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Venison Stew (Gulasz z Sarniny)

November 15, 2015 by Lois Britton 4 Comments

This venison stew is the perfect way to eat game meat. The venison becomes super tender and melds perfectly with the unlikely combination of flavors, red wine, Madeira, dates, fennel, juniper berries, allspice (which in Polish is referred to as “English herb”). This may be only the second time I’ve ever cooked with fennel. I’ll have to search out more recipes; if you have a favorite I’d love to hear about it.

venison stew

I grew up in a family of hunters. As a children, we ate venison, elk, quail, pheasant. I much preferred beef and chicken. I must say that the first time I truly enjoy game was when I had a Korean style elk prepared by Chef Rob Connoley at the Curious Kumquat in Silver City, NM. Apparently, I only like fancy game meat, 😉 and this venison stew qualifies as fancy!

I’ve been thinking about this recipe that’s in From a Polish Country House Kitchen, by Anne Applebaum and Danielle Crittenden ever since my brother was succesful deer hunting last year. I’ve promised to share the recipe with him, but it’s taken me a while to unpack the box with my cookbooks from Poland. Jeff lives 1500 miles away, so we had to visit a posh butcher shop rather than his freezer. Here’s to hoping he still has a shoulder roast in the freezer or to good luck in the field this winter.

venison stews

I’ve served this with mashed potatoes and also with a combination of mashed potato and celery root. You could keep the Polish feel and serve it over buckwheat groats. Buckwheat is so common in Poland, but it’s a speciality item here in the states. I’ve used up what I brought home with me, so it’s time for an Amazon order. Like quinoa, I like to cook buckwheat in some sort of stock or broth to add flavor. You could go international and serve the venison stew over polenta too.

venison stew marinade

The original recipe doesn’t use any flour, but I like a stew to have a thick broth, so I’ve added some instant flour at the end. Wondra is a precooked flour. You can sprinkle it over a liquid and whisk it in without it getting lumpy. Because it’s precooked, you don’t have to worry about a raw flour taste if you add it at the end of cooking.

No matter what side dish or thickness you choose, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. We all need fancy food now and then.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Venison Stew (Gulasz z Sarniny)

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Category: Stew/Soup
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A delicious, sophisticed stew. One that’s sure to please everyone!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 cups dry red wine (1.4 litres)
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar (120 ml)
  • 1 cup sweet port or Madeira (240 ml)
  • 6 juniper berries, lightly crushed
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 3 allspice berries, lightly crushed
  • l large head, garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3 pounds vnison shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut in to 1 inch cubes (1.4 kg/2.5 cm cubes)
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 strips of bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces (or a small package of lardon)
  • 2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and thickly sliced
  • 1 cup chopped dates (150 g)
  • 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons Wondra flour

Instructions

  1. Add the red wine, vinegar, port or Madeira, juniper berries, cloves, allspice, garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to a large bowl
  2. Add the meat and marinade over night or for up to three days
  3. Remove the meat from the marinade (save the marinade, you’ll cook the meat in it)
  4. Pat the meat dry (it will be very purple now)
  5. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat
  6. Fry the bacon until just crisp
  7. Remove the bacon, drain on paper towels
  8. In the bacon grease, brown the meat over high heat in small batches (5-6) to avoid overcrowding the pan
  9. Pour the marinade to the pan, deglazing by scrappin up the browned bits stuck the the bottom of the pan
  10. Add the bacon and venison to the pan, making sure the meat is covered by the marinade
  11. Cover and simmer over low heat for two hours
  12. Add fennel, dates, onions, and sugar, add more salt and pepper if needed, simmer one hour
  13. Sprinkle Wondra flour over the top of the stew and whisk in to thicken the broth, simmer for just a few more minutes

Did you make this recipe?

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Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.

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Filed Under: From a Polish Country House Kitchen, Main, Meat/Seafood, Polish, Polish Mains & Sides, Polish Soups, Uncategorized, Winter

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jean

    November 16, 2015 at 8:45 am

    This stew is incredibly good! I had never iinvisioned stew as anything other than chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots and onions in a gravy.
    The ingredients in this venison stew seem an unlikely combination, but they blend so beautifully it’s amazing. Lacking venison (and not willing to spend the $$ to get it from a butcher shop) I’m going to try making it with beef instead.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      November 16, 2015 at 7:08 pm

      I’m so glad you liked it!

      Reply
  2. David

    November 22, 2015 at 3:32 pm

    This sounds incredible Lois! I love stews like this, and now that it is finally getting chilly in Tucson, it’s time! Do you think it would be okay if I used shallots instead of the garlic? I will need to get my venison at Dickman’s. Sadly, no hunters in the family – at least nearby!

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      November 22, 2015 at 6:57 pm

      Hi David,

      If you’re not a fan of garlic, I think shallots would be nice. I hope you enjoy!

      Reply

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