Venison Stew

Venison Stew

I had about a pound of venison from the deer I shot and butchered myself this fall. It was chunks of meat so I cubed it cutting away as much of the white tendon and grisel as was easy. I think it mostly came from a foreleg with some shoulder.

Ingredients

Venison – about a pound thawed and cubed

Onions – 2 large white

Garlic – one head, about 8 peeled cloves, crushed and cut up fine

Ginger – about a thumb size chopped really small

Peppers - 1 red , take out the inside with seeds and chop up the red outside

1 green jalapeena – take out inside with seeds and chop up outside

Mushrooms – a cup and a half of fresh white ones

Green onions – the long ones with little white head and green part, about 6 chopped

Tomatoes – 2 fresh ones diced

Potato and carrot water – 1/8 cup

Soy Sauce – 3 tbsp (glug it on a bit)

Can of green peas - 1

Can of plain corn - 1

Can of tomato puree -1

I ate the carrot I'd planned to include in this late last night.

Spices -1/4 to ½ tsp salt

Lots of pepper, a couple of tsp's at least

Best from the pepper corn grinder

2 tbsp of oregano crushed

2 tbsp of basil crushed

2 tbsp of rosemary – the seed type, not crushed

3 bay leaf

1 tbsp of honey

2 tbsp of butter

Lime – one lime cut in half and both sides squeezed into the pot.

I'm really guessing here about the amounts because I just glug, shake and dump mostly with the spices.

I poured some almond oil to cover the base of the pan. I chopped up a couple of large peeled white onions and a whole head of garlic. I cut up the ginger and added this to the pot. Then I chopped up the venison and threw away any grisel while the onion and garlic and ginger sizzled. I added the meat then to the pot stirring it all with a stainless steel ladle. I added the salt and pepper and bay leaf here.

I cleaned my chopping board after the meat.

Then I chopped up the peppers and added those to the pot.

I chopped up the mushrooms and added those. Then I diced the tomatoes and added them.

I added the soya sauce here and then poured in the oregano, basil, rosemary here.

I then added the cans of drained peas, the undrained corn and the tomato puree. I had left over potato and carrot water from last night so I used that to swish out the tomato purre can.

I then added the chunk of butter and the honey.

I slow cooked low it, just bubbling, on my propane gas Force 10 stove in my sailboat. I just tasted it. I added another half teaspoon of salt and then ground on more pepper. I usually grind more pepper and the other Italian grinder I have just before I serve it. I'm going to serve it now. It's been cooking about the time it took me to write this. It tasted too good. The broth was scrumptious but a piece of venison was 'to die for'. Mmmmm. I'll have it with some fresh 12 grain bread I just picked up yesterday at Choices. After I'll probably have a chocolate bar or yoghurt but if I'm really enthusiastic I'll make some jasmine tea.

I'll put the remainder in plastic containers and store in the fridge freezer.I'll probably get at least three meals out of this one pot. It's so unbelievably nutritious and nearly medicinal in a native Canadian way that I'll probably get to throw into my diet this week a guilt free Church or Kentucky Fried Chicken or Macdonald's or A&W Burger and fries.

In Europe only the Lords hunted so only the Lords and Ladies ate venison. The great hind. I've shot some 30 or 40 deer and a half dozen moose or more, some bear and countless birds. I used to have cook for dozens at a time. Most of the thousand pounds of meat was shared with friends, native, locals and even those who'd never had anything except 'prepared' food. Given the effort that goes into hunting, weeks off work, days of hiking back mountains, riding back woods, sitting in rain and cold, hauling hundreds of pounds of game out often at night, sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend or two, we always say that wild game costs a thousand dollars an ounce. People often say , "can i have some of your moose' or whatever and hunters and fishermen always want to reply ,'sure if you give me your latest computer or cell phone for free."

It was easier when I lived in the country. My friend who shoots a moose each year and has shot some thirty or so, says "you're doing pretty good for a city boy". My country friends say they shoot the deer in their backyards whereas I have to drive a few hours just to get out to where I hunt, usually past Princeton or up by 100 mile House way. People get deer closer to Vancouver but I enjoy the solitude and country further out. Pulling a trigger is the hard and sad part. That's when the work of getting the game home begins.

Here we're blessed and priviledged to still have wilderness. The British Columbia wildlife authorities 'manage' the stock and hunters and fishermen are the principal contributors to the ecology of the Canadian Wildlife. A lot of the 'advocacy' groups get the media attention and make a show for the drama of it but hunters and fishermen with the prices of their licenses and their conservation policies have maintained and managed the vast wilderness of BC. I remember my dad getting us kids to help manage a marsh one year with Duck's Unlimitted. It's amazing stewardship. The pay off is in the incredible feasts. Thank God. Time for Grace and eating venison stew. Mmmmmm good!