Autumn. The time for rutting, tupping, sparklers and, usually, a few more layers. It’s been windy and oh so wet, yes, but we still haven’t seen those consistent chillier temperatures. I have strawberries still growing and early summer-flowering perennials blooming!

But even though it’s not been as cold as usual, many of us are already craving more comforting food. That’s the body’s way of preparing us for winter. Stocking up our reserves. So it’s out with the BBQs and salads and in with the hearty pies and stews.

This is when diced venison really comes to the fore!

Diced venison

Our chunky diced venison, taken from the haunch and shoulder, is richer in protein, so more filling, but also much lower in fat than its beefy counterpart (er…beef). That’s why it’s important to allow a longer cooking time to keep it lovely and moist. Think stew, curry, tagine, pies and the like. Low and slow definitely wins the race here, and your patience will be rewarded with beautiful tender morsels.

Got to got to try a little tenderness!

It’s not essential but red wine is a wonderful diced meat tenderiser. Every little helps, as they say, and it’s much easier than bashing each chunk with a rolling pin!

• Marinate for a couple of hours, or overnight, then remove the meat, saving the wine to go back in later.
• Sear on a med/high heat if you have time as the slightly caramelised surface will really enhance the flavour of your meal.

It’s all gravy

Using potatoes in a stew or pie filling will naturally help to thicken the sauce but flour is a great insurance policy too (I REALLY hate faffing about with cornflour at the end of cooking). We use 2 methods:

Method 1:

• Mix some plain flour and your choice of seasonings together in a bowl/freezer bag.
• Add the meat and shake bag or roll around to coat lightly (do a bit at a time to avoid it all sticking together).
• Sear meat in batches and put to one side.
• Deglaze your hot pan with a bit of wine to easily release any flavoursome stuck bits.
• Gently fry onions etc and continue with recipe.

Method 2: (if you don’t have time or just can’t be bothered to do the above)

• Just season meat, sear and put to one side.
• Deglaze pan as above.
• Heat oil, gently fry onions (and other veg or bacon, if using)
• Add a tablespoon of butter and once it’s melted stir in a tablespoon or so of plain flour and heat for a further minute to cook off the floury taste (adjust the amount of butter/flour according to the quantity of liquid in your recipe i.e. more for more)
• Then gradually stir in your stock, including any reserved marinade wine, and add the meat, seasonings and any other ingredients before starting it on its long leisurely journey to rich deliciousness!

Venison Tagine

Still not sure where to start? This is one of our favourite venison meals, our adaptation of a recipe from an excellent book called Venison: The Game Larder.

Ingredients:

Vegetable/rapeseed  oil
1kg of diced venison
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2tsp ground cumin
1tsp turmeric
2tsp garam masala
1tsp ground coriander
1.5 tsp harissa paste (we tend to omit the harissa as the kids find it too spicy. Boo!)
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
600ml chicken stock (or if you don’t have fresh stock make up with 2 chicken stock cubes & 1 veg stock pot) Note: if you were to use a slow cooker I would recommend a bit less liquid…just enough to almost cover the meat, I would think.
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
80g sultanas
100g dried apricots, whole or chopped
50g dates, chopped
Bunch of fresh coriander

Method:

• Heat 1-2tbsp oil in a large, cast iron casserole pot or similar. In batches, fry the meat hot and fast, sealing on all sides and remove from pan.
• Deglaze hot pan with a splash or 2 of wine or stock.
• Heat some more oil and, on a low heat, fry the onions until translucent. This can take longer than you’d think…around 10 minutes. Add the garlic when the onions are nearly there.
• Stir in all the ground spices and allow to heat through and release their flavours. You’ll smell this happening!
• Add the seared meat back to the pan and stir to coat with the spices.
• Stir in the tomato puree, cooking for a further 5 minutes. Then add the tinned tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
• Next stir in the hot stock, bring to the boil and turn down to a really low simmer for 1hour and 30 minutes. Or if you’re using the slow cooker 4 hours on high/8 hours on low.
• Add the fruit and chickpeas shortly before the end to heat through.
• We serve ours with fluffy couscous, and topped with fresh coriander and chunks of feta cheese.

Enjoy!

As always, part of the fun of cooking is experimenting and adding your own twist on recipes or inventing whole new ones, so please let us know if you discover or create an amazing venison recipe or flavour combination that we may not have thought of!