Meike Peters | eat in my kitchen

I forgot about this recipe completely, unfortunately, as it was divine! This isn't one of my own creations, it was made for me and my family by my cousin Thomas, a very talented young chef. It was definitely too good not to share on eat in my kitchen, so here's Thomas' Carpaccio di Capriolo, prepared and savoured by all of us in my mother's kitchen, we were thrilled!

A few months ago, in late autumn, I wrote about a special weekend at my mother's house in the countryside. My family met to eat, drink, chat and savour, as usual, but this time we had a whole deer to prepare. We got the animal from a farmer close by, he's a hunter but he also keeps deer on his vast land. My cousin Thomas who is experienced in butchering gave us more than a helping hand, he prepared the single cuts and parts to be frozen and used some for our extensive cooking. My mother cooked a heavenly stew for us and later on Thomas prepared two dishes himself, Pâté en Croûte, venison pâté in pastry crust, and one of the best carpaccio's I tasted in my whole life. He used the delicate deer's back which he had just cut, it was exceptionally good. If it's hard for you to find quality venison, especially at this time of the year, you could also prepare this recipe with beef fillet. I definitely recommend you to buy it from your trusted butcher or directly from a farmer as the meat has to be very fresh.

And here's the secret to Thomas' carpaccio: My cousin chef coated the meat in an aromatic crust of finely chopped fresh rosemary, sage and thyme mixed with ginger, lemon zest and aged Parmesan. The thin crust was far from being overpowering, just right to add its quality to the fine flavours of the meat.

I was so busy feasting this weekend that I didn't take many pictures of all the ongoing preparations in my mother's kitchen so I decided to share some of the amazingly beautiful fungi we found on our long walks in the forest. Not to be eaten but so beautiful!

Carpaccio di Capriolo with Herbs, Ginger, Lemon and Parmesan Crust

It works best to cut the carpaccio very thinly with an electric food slicer.

For 4 people you need

fresh venison fillet (or beef fillet) 300g / 10.5 ounces
mixed fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme), finely chopped, 2 tablespoons
aged Parmesan, finely grated, 1 tablespoon
ginger, finely grated, 1 teaspoon
lemon zest 1 teaspoon
ground black pepper
rucola and tomato slices to serve

Mix the herbs, Parmesan, ginger and zest on a large plate and roll the meat in the mixture until evenly coated. Carefully wrap the fillet in cling film and close it like a bonbon wrapper. Keep in the freezer for at least 4 hours before you cut it very thinly with an electric food slicer. Arrange the slices on plates with the rucola and tomato and sprinkle with a little pepper, serve immediately. You could also drizzle some lemon oil over the carpaccio.