Venison Stew with Wild Mushrooms
Ingredients
- Lean Venison - 3 pounds, diced into 1-inch cubes
- Onions - 3 medium, coarsely chopped
- Carrots - 2, coarsely chopped
- Celery Stalk - 3, coarsely chopped
- Bay Leaves - 4 to 6
- Juniper berries - 8
- Black peppercorns - 2 teaspoons
- Rosemary - 1 teaspoon
- Red wine to cover the venison
- Oil - 1/4 cup
- Tomato Paste - 6 ounces
- Salt - 3 tablespoons
- White Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
- Red Currant Jelly - 3 ounces (6 tablespoons)
- Lingonberries - 4 ounces (1/2 cup)
- Beef Stock - 1-1/2 quarts
- Wild Mushrooms - 10 to 12 ounces
Instructions
Combine the venison with the onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, juniper berries, and black peppercorns in a glass or stainless steel container. Add red wine to cover. Cover the container with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 days.
After 2 days, remove the meat from the marinade and sauté in hot oil in a heavy 6-quart pot. Cook until the juice extracted from the meat has reduced and the meat is browned. Add the vegetables from the marinade and sauté with the meat until lightly browned. Reserve 2 cups of the marinating liquid.
Add the tomato paste, salt, white pepper, red currant jelly, lingonberries, and reserved marinating liquid to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the beef stock. Simmer until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and place in a clean pot.
Simmer the sauce 30 to 40 minutes, adding more water as needed. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into the pot with the meat. Bring the mixture back to a boil.
If using fresh wild mushrooms, sauté quickly in 2 tablespoons of butter. If using canned mushrooms, drain them. Add the mushrooms to the stew and serve.
