Alright, so the other day I was craving something hearty and decided to tackle some German venison recipes. Never cooked venison before, but how hard could it be, right?
First things first, I hit up the local butcher. Asked for some venison stew meat, told him I was gonna try a German recipe. He gave me this look like, “Good luck, buddy,” but hey, I wasn’t deterred. Got about two pounds of the stuff.
Next, research time! I hopped online and started digging. Found a bunch of recipes for “Hirschgulasch” – that’s German venison goulash for those who don’t speak the language. They all seemed kinda similar, so I just Frankenstein-ed together what I thought sounded best.
Here’s the gist of what I did:
- The Meat: Cut the venison into bite-sized chunks. Pretty standard stuff.
- The Sear: This is key. I heated up some oil (used canola, seemed neutral) in my Dutch oven and browned the venison in batches. Gotta get that nice crust for flavor! Don’t overcrowd the pan, that’s rule number one.
- The Aromatics: Once the meat was browned and set aside, I tossed in some chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Cooked ’em down until they were soft and starting to caramelize. This part smelled amazing, I tell ya.
- The Liquid: Now for the good stuff. I deglazed the pot with some red wine – a cheap Cabernet Sauvignon, nothing fancy. Let that simmer for a minute or two to burn off the alcohol. Then, I added a few cups of beef broth (because I didn’t have venison broth, duh), a can of crushed tomatoes, and a bay leaf.
- The Spices: Paprika (both sweet and smoked), juniper berries (crushed), caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. I kinda just eyeballed it. Figured I could always add more later.
- The Simmer: This is the patience-testing part. I put the venison back in the pot, brought everything to a simmer, then covered it and let it cook for about three hours. Low and slow, that’s the secret. Stirred it every now and then to make sure nothing was sticking.
- The Thickening (Optional): After three hours, the venison was super tender. The sauce was a little thin, though, so I mixed a tablespoon of cornstarch with a little cold water and stirred it in. Thickened right up.
Served it over some egg noodles (Spätzle would have been more authentic, but I didn’t have any) with a dollop of sour cream. And you know what? It was pretty damn good! The venison was rich and flavorful, the sauce was savory and complex. Definitely a winner.
Lessons Learned:
- Venison can be a little gamey, so don’t skimp on the spices. The juniper berries and caraway seeds really helped cut through that.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment. I didn’t follow any recipe exactly, just used them as a guide.
- Patience is key. The long simmering time is what makes the venison so tender.
Would I make it again? Absolutely. Next time, I might try adding some mushrooms or potatoes to the stew. But overall, it was a successful venison adventure.
