarket. This he kindly vacuum packed for us, told us how to cook it. I plonked it in our freezer in the camper and transported it back to Germany. I was also able to visit an Elk Park in South Sweden and also got her an Elk Tooth.

Wild board, Red Deer, Reindeer and my Elk

A very fine cheerful butcher

You will require

1500g elk meat

300g thin cut lightly smoked streaky bacon

1 large onion diced

2 carrots cut each cut into 4 length ways

1 bunch of soup vegetables (suppengrün) diced

1 bunch of herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, bay leaves) bound together

6 juniper berries crushed

10 pepper corns crushed

1 glass of red wine

400ml of game stock (failing that a good beef stock)

2 Tblsp of vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

Wrap the meat in an elastic net along its length, this one had already been done.

Heat oven to 180°C

Using a knife sharpening steel, pierce the meat along its length slowly removing it and pushing a length of carrot along the resulting hole, it is easier if the carrot follows the steel as it is slowly removed. Repeat this 4 or 5 times.

Rub the meat with salt and pepper.

Cover the meat with the bacon, push it under the net, so that it is completely covered.

Heat the oil until smoking in a cast iron pot roaster with lid .

Fry the meat all over until the bacon takes on colour.

Remove the meat and reduce the heat add the onions, then the rest of the vegetables, the juniper berries along with the crushed pepper corns.

Add the stock, the wine and the bunch of herbs, bring to the boil on thje top of the stove.

Put into the oven covered, I pushed an electronic thermometer into the center so that I could get an exact reading.

After 1 hour remove the lid and reduce the heat to 150°C for a further 20 minutes or so, I use the temperature, I removed from the oven and out of the stock when the temperature of the meat (inside) reached 60°C.

Pour the sauce through a sieve into a saucepan and reduce to thicken.

Slice the meat into thickish slices (1cm), place on a serving platter and decorate with red and black currents.

Serve with roasted rosemary potatoes broad beans, young carrots and pearl onions poached in chicken stock.

Martin had made 2 old soups to start the meal, 1 was a beetroot, the other a cucumber, served together and with Kalles homemade baguette.  A Rose was drunk, well some did Martin and I drank beer

Next followed a wonderful fresh salad with apricots, red onions, young salad leaves, tomatoes. This accompanied  minted lamb chops, Adana kebabs and spicy merguez sausages. A nice Spanish Tempranillo reserva was drunk, well they did Martin and I stayed with the beer

Kebabs, chops and sausages on the BBQ

After a pause, the main followed. I served a very good French Cotes du Rousillon, but this was very special as my colleague of many years had presented it to me on my retirement, he had relabeled it.

To complete the evening Carolyn had made a mascapone, ammarettini, amaretto blue berry composition, they only allowed me to have a small glass.

Theirs

Mine

We ended as normal with various shorts to settle the stomach.

And at popular request (Richard) the Kikoklu

This was the first time I had cooked and served Elk, it is a very lean meat a bit like red deer, but it doesn't have such a game taste. It was very tasty indeed. I shall have to see about getting a piece for Christmas.