Mon, Mar 12, 2007
Venison or Buffalo Stew
Posted to Technology category
One of my crock-pot recipes. Buffalo and venison are very lean, so the only fat in this is the olive oil.
1 lb venison chunks or buffalo meat chunks (available at Whole Foods and other markets) 2 Tablespoons olive oil 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered 3 long ribs of celery, chopped 1 lb mini-carrots 1 lb creamer potatoes, quartered 1/2 lb mushrooms, rinsed, trimmed and quartered 3/4 cup red wine 1 cup vegetable stock or broth (from a box) 1 1/2 cup water 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme approx 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed more water 1 Tablespoon cornstarch salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
In a skillet, brown the meat in the oil. Add the browned meat and vegetables to the crock pot.
Pour the wine into the skillet and stir to deglaze. Pour the wine mixture into the crock pot and add the stock and water and herbs, and a little salt and pepper (more will be added near the end).
Note: Beef stock or broth might be ok with buffalo meat, but don't drown the flavor of the meat being used.
Turn the crockpot on low.
Eight hours later, add more water or stock if things have cooked down too much. Taste the gravy and add salt and pepper as needed.
Dissolve the cornstarch in a little water and stir it in. Let the stew cook at least another half hour.
This recipe works well in a 5 quart crockpot. I ladle most of each batch into wide-mouth quart canning jars (only about three quarters full to allow for expansion), allow to cool and then freeze.