Red Wine Braised Venison From a Stranger

source

Once again I can't believe my good fortune. I posted a recipe for my stuffed jalapenos. A gentleman mentioned he stuffed his with pulled venison. I said, jokingly, I wish I had some venison. He sent me an email and offered me a shank. At first I thought perhaps I shouldn't accept because, well, I wasn't really asking for the venison. But then I thought I might oblige his offer because he took the time to find my email and send me the offer of the venison. So we arranged to meet. I received the frozen venison and he received a piece of my pottery and some fresh herbs from my garden. Later his mother thanked me for the pottery and remarked how she loved the fresh herbs.

source

A week or so later I've just cooked the venison which has good health benefits. Thaw venison in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Apparently bacteria can grow very quickly in venison at room temperature. It took 48 hours to thaw the venison. It was probably stored in a freezer at a very low temperature. The photo is not mine because once again my new camera won't talk wirelessly to my laptop even after two calls to Canon with their tech folks giving me steps to correct the problem. After several long calls, I am left with them saying they can't fix it. I am so frustrated. Anyway below is the venison recipe. I can't tell you how long to cook it because it depends upon the cut of meat and how large it is.

fresh or frozen roast or shank of venison
1 yellow onion chopped or shallots if you prefer
4 stalks of celery chopped
2 large carrots chopped
1 red pepper chopped (I used one of mine)
2 tablespoons olive oil to sauté vegetables
2 cups dry red wine
1 box vegetable broth 32 fl oz
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tsp agave nectar

source

When meat is thoroughly thawed it's time to cook the venison. Still keeping venison in the refrigerator, first sauté the onion till translucent, then add the celery, next the carrots, then the peppers. When vegetables are softened, add in the two cups of dry red wine. Next add in the venison then add the vegetable broth enough to almost cover the venison. If the roast or shank is large you may need more liquid to cover the venison. You can add water to make up the difference. Then add remaining ingredients. Bring mixture almost to a boil then lower temperature to a low simmer.

source

A shank is a tough cut of meat; as you know deer are running and jumping around the countryside and forests with their powerful legs. I cooked the venison for 7 hours covered on the stovetop. The meat has fallen apart slightly. Our whole house smells like what I imagine Julia Child's kitchen must have smelled like. Because I imagine Julia cooking with lots of French red wine. Gary says the house smells like his grandmother's house. He imagines his grandmother's soup cooking on the stovetop.

source

I put the whole pot in the refrigerator overnight. This morning I took out the pot and skimmed a little fat off the top. I'm reheating the mixture which has turned into a rich and flavorful gravy. How do I know? I tasted one spoonful of gravy last night. Next I'll remove the venison from the gravy and add some sliced sautéed mushrooms. I'll serve the venison and gravy with roasted fingerling potatoes. At the end you can remove the venison and add a slurry of cornstarch to thicken the gravy. I'm sure Gary would prefer mashed potatoes, but one can only cook for so many hours. There's enough for two or three meals out of this venison dish. Today we're eating like royalty thanks to some wonderful and generous people.