Slaven’s Venison Stew

with Red Wine

This is a traditional dish that serves as a great meal all on its own. It can be baked in the oven if desired.

Yields: 8 main-dish servings

Total Time: 2 hr 30 min

Prep Time: 45 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min

Ingredients:

·        2 pounds of venison backstrap, and 2 pounds of  boneless beef sirloin tip or chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 -inch chunks (2 pounds of lean eye of round or other type roast can be substituted for the venison, but you still need a total of 4 pounds of meat)

·        2 tablespoons olive oil

·        2 tablespoons unsalted butter

·        3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

·        3 large parsnips, cut into 1/4 inch slices

·        6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin-(this results in a smoother flavor)

·        1 large onion, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

·        10 small boiler onions peeled and left whole

·        10 small New potatoes, rinsed cleaned and quartered

·        2 tablespoons - all purpose flour

·        1- 29 0z. can diced tomatoes 

·        2- 14 oz. cans of  low sodium beef broth

·        1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

·        2 cup(s) dry red wine ( I really like the peppery taste of a Shiraz for the stew)

·        4 sprigs fresh or 1 teaspoon of dried  thyme

·        ½ teaspoon of  ground Cumin

·        1 teaspoon dried or fresh basil

·        2 pints of fresh mushrooms, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices

·        1 red bell pepper, sliced into 3/4 inch pieces

·        1/2 pound of fresh green beans, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

·        1 bag(s) (16-ounce) frozen peas

Directions

In 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high until hot.* Pat beef dry with paper towels. Add beef, in small batches, don’t crowd the meat in the pan and cook 5 to 6 minutes per batch or until well browned on all sides. With slotted spoon, transfer beef to medium bowl.

* The meat pieces must be pat dry and not touching to brown properly.

To drippings in Dutch oven, add chopped onion, and cook 10 minutes or until onion is browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour, canned tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper; cook 2 to3 minutes, stirring. Add wine and heat to boiling, stirring until* browned bits are loosened from bottom of pan.

* The browned bits that form on the bottom of the pan add tremendous flavor. This is known as  the fond.

Return meat and any meat juices in bowl to Dutch oven. Add thyme, basil, cumin and the rest of the vegetables, except the peas; heat to boiling. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is fork-tender, stirring a few times*. Discard thyme sprigs if using fresh thyme. Just before stew is done, stir in peas and allow them to heat through for 4 to 5 minutes.

* If baking the stew, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours , stirring once.

Enjoy with some fresh Yeast rolls. (Some like to serve the stew over egg noodles)

Bon Appetit,

Bryan Slaven

The Texas Gourmet

Muddy Flavors in Fish

As an avid cook and grilling enthusiast, I subscribe to and study the valuable information offered by the test kitchen and the food scientists associated with Cook’s illustrated magazine. I am always impressed with their  reviews of products and the thorough efforts that are taken in developing new recipes and revisiting old ones to make them as good as they can be. This article is a great example of valuable research done on a subject that many of us that enjoy good fried freshwater fish have struggled  with . I hope you enjoy this, and consider the magazine, if you love to cook as much as I do.

Thanks for your question, I hope that this will be helpful to you.

Bryan Slaven

The Texas Gourmet

Published May 1, 2008. From Cook’s Illustrated.

Why do catfish and tilapia sometimes taste muddy or swampy? Can I remove this unpleasant flavor?

BUTTERMILK CLEANSER: An hour-long soak in buttermilk washes away the muddy flavor from freshwater fish such as catfish and tilapia.

This is my first entry on my blog.