Recipe: Mediterranean Spiced Ground Venison Kofta

We show you how to cook succulent and skewered Mediterranean spiced ground venison kofta.

As a chef, when I meet people who aren’t familiar with my background, I frequently get asked, “So what’s your specialty?” The days of regional cuisine have been eliminated by the globalization of products from around the world. Cuisine used to be created with products that were indigenous to that specific region of the world, but in today’s world those ingredients are celebrated and available throughout the world.

So, this dish is one such celebration. Its Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences are a perfect complement to all our wild game meats. The refreshing herbs, with a touch of heat from the chilies and a light acidic balance from the yogurt, is a winning combination.

Ingredients

Venison Kofta

• 2 lb. ground venison
• 1 cup toasted pine nuts or almonds, rough chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• ½ cup cilantro and fresh mint, coarsely chopped
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground red chili or 1 fresh jalapeno, seeds removed finely diced
• 2 tbsp. sea or kosher salt
• 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 8 skewers

Herbal Yogurt Sauce

• 2 cups plain, unsweetened yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp. extra virgin oil
• 1 tsp. toasted coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. toasted cumin seeds, ground
• 2 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 oz. red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Pita

• 8 pita breads, lightly grilled

Important Tip

Defrost your ground venison in the refrigerator. The slower you defrost your meat, the closer it’ll be to its original condition. Once defrosted, place the ground meat in a colander, place the colander in a bowl, cover and return to the refrigerator, and let sit overnight. This will allow all the capillary blood to drain out. It’s the excess blood that causes the “mud or liver” flavor in your meat. It’s also the reason why freshly ground game meat doesn’t hold together when grilling. You don’t need to add anything to your ground game meat (such as ground fat, breadcrumbs, or eggs). You simply need to remove the excess moisture (blood). In doing so, you’ll get multiple benefits — you’ll remove the gamey flavor, and your burgers will stick together

Method

Lightly toast the nuts on low heat in a dry frying pan until fragrant; cool and coarsely chop. Put the ground venison, nuts, herbs, spices, and seasoning in a bowl and thoroughly mix the ingredients.

Using damp hands, firmly shape the kofta into 4-ounce oblong balls and skewer them for ease of cooking. In another bowl, add the yogurt and all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce. This sauce can be made the day before — in fact, it’ll get better if it sits overnight.

On a medium high heat, barbecue the koftas for about 7 minutes to medium rare. Remove from the grill and allow to rest to redistribute the internal juices. While the kofta is resting, you can lightly grill the pita. Serve with the yogurt sauce and a healthy green salad with cucumbers, red onions, and tomatoes.

Venison kofta will expand your vision of what to do with all that ground meat you have in your freezer — and you won’t have to go halfway around the globe to get it.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Carnivore Magazine Issue 5.