When hunting season rolls around we start to get really excited for all those hearty dishes we’ve been looking forward to all year long…. At the top of our list of favorites is this venison stew. If you haven’t tried venison before, you should definitely give it a shot, because it’s richer and leaner than beef and, while it does taste more gamey, we think it’s the perfect choice for a tummy-warming stew that’ll fill you up and instantly make you feel cozy and comfortable. Of course, you could always just use beef if venison isn’t your thing, but we just really, really love it and hope you will too!
Venison Stew
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
- 2 pounds venison stew meat
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed (or 2 white onions, chopped)
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoons oregano
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot and brown venison on all sides.
- Add onions, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, tomato paste and oregano, and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant, making sure to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle in flour and cook for another 1 minute, then add red wine and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in beef broth, thyme and bay leaf, then cover and simmer on low heat for 1-2 hours, or until meat is tender.
- Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs, add pearl onions and cook for another 30-45 minutes, then transfer to bowls and serve hot.
Recipe adapted from12 Tomatoes