The Attic
Tea smoked warthog with pickled baby vegetables
Serves 4

Ingredients:
For the pickled vegetables:

12 baby beetroots 

12 baby carrots

12 baby turnips


For the pickling liquor:

200ml sherry vinegar

200ml Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar

200ml groundnut oil

200ml extra virgin olive oil 

castor sugar, to taste


For the gooseberry sauce:

400g fresh gooseberries
2 oranges, zest and juice

1 shallot, finely chopped

piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

25g butter

150ml white port

1 tsp (5ml) Dijon mustard
50g caster sugar

1 Tbsp (15ml) soft green peppercorns

For the venison:
1 cup (250ml) white rice
Handful of Lapsang tea bags or another Chinese tea
250g warthog loin
selection of baby salad leaves or microshoots to garnish

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C. 
Wrap the beetroots in foil and roast for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Peel the beetroots if necessary.

Blanch carrots and turnips separately in boiling water for three minutes, then drain and refresh.
Combine all the ingredients for the pickling liquor. Taste and add a little sugar if too bitter. Divide among three separate containers; put the beetroots in one, turnips in another and the carrots in the last. Cover and leave to marinate for at least two hours, but ideally for 24 hours.

To make the gooseberry sauce, blanch the gooseberries for 10 seconds then plunge into ice-cold water. Remove and peel. Then blanch orange zest in boiling water for one minute, then drain. Gently fry the shallot and ginger in the butter for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add the blanched zest, juices, port, mustard and sugar, stirring, and bring to the boil. Cook until the volume is reduced by half.  Add the gooseberries and peppercorns and simmer for 4 minutes. Allow to cool.

To smoke the warthog, place rice in a cast iron pan and drizzle with the tea leaves. Place a rack on top of pan. Place warthog on top and cover the whole pan with foil. Place pan over high heat. Smoke for approx 4-5 mins or until there is a subtle smokey flavour.

To serve, slice the warthog. Pile a few salad leaves on each plate, fan the venison on top and add each pickle around the meat. Drizzle around the gooseberry sauce and serve.