Venison chestnut meatballs recipe

Ingredients

• 5½ oz (150 g) pre-cooked chestnuts
• 2 young/fresh cloves garlic
• 1 dried chile
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 teaspoons organic lemon zest
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 lb 5 oz (600 g) venison or chamois shoulder, neck, or leg
• 3½ oz (100 g) raw pork belly
• 3½ oz (100 g) smoked bacon
• 1 tablespoon salt

1. Roughly chop the chestnuts; peel and mince the garlic. Crush the dried chile. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the chestnuts, garlic, and chile for 3 minutes. In the meantime, grind the caraway seeds and the allspice in a mortar and pestle. Chop the cilantro.
2. Add the spices and lemon zest to the pan then deglaze with white wine. Reduce until the liquid is gone then remove from the heat and let cool (best is if you put it in the freezer for a few minutes). Mix in the cilantro.
3. Slice the venison, pork belly, and bacon into ½ in (1 cm) strips then chop into small cubes. Next mince the cubes or put through the coarse setting of a meat grinder. Season with salt then freeze for at least 30 minutes. Knead the cold ground meat in a stand mixer for 10 minutes then mix in the cold chestnut mixture.
4. Form 3¼–4 in (8–10 cm) long finger-sized sausages (Köfte) with moist hands. Chill until ready to use, but definitely use them the same day or freeze them raw.
5. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the sausages over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally.