The Ultimate Nilgai Sunday Gravy
By Andrew Zimmern
Nilgai is the largest Asian antelope species, hailing from Indian and Nepal. They were originally brought to Texas by the King Ranch family more than a century ago, and have since thrived in the south Texas climate. They are giant animals, prized for their mild, lean meat. This was my first time hunting for nilgai, and wow, what a thrill. It’s not only a blast, but now I have a freezer full of high-quality antelope, so I decided to pull out all the stops on this one.
It’s an Italian feast, a nod to my roots growing up in New York City with lots of Italian friends who would invite me over every Sunday for the dinner. After cooking all day long, the centerpiece of this family affair was the Sunday gravy, red sauce filled with slow cooked pork, meatballs, braciole, you name it. I decided my nilgai haul was perfect for a wild game Sunday gravy, with homemade spicy nilgai sausage, braciole and red sauce. For a fun presentation and communal eating experience, try spilling a pot of polenta onto a board, ladle the sauce over it and place it in the middle of the table. Perfection.
Watch this episode of Field to Fire on Outdoor Channel and Tastemade.
Nilgai Braciole with Nilgai Sausage and Polenta
Ingredients
Braciole
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced
- 3 pounds Nilgai tenderloin, pounded out into 6 or 8 pieces about a 1/4 to a 1/3-inch thick
- 12 slices prosciutto
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup grated Reggiano parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
- Olive oil
Sausages
- 1 pound whole boneless nilgai leg trim, cut into cubes
- 1/2 pound pork fat from the neck or shoulders, diced
- 1/2 cup good white wine
- 2 teaspoons crushed dried fennel seed
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic, I use a microplane
- 1 teaspoon dried hot red chiles, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, or more to taste
- 3 tablespoons minced parsley
- 3 tablespoons minced mint
- Optional- you can always try fresh minced hot chiles and feta cheese. Have fun with this!
For serving:
- Tomato Sauce (recipe)
- Polenta
- Toasted bread
Instructions
Nilgai Braciole:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the panko, and cook, stirring often, until golden brown and toasted, about 3 minutes. Place in a large bowl, and add the thyme and rosemary. Reserve.
Lay the tenderloin flat between sheets of parchment paper. Using a meat mallet, pound each piece out to about ¼ inch thick. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Place prosciutto over the steaks. Divide panko mixture over steaks.
Combine the pine nuts, parsley, garlic, and the cheeses. Divide this mix onto the meat. Roll up each braciole, against the grain of meat. Using butcher string, roll and tie each braciole to secure. Reserve in the fridge while you make the sausages.
Nilgai Sausages:
Combine the cubed nilgai and pork fat in a large mixing bowl. Add all the seasonings and wine, and mix well. Using a meat grinder, grind the meat mixture. Once everything is ground, mix well again. If you’re adding cheese, such as feta, add it now and mix well. Let sit for an hour in fridge.
Take a small spoon and scoop out a teaspoon of the sausage, sear it in a hot pan for a few minutes and give it a taste test. Adjust seasoning accordingly.
Fill the intestines with this composition of meat using the filling attachment. The sausages are ready to be cooked or to freeze.
To Finish:
Season the braciole with salt and pepper and brown in a smidge of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When all the pieces are finished browning, add a few quarts of tomato sauce to the Dutch oven, make sure the meat is all covered. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes over medium-low heat.
Prick the sausages with a fork, then brown the sausages in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
After the braciole have cooked in the sauce for 45 minutes, add the browned sausages to the Dutch oven. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes.
Serve the braciola, sausages and tomato sauce with polenta. Garnish with more parmesan and chopped parsley.
