Casserole of Venison with Prunes & Pickled Walnuts
Submitted by jazz82
A slow-braised British venison casserole with red wine, prunes, and pickled walnuts. Cooked, rested overnight, then reheated for the deepest, most complex game stew you’ll ever taste.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
1This is proper British country cooking at its finest. Cubes of venison get a flour coating and hard sear, then braise low and slow in a generous bath of red wine with soft prunes and tangy pickled walnuts.
The prunes bring a jammy sweetness. The pickled walnuts bring a sharp, vinegary bite. Together they frame the deep, earthy flavour of the venison in a way that’s been perfected over generations.
Here’s the brilliant part: you cook it for an hour, let it cool completely, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, another hour in the oven and the flavours have transformed into something far greater than the sum of their parts.
Kitchen Tips
- Brown the venison in small batches. Overcrowding steams the meat instead of searing it, and you lose that caramelised crust.
- The overnight rest is not optional. It’s what takes this from good to extraordinary. Every stew and casserole benefits from this technique.
- Pickled walnuts are a classic British pantry staple. Check specialty food shops or online if your local grocer doesn’t stock them.
- Soak the prunes ahead of time until they’re plump and soft so they melt into the sauce during cooking.
- Serve with creamy mashed potatoes or buttered parsnips to soak up every drop of that wine-rich sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
The prunes and pickled walnuts provide just the sweet and sharp contrast that complements the flavour of venison so well.
Put the flour, salt and a good grinding of pepper into a bowl.
Toss the pieces of venison in the seasoned flour to coat.
Heat the oil in a heavy flameproof casserole and brown the meat, a few pieces at a time; remove the browned meat and keep it warm while you brown the rest.
When all the meat is browned, add the onions to the casserole and cook them until they are soft and translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the wine and water, scraping the bits off the bottom of the casserole with a wooden spoon.
When the liquid is simmering. replace the browned meat in the casserole, and stir in the pickled walnuts and prunes.
Cover the casserole with a lid, and cook in a preheated moderate oven (350 degreesF ) for an hour.
Let the casserole cool completely, then store in the refrigerator overnight.
Cook it for a further hour at the same temperature before serving.
All stews and casseroles benefit in flavour from reheating.
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