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A HUNTER'S RAGOUT

This hearty stew calls for venison — usually thought of as deer meat, though other antlered game meat like elk, caribou, moose, antelope or reindeer can also be used. Be sure to give yourself enough time to marinate the meat and let it cook low and slow for a tender and delicious stew.

Yield: Serves 6.

July 02, 2019

A HUNTER'S RAGOUT

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups dry red wine
  • 1/4 cup gin, optional*
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 lb (1 kg) venison, cubed
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • Extra-virgin olive oil*
  • 4 slices bacon, julienned
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 cans (10 oz / 284 mL each) beef broth
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary, crumbled
  • 1/4 tsp thyme, crumbled
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 6 juniper berries, crushed, optional*
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Dried Blueberry Dumplings*

Directions

  1. To prepare marinade, combine wine, gin, 1 1/2 cups onions, garlic and 2 tbsp oil in a heavy zip-lock plastic bag. Add venison and squeeze bag to coat meat with marinade; seal bag and place on a plate. Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally, for 8 - 24 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  3. Remove venison from marinade and pat dry. Strain marinade through a sieve, discarding solids. Reserve strained marinade.
  4. Place flour in a plastic bag. Add venison to flour and toss to coat.
  5. Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Add venison in batches and brown on all sides. Remove venison from pan; keep warm.
  6. Add bacon and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain off excess fat. Stir in onion and garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Return venison to pan with reserved marinade, beef broth, rosemary, thyme, pepper, salt, juniper berries and bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil; remove from heat.
  7. Cover and bake until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Remove from oven. Remove bay leaf. Drop Dried Blueberry Dumpling dough in 6 small mounds onto ragout.
  8. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes or until dumplings are risen and fluffy. Do not lift lid while dumplings are cooking.
Nutritional analysis per serving:

393 calories, 16.2 g fat, 34.6 g protein, 11.7 g carbohydrate, 1.8 g fibre, 272 mg sodium

*Ingredient not included in nutritional analysis.

DRIED BLUEBERRY DUMPLINGS

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup dried blueberries
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp melted butter

Directions

  1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and blueberries in a bowl.
  2. Whisk together milk and butter; stir into flour mixture just until combined. Drop dumpling dough as directed in A Hunter's Ragout.