Hunk of Meat Monday

 Here is my quest post for fellow blogger Pinke Post and her Hunk of Meat Monday series. Stop by her blog and check out life on the prairies of North Dakota.

Hunting season has hit our house in a big way this year. First it starts with me and dove season and then quickly moves on to archery season and now we are looking to the rifle deer season. This year is extra special as our oldest has her first deer hunting coming up in the next few weeks. Hoping to have plenty of pictures to post a great story to go with them in a few weeks!

 We have been scouting for a good buck for her and she has a few picked out that she wants to go after. So in honor of her upcoming hunt I’m sharing my recipe for Venison Stew which I am hoping to be able to make often this winter. I love nothing better than being able to open my freezer and pull out a package of venison to cook up, done right venison is tender, flavorful and can be used in a wide variety of recipes. Pretty much if a recipe calls for beef you can replace it with equal amounts of venison. The only thing to remember is that venison has very little fat so if you use it in a ground form it will not shrink down like ground beef.

Venison Stew

2 lb venison roast or tenderloin rinsed, drained and trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces

1 cup carrots chopped

½ cup celery chopped

½ cup onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

2 potatoes chopped

½ cup red cooking wine

2-3 tbsp Worcestershire  sauce

1 tsp of each of the following spices: Thyme, Sage, Parsley, Oregano, Basil

2 bay leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

1) In a cast iron dutch oven brown the venison. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until soft.

2) Add the potatoes, tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, Worcestershire sauce, spices and enough water to create the broth.

(Insert “stew picture” here)

Stir and bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook until the meat and potatoes are tender. You may need to add water as the stew cooks, do not let the broth get too low.

Serve with a salad and a good loaf of bread to use to pick up all the broth in the bottom of the bowl.

Here is hoping that your hunting season is successful. Get out there and take your kids with you, even the girls!