Venison with prunes

Tags

Game, muscadel, prunes, rainbow nation, South Africa, Stews, venison

 

Another great one pot meal. Try this slow-cooked venison recipe – the meat cooks to the softness of butter within hours and is complemented perfectly with the sweetness of the prunes and wine. In South Africa, the wine used is Muscadel. It is a sweet, full rounded wine with rich fruit flavours. It exists in white and red and is usually an after dinner drink, similar to a port. I used a red Banyuls instead which is very similar but easier to obtain in France. You could substitute beef for the venison if you prefer.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1/4 cup canola oil
500 g / 1 lb lardons or bacon, chopped into small pieces
3 large onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
400 g / 14 oz  mushrooms, sliced
2 kg / 4 lbs venison, cut into large cubes
1/4 cup tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups pitted prunes
1 cup water
2 cups red muscadel
1 stick cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 160 C / 320 F
Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan – I used a 28-cm (11″) Le Creuset
Sauté the lardons or bacon until crispy
Add onions, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until soft
Add the venison and cook until the meat is well browned
Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, prunes, water, wine and cinnamon
Bring to a boil then lower heat, cover and place in the oven for about 3 hours
Stir after one hour, checking if there is enough liquid
When the meat is tender, remove lid and cook until the sauce is thick enough (mine did not need extra cooking time)
Serve with samp or rice or pasta
Enjoy!

 

 

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