Roasted game with hill herbs
Game meat marinated in olive oil, wine, and wild herbs, then roasted until golden and tender. A festive dish, smoky from the embers, smelling of the garrigue and the freedom of the heights.
Game meat marinated in olive oil, wine, and wild herbs, then roasted until golden and tender. A festive dish, smoky from the embers, smelling of the garrigue and the freedom of the heights.
You followed the track, drew the bow, and the arrow found its mark: now honor the beast before eating it, for nothing irritates me like the arrogant hunter. Rub the flesh with oil and herbs gathered on my slopes, let it take the slow smoke of the embers, and keep for me the portion that is mine. Eat in silence, with a grateful heart — that is how the next hunt will smile upon you.
- •Game (deer, doe, or hare) — one leg (noble meat of the hunt)
- •Olive oil — generous (marinade and cooking)
- •Wine (thick red) — one bowl (tenderize and flavor)
- •Thyme, oregano, savory — a good bunch (hill herbs)
- •Honey — one spoonful (glaze and roundness)
- •Sea salt — to taste (seasoning)
Roasted game with hill herbs
Game meat marinated in olive oil, wine, and wild herbs, then roasted until golden and tender. A festive dish, smoky from the embers, smelling of the garrigue and the freedom of the heights.
Why this dish? Mistress of wild beasts, Artemis is first and foremost the archer huntress. After a successful hunt, thanks were given to her and the game was shared in a banquet: deer, doe, or hare brought back from the mountain, roasted over the embers and rubbed with the very herbs of the meadows where she runs.
You followed the track, drew the bow, and the arrow found its mark: now honor the beast before eating it, for nothing irritates me like the arrogant hunter. Rub the flesh with oil and herbs gathered on my slopes, let it take the slow smoke of the embers, and keep for me the portion that is mine. Eat in silence, with a grateful heart — that is how the next hunt will smile upon you.
Ingredients (period version)
- Game (deer, doe, or hare) — one leg (noble meat of the hunt)
- Olive oil — generous (marinade and cooking)
- Wine (thick red) — one bowl (tenderize and flavor)
- Thyme, oregano, savory — a good bunch (hill herbs)
- Honey — one spoonful (glaze and roundness)
- Sea salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Leg or roast of venison (or rabbit legs) — 1 kg (main meat)
- Olive oil — 5 tbsp (marinade and cooking)
- Full-bodied red wine — 250 ml (marinade)
- Dried thyme, oregano, savory — 2 tbsp (herbs)
- Honey — 1 tbsp (glaze)
- Garlic — 3 crushed cloves (flavor)
- Salt and crushed coriander seeds — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Mix oil, wine, herbs, garlic, and coriander; submerge the meat and marinate 4 to 12 hours in the fridge.
- Drain the meat, salt it, then sear on all sides in a Dutch oven or on the grill.
- Pour in the marinade, cover, and cook gently (160°C in oven or low heat) for 1.5 to 2 hours until the meat falls apart.
- At the end of cooking, brush with honey and let caramelize uncovered for a few minutes.
- Rest 10 minutes, then slice and coat with the herb juices.
How it was made : Game supplemented the Greek diet mainly for hunters and at festivals; domestic meat most often came from sacrifices, where fat and bones were burned for the gods before the meat was roasted or boiled for the guests. It was cooked on a spit over embers (*optaô*) or in a cauldron, seasoned with wild herbs and a little wine.
The contemporary twist : Plated on an olive wood board with black olives and a bunch of fresh thyme, "huntress's table" style.
Sources : Homer, Iliad and Odyssey (spit-roasted meats) · Andrew Dalby, Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece
Artemis · Charactorium