Venison Pizza with Arugula & Balsamic Blackberry Reduction

Serves two individual pizzas.

Pizza Dough:

• 3.5 cups/8.5 dl pizza flour

• 1.5 cup/3.5 dl room temp water

• 1 packdry yeast/ 10g instant yeast

• 2 eggs

• 2 tbl spoon good olive oil

Pizza Toppings:

• Venison Loin - 125g pr pizza

• 3 branches of fresh rosemary

• 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic

• Sea salt

• Fresh ground pepper

• Goose or duck fat for pan frying

• 1 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

• 1 cup ricotta cheese

• Fresh arugula 

• 1 cup good balsamic vinegar 

• 1/2 cup fresh blackberries 

• Mixed mushrooms

Directions:

Start with building a good fire of hardwoods in a fire pit.

Prepare the pizza dough:

Add water to mixing bowl. Add yeast to water and mix - add two eggs and stir. Mix in flour little by little - mix with wooden spoon, then gently kneed dough. Let rise for 20 min at room temperature.

 …Meanwhile…

 Prepare venison loin - approximately 125g pr pizza. Season loin with a good layer of salt and fresh ground pepper on both sides. Add cast iron skillet directly on coals - let heat. Add a TBSP of goose fat to sizzling hot pan - when fat is hot, add rosemary branches to skillet and turn when brown. Smash garlic with hand and add to pan - cook for until golden.

Remember to have fun and drink wine!

Move rosemary and garlic to the side - Sear loin 2 min on each side. Remove meat from pan - place on cutting board and pour fat over the loin - cover with tinfoil and let rest while preparing pizza bottom.

 Dust table or big cutting board with flour. Use half of dough for one pizza - form round ball and roll out into thin layer

Slice loin in 3-4 mm slices against the grain. Mix gorgonzola and ricotta cheese well - spread half on one pizza. Add sliced venison and mushrooms. Sprinkle with crumbled gorgonzola. Bake pizza for 15 min at 550 F / 285 C on pizza stone. For more rare meat - add meat to pizza after 10-12 min of baking.

Reduce balsamic slowly to half in a pot - take off heat - pour in blackberries.

When pizza is done - top it with fresh arugula and drizzle with balsamic reduction to taste. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a glass of full bodied red wine - Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah! Remember to have fun and drink wine! Bon Appétit!