It seems very odd posting a venison recipe in the summer months but our butcher, Paul, mentioned that some fresh venison had just arrived and we couldn’t resist! Serve with some nice potatoes and greens on the side. Delicious at whatever time of the year you come across some nice venison.
Wine Suggestion: We think this combination of ingredients and flavours works best with a refined Rioja, like the Cantos de Valpiedra. From a passionate family that has a truly special vineyard on a sharp bend of the Ebro River so that the vineyards have moderating water on two sides of the triangle this bend forms. Refined, elegant and sophisticated, with characteristic strawberry and hints of vanilla this is a wine worth searching for.
Venison with sweet potatoes & butter beans – serves 6 to 8
- 50g butter
- 900g venison haunch, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 50g plain flour
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 300ml red wine
- 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
- 1 litre of chicken or beef stock
- 450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
- 1 x 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
- chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Heat the butter in a large casserole with a lid, that you can put in the oven. Season the venison and tip it into the casserole. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Add the flour and paprika and stir for another minute or two to combine. Pour in the wine and stir constantly until it combines with everything else. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and cover with just enought stock to cover the meat.
Bring the casserole to the boil, then season. Cover with a lid and put into the oven for 1 hour. After the hour is up, stir in the sweet potatoes and butter beans, then return to the oven for a further hour. The venison and sweet potatoes should be tender.
Spoon the casserole into warm bowls and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley. We like some potatoes and greens on the side too.
(Original recipe from Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook, Gill Books, 2016.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 