Secondi di Carne (meat dishes)

Venison Rosa di Parma

This was our main course for Christmas: a roulade of venison backstrap with prosciutto, rosemary, garlic, and parmigiano, with a side of roasted celeriac puree and some deep fried kale. Made with beef this roulade is called Rosa di Parma, and with venison loin it was just a bit more special for Christmas. The meat is nicely medium rare from edge to edge because I cooked it sous-vide, but you could also cook it in the oven. Here’s what I did…

Ingredients

For 4 servings

500 grams (1.1 lbs) venison backstrap (also called venison loin, hertenrugfilet in Dutch)

enough thinly sliced prosciutto to cover the butterflied venison (about 50 grams / 1.8 oz)

1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

120 ml (1/2 cup) red wine

400 ml (1 1/2 cups) venison stock

Instructions

Butterfly the venison in orde to get a rectangular piece of meat that is about 6 mm (1/4 inch) thick. Season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.

Mix a tablespoon of olive oil with a tablespoon of minced rosemary and a minced clove of garlic. Rub one side of the venison evenly with this mixture.

Cover the same side with a single layer of prosciutto.

Sprinkle evenly with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

Roll the vension into a roulade (such that the filling is inside).

Secure the roulade with butcher’s twine.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the roulade.

Brown it over medium-high heat on all sides, then take it out of the pan and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with red wine.

Bring the red wine to a boil, and scrape with a wooden spatula to get all of the flavor into the sauce.

Add the venison stock.

Reduce the pan sauce over medium heat to about 120 ml (1/2 cup). (If cooking in the oven, do not reduce the stock, but place the venison roulade in the pan with the stock, and put it in the oven at 160C/325F until an instant read thermometer with a probe tells you it is 52C/126F. Then wrap it in aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. The carry over heat will bring the core to about 55C/131F.)

To cook sous-vide, vacuum seal the roulade once it is cool (or use a ziploc bag) and cook sous-vide at 55C/131F for 4 hours.

To serve, deep fry some kale (for a couple of minutes in oil of 180C/350F, drain well).

Reheat the sauce. Slice the venison roulade and serve on preheated plates with the sauce, roasted celeriac puree, and deep fried kale. Season the kale with salt.

Wine pairing

This is nice with many complex red wines, like Barolo or Brunello.

Flashback

DSC07760

Two years ago I also posted about venison: potato gnocchi with a ragù of venison and chanterelle mushrooms. The list of ingredients is very short, but the combination of flavors and textures is very pleasant indeed. With fluffy gnocchi and tender venison, the dish is more elegant than you would expect.

23 thoughts on “Venison Rosa di Parma”

    1. Hi Stig, it depends on the thickness and whether you want it to be pasteurized or not. If you do 1.5 hours and it is a roulade, the diameter of the roulade can only be about 4.5 centimeters for the center to reach the 54.5C. My roulade was more like 7 centimeters thick.

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  3. lovely recipe. I will try (using brisket, as in one of yr posts). thanks
    ps: “rosa di parma”: I have never heard of such description. where does it come from (I mean, what book/magazine ecc…)? as far as I know such dishes can be called: rollè, rollata, rollatino eccc
    + how do u estimate the cooking time? do u have a chart (according to thickness)… or is it … good, old, plain… experience? 🙂 thanks
    always useful stuff here

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    1. I saw it first in a cookbook by Biba Caggiano. She writes it was created by a restaurant in Parma. I think the name makes a lot of sense, as both the prosciutto and cheese are from Parma and it looks like a rose. You can find it on restaurant menus all over Emilia-Romagna and elsewhere. Even Barilla has a recipe on its web site.
      For the cooking time you need a chart, as it goes by thickness. Of course with brisket it is 2 days regardless of the thickness.

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        1. Yes she is from Bologna and after moving to the US (50 years ago I believe) she’s kept up with recent developments and researched for her books by visiting restaurants and trattorie in Emilia-Romagna and elsewhere in Italy.

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  8. Oh to see a Yule secondo away from turkey and ham! Lovely and yet quite simple and achievable! Sadly has to be tried after Christmas and with beef 🙂 ! The celeriac and kale are inspired choices!

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      1. Marvellous idea! Don’t know I have ‘that’ much choice in size but I can certainly substitute with kangaroo! Love the flavour of the beastie and use it often!!! Thanks!!

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  11. Pingback: How to choose Time and Temperature to cook Meat Sous-Vide – Stefan's Gourmet Blog

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