I have quite a bit of South Uist Venison in the freezer, so be prepared for some variations on this theme. I made this rich Hungarian stew last night, and it is delicious. It is usually served with dumplings. The key is to stew the onions very slowly, preferably in lard, and to add the paprika fairly late in the proceedings. There will seem to be an unfeasibly large quantity of onions, but don’t worry, this works.
INGREDIENTS:
- 60g lard
- 900kg venison, cut into slabs about 1 inch thick, and about the size of half a postcard
- salt and pepper
- 4 onions, chopped (about 750g)
- 2 tsp caraway seed
- 2 tbsp sweet paprika
- 2 tsp hot paprika
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 500ml beef stock or venison stock
- 300ml red wine
METHOD:
- Melt the large in a large casserole dish, and brown the venison in batches, and set aside on a dish. You can season the venison as it cooks
- In the same pan, add the onions and caraway seeds, and cook over a medium heat. Stir often and cook until the onions are browned. This might take up to 30 minutes.
- Add the venison, and all of the other ingredients and bring back to a simmer. Cook in the oven at 140C for a couple of hours
- Make your favourite dumplings, if this is your thing. I had mashed potato and celeriac.
- When the stew is done, break up the meat a bit with a pair of forks. Serve with the dumplings and sour cream for those that wish to add it.