🦌 Deer Salmì Valtellinese – Traditional recipe with red wine and spices
The deer salmì is a typical second course of the Valtellinese tradition, with a strong and enveloping flavor, ideal for game lovers 🍷🔥. Prepared with meat marinated for 48 hours in red wine from Valtellina and a mix of spices and aromatic herbs, it is then slowly cooked in the traditional lavèc, the soapstone pot. The result is tender, juicy, and fragrant meat, perfect to enjoy with a creamy hot polenta, for a unique and substantial meal. A dish for the holidays, for lunches in the alpine hut, and for true food enthusiasts.
📝 Ingredients (for 8 people)
- 2 kg of deer meat (shoulder or leg)
- 1 slice of pancetta (about 100 g)
- 1 bottle of red wine from Valtellina
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sage leaves
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 bunch of wild thyme
- Black peppercorns, 3 juniper berries
- 2 cloves
- Nutmeg (a grating)
- 50 g of butter
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ glass of fresh cream (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of bitter cocoa (optional, for marinating)
👨🍳 Step-by-step preparation
1. Marinating the meat (48 hours):
- Cut the deer meat into large pieces.
- Place it in a large bowl with:
- red wine,
- spices and herbs (rosemary, thyme, bay, sage, black peppercorns, juniper berries, cloves),
- vegetables cut into pieces (celery, carrot, onion, garlic).
- Add salt and a grating of nutmeg.
- Cover and let marinate for 48 hours in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
2. Browning the meat:
- Drain the meat and vegetables.
- In a large pot (preferably a lavèc), heat 3 tablespoons of oil and 50 g of butter.
- Add the pancetta cut into cubes, and brown it until crispy.
- Add the meat and make sure to brown it well on all sides.
- Season with salt, add a grating of nutmeg and the cloves.
3. Slow cooking:
- Add the drained marinade vegetables.
- Cook for 20 minutes, then begin to add the strained marinade wine, little by little.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and cook on low heat for about 2 hours.
4. Finalizing the dish:
- Once the meat is tender, remove it and blend the cooking sauce to make it creamy.
- Put the sauce back on the heat to reduce it.
- If desired, add ½ glass of cream to soften the wine's acidity.
- If you love intense flavors, you can add a tablespoon of bitter cocoa during the marinating phase.
5. Serving:
- Serve the salmì hot, accompanied by a generous portion of Valtellinese polenta.
💡 Chef's tip:
For an authentic result, cook the salmì in the lavèc, the typical soapstone of Valtellina. The even and constant heat will enhance the flavors and aromas even more.
📸 The image of the dishes is purely indicative and does not necessarily correspond exactly to the recipe
