I did it again. Went out shopping and bought something that caught my eye that was - in a purely technical sense - completely unnecessary. A week or so ago it was reduced tomatoes which were promptly turned in to tomato and parsley soup; this time round it was a little more extravagant (especially for January, when frugal appears to be the buzzword du jour).
On Sunday I went to the Stockbridge Farmers’ Market - it’s a stone’s throw away from my house and it helps with my New Year’s wish to eat more locally grown produce - with the sole intention of buying some vegetables to go in dinner, and perhaps some mince for later in the week. Instead, I happened upon a stall with a couple of pheasants hung up beside it (who wouldn’t be lured in by that?). The end result was that I walked away from the stall with a pack of venison in my hands. Oops.
This might outwardly seem completely OTT, but given its seasonality, the price tag of £3 for a two-person stewing pack seemed like a good buy to me. And a guy needs a treat now and then anyway, so it’s completely justifiable. Right?
My dinner plans were obviously altered immediately and I went off to another shop to buy the remaining vegetables I wanted (the market seemed to have a distinct lack of carrots, I’m not entirely sure why) and a cheeky little bottle of red wine to add into the stock. Having got a little distracted en route and ended up going to watch an episode of Spooks at a friend’s flat (we’ve started back at the very beginning, I’d forgotten how amazing it is); I got back a little later than planned. But given the quantity I was making, it wasn’t a massive problem - I just had dinner a little later than originally planned.
My venison stew was pretty good - even if I do say so myself - and the sauce (which was predominantly red wine) tasted fantastic. As on-the-spot decisions go, I think this one definitely counts as a success. In the recipe below I’ve upped the quantities a little, so it’s of more use; if you are looking for a two-portion version (be it for two, or you and the freezer) just half what I say below. The ratio of red wine to stock is completely up to you, but if you’re going all out, then you might as well do what I did and go easy on the stock (but put in a stock cube as well). Everyone needs a little treat in January, so maybe I might go back next week and get another pack for the freezer.
Venison Stew with Rosemary and Red Wine
This recipe is an original The Usual Saucepans recipe. It serves four to five people, depending on how hungry they are.
Ingredients
525g venison
2 small onions
5 sprigs of rosemary
1 medium sized leek
2 medium sized carrots
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes (optional)
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 glasses of red wine
400ml game/beef stock
1 little pack of blackberries
Directions
Preheat the oven to 150ºC.
Cut the meat into cubes and brown in a pan using the oil. Transfer the browned meat into a casserole dish. Don’t overcrowd the pan whilst browning, do it in batches if necessary.
Chop all of the vegetables into small-ish chunks. First fry the onion and garlic in the remaining oil (adding a little more if necessary) and then, after about a minute, add in the rest of the veg and about half of the rosemary (plucked from the stalks). When the onion begins to soften add the stock and when it is heated transfer it all into the casserole dish.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine and then add then add in the blackberries. Allow this to heat so that some of the alcohol will burn off. Add this to the casserole dish. The meat should be completely covered by liquid. If it isn’t, add a little more water.
Put the casserole dish on a medium heat and wait until it simmers gently. Allow this to continue for a couple of minutes and then transfer to the oven. Cook it for about an hour and a half to two hours, until the meat is tender.
Serve with boiled potatoes and some veg on the side. Oh, and a generous glass of red doesn’t hurt either.
Edinburgh-dwelling, baking and food-obsessed, twenty-something adventure enthusiast. Runs on liberal amounts of coffee, cheese, cake and gin; bribable with same.
