Here’s where I’ll post the recipes from food-related posts when I have them.
Venison Stew (from “Come Back Comfort Food”) serves 2-4 depending on fatness
Ingredients:
- 0.5 lbs venison, cubed
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1/2 onion, large dice
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- 1 medium-sized waxy potato (I used yukon gold)
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups brown stock (beef/veal is best)
- 1.5 Tablespoons AP flour
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3-4 Sage leaves, chopped roughly
- 1 Teaspoon worth thyme leaves (fresh)
- Salt, fresh ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan over high heat
- Once butter is thoroughly browned, add venison, making sure all pieces come in contact with the pan
- Brown venison on all sides
- Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and a large pinch of salt (0.5-1 tsp)
- Sweat vegetables until onions are translucent
- Sprinkle on flour, stir to coat everything well, cook for 1-2 minutes on high while stirring
- Add stock, stir well, scraping all the fond off the bottom (fond is French for “tasty crud stuck to the bottom of the pan”)
- Add potato, bay leaves, and herbs, keeping over high heat
- As soon as it starts to simmer, reduce heat to low and continue to simmer for 20-30min.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, serve
Notes:
- Because venison can be hard to find if you don’t know any hunters, beef is a perfectly good substitute. Chuck is best because it’s the closest to the earthy taste of venison.
- Herbs can be mixed and matched or left out completely. The flavor may not be as deep, but it’s not going to disappear either.
- For vegetarians, try adding some black or kidney beans and some sliced zucchini. Use vegetable stock instead of beef/veal, and cook just until the potatoes are done.
- This goes great with biscuits, a thick slice of hearty bread, rice, or just by itself
