Mutton Venison
This Mutton Venison recipe delivers a hearty main course. The term “venison” has historically been used to refer to any wild game, so the recipe name implies that this is a wild game preparation applied to mutton. This is evident in the drying of the meat prior to cooking. If you want to try your hand at drying the meat yourself, it is possible to dehydrate meat at home, but you’ll have to prioritize food safety: before drying, cook your meat to the recommended temperature (145°F or 65°C for mutton). Otherwise, dry-aged meats are available for purchase at some supermarkets and many butcher shops. For the rest of this recipe, the leg of mutton is seasoned with a simple blend of cayenne pepper and salt, then fried in butter. The rich flavors are enhanced with the addition of mace, and then flour, creating a luscious gravy. A touch of currant jelly and wine adds a sweet and tangy note, rounding out the dish. We don’t often see mace used in contemporary cooking, but it lends a very unique flavor that works especially well with red meat. Hailing from the Molucca Islands of Indonesia, mace is a spice that shares a warm, nutty flavor profile with its close relative, nutmeg. This recipe comes from The Economical Cook Book, published in 1905.
- 1 leg of mutton
- Cayenne pepper
- Salt
- 1 lb. butter
- 1 tsp. mace
- Flour
- 3 oz. currant jelly
- 8 oz. wine
Cut thin slices from a leg which has been hung for several days, season with cayenne pepper and salt, melt a quarter of a pound of butter in a frying-pan, lay in the slices, add two blades of mace, turn them once. Dust in a very little flour, and stir in half a teacup of currant jelly; stir this about until the jolly is entirely melted, add a glass of wine, boil up and serve. A few minutes is sufficient to cook it.