Springbok fillet has to be the most tender cut of meat Ive ever tasted. It has the texture of pate and the taste of a mild venison. Utterly delicious. For such a lean meat, I was expecting it to be quite dry, but it was very moist and succulent.
I wrapped my springbok fillets in Parma ham, before pre-cooking in a Sous Vide water bath for 1 hour. It was a stage I could have easily skipped but I just didnt fancy any blood on my plate. If you dont have a water bath, just put the springbok in a hot oven for around 10 mins, after first browning the Param ham-wrapped parcel in a frying pan.
Serves 2
1 whole springbok fillet/tenderloin, cut in half (I sourced mine from Alternative Meats)
150g Parma ham slices
1 tbsp olive oil
For the port and cranberry sauce
100ml fresh chicken stock
100ml fresh beef stock
100ml port
Handful dried cranberries
1. Lay the Parma ham slices on a work surface and wrap each fillet half tightly in the ham to form a parcel.
2. Seal in a Sous Vide vacuum pack and cook in a Sous Vide water bath set to 60C for 1 hour. (If you dont have a Sous Vide, skip this stage).
3. Remove the vac-pack from the water bath. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the springbok parcel all over. (If you dont have a Sous Vide, brown the parcel all over before transferring to a hot oven and cooking for 10-12 mins).
4. Allow to rest and carve into thick slices before serving.
5. To make the sauce, put all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 mins to reduce the sauce by half so that it is thick and a little sticky.
6. Serve with roast baby new potatoes and steam broccoli.
