Venison Stew

Venison is nearly the perfect meat. Its low in fat, high in protein, contains very little cholesterol, is organic and all natural, and it tastes delicious. Here’s my recipe for Venison Stew from scratch. I use any Venison meat from the tougher cuts; leg, neck, or shoulder. Any of these cuts will make a great stew. The best way to start is to cut it into cubes and brown the meat nicely on all sides. Be sure to brown the meat in the pan you are going to cook the stew in.

Ingredients
2 lbs. of Venison cut into 1” cubes.
2 quarts of beef stock (homemade or canned)
2 cups good red wine
2 TBS. olive oil
Carrots – cut into 1 and ½ inch by ½ inch pieces
Celery – 1 and ½ inch by 2 inch pieces
Whole boiling onions
1 lb. whole button mushrooms
Green beans – whole or cut in half
Turnip – cut into 1 and ½ inch by ½ inch pieces
Potatoes – use small red or yellow boiling potatoes
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
5 cloves fresh garlic, chopped fine
1 TBS. smoked paprika
1 TBS. tomato paste
Salt to taste

Procedure

Brown the Venison. Don’t try to brown it all in the same pan or it will just steam and not brown. Brown a little in hot oil, remove it from the pan and brown some more making sure to thoroughly brown each piece on all sides. Once browned add the beef stock, wine, and a roughly chopped onion, carrot, one stalk of celery, and the seasonings. Simmer the stew until the meat is almost tender. Add the remaining vegetables, including the potatoes and cook until they are just tender. Adjust the seasonings. Thicken the stock with a cornstarch-water mixture to the desired thickness. You may also want to remove the potatoes and mash them. You may want to darken the gravy with a little caramel color (Kitchen Bouquet). Serve with a crusty French bread and a sturdy red wine.