Kangaroo with Chocolate & Chilli
This is an unusual, but luxurious dish. It is not a dish for everyday, but rather something you would take time out to prepare for a special occasion. Do not be alarmed by the use of chocolate here (I was very inspired by the film Chocolat) Bitter chocolate combines well with dark game meats (like hare and venison), so it is perfect with kangaroo. In fact the Spanish and Mexicans add chocolate to many meat dishes. I have seen recipes for beef, turkey, and duck.
Kangaroo is the leanest meat available (so my personal trainer tells me) and is popular amongst body builders, for the obvious reasons. Because of the lack of fat, this meat needs to be cooked rare. If you do not like your meat cooked this way, I would not bother with this dish. It is a crime to cook kangaroo “well done”. Kangaroo cooked this way will be tough. This native animal is relatively inexpensive (compared to other game) and a little goes a long way. Less than 400g will suffice for two people (unless you are a body builder, of course). Kangaroo is available from game suppliers and supermarkets.
Just a note on ingredients- you do need a rich French style stock for this. Add something gelatinous to the stock (like chicken feet or a pork trotter), to give it body And if you are up for it, clarify your stock with egg whites. Most restaurant cookbooks have instructions for this.
To cook the baby beetroots, simply put them into a covered dish and bake at 180c for 40 minutes or until tender. Allow them to cool and wearing latex gloves, top, tail and peel them. The latex gloves will provide protection from the “I’ve just killed someone” look. And if you would like to make this dish a bit easier, you can use tinned baby beetroots. However do realize that their flavour will be completely different to cooking your own.
Ingredients
1 litre of fresh stock ( I used a combination of beef and chicken)
1 small cinnamon stick
1 dried chilli, broken in two pieces
1 fresh bayleaf
400 g kangaroo fillets
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
10g fine dark chocolate (85% cocoa fat)
10 baby beetroots, cooked as described above
15g butter
Rosemary or mint sprig, for garnishing
Method
In a wide pan, heat the stock with the cinnamon, chilli and bayleaf.. Reduce it until you have a brown, shiny glaze. Remove the aromatics and set the glaze aside. Make sure the kangaroo is at room temperature. Rub with a few drops of oil and season well with salt. Heat another pan until hot and sear the kangaroo for 1 minute each side. Immediately wrap the meat in 2 layers of foil and leave to rest for 20 minutes on a wooden board. While the meat is resting, add the beetroots to the pan and reheat them gently. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate, broken into pieces. Season with salt and plenty of pepper (chocolate loves pepper) If the sauce is too thick, thin with some hot water-the sauce is chocolately, but it is not supposed to be fudge. Keep warm, while you finish the kangaroo. Heat a pan with the butter. Unwrap the meat and cook again 1 minute each side to reheat the meat and complete the cooking. The meat should now be perfectly rare. Slice thinly and arrange the meat and glistening beetroots on individual plates, drizzled with the sauce. Finish with a sprig of rosemary or mint.
Note- if the beetroots you purchased came attached with the leaves, even better.They make a perfect side dish. Discard any leaves that are wilted or unhealthy looking. Soak the remaining leaves in water to loosen any dirt. Toss them in a pan with butter to just wilt and season with salt and pepper.
Kangaroo is the leanest meat available (so my personal trainer tells me) and is popular amongst body builders, for the obvious reasons. Because of the lack of fat, this meat needs to be cooked rare. If you do not like your meat cooked this way, I would not bother with this dish. It is a crime to cook kangaroo “well done”. Kangaroo cooked this way will be tough. This native animal is relatively inexpensive (compared to other game) and a little goes a long way. Less than 400g will suffice for two people (unless you are a body builder, of course). Kangaroo is available from game suppliers and supermarkets.
Just a note on ingredients- you do need a rich French style stock for this. Add something gelatinous to the stock (like chicken feet or a pork trotter), to give it body And if you are up for it, clarify your stock with egg whites. Most restaurant cookbooks have instructions for this.
To cook the baby beetroots, simply put them into a covered dish and bake at 180c for 40 minutes or until tender. Allow them to cool and wearing latex gloves, top, tail and peel them. The latex gloves will provide protection from the “I’ve just killed someone” look. And if you would like to make this dish a bit easier, you can use tinned baby beetroots. However do realize that their flavour will be completely different to cooking your own.
Ingredients
1 litre of fresh stock ( I used a combination of beef and chicken)
1 small cinnamon stick
1 dried chilli, broken in two pieces
1 fresh bayleaf
400 g kangaroo fillets
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
10g fine dark chocolate (85% cocoa fat)
10 baby beetroots, cooked as described above
15g butter
Rosemary or mint sprig, for garnishing
Method
In a wide pan, heat the stock with the cinnamon, chilli and bayleaf.. Reduce it until you have a brown, shiny glaze. Remove the aromatics and set the glaze aside. Make sure the kangaroo is at room temperature. Rub with a few drops of oil and season well with salt. Heat another pan until hot and sear the kangaroo for 1 minute each side. Immediately wrap the meat in 2 layers of foil and leave to rest for 20 minutes on a wooden board. While the meat is resting, add the beetroots to the pan and reheat them gently. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate, broken into pieces. Season with salt and plenty of pepper (chocolate loves pepper) If the sauce is too thick, thin with some hot water-the sauce is chocolately, but it is not supposed to be fudge. Keep warm, while you finish the kangaroo. Heat a pan with the butter. Unwrap the meat and cook again 1 minute each side to reheat the meat and complete the cooking. The meat should now be perfectly rare. Slice thinly and arrange the meat and glistening beetroots on individual plates, drizzled with the sauce. Finish with a sprig of rosemary or mint.
Note- if the beetroots you purchased came attached with the leaves, even better.They make a perfect side dish. Discard any leaves that are wilted or unhealthy looking. Soak the remaining leaves in water to loosen any dirt. Toss them in a pan with butter to just wilt and season with salt and pepper.
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