Preparation time: less than 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1–2 hours
Serves 8–10
Adapted from BBC Food – Elizabeth Guy
This slow-cooked venison casserole is rich and deeply flavoured, with red wine, redcurrant jelly and herbs creating a hearty dish ideal for entertaining.
Ingredients
For the venison casserole
1 tbsp olive oil
25g/1oz butter
2 onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 rashers smoked bacon, chopped
500g/1lb 2oz chestnut mushrooms, halved
2.5kg/5½lb haunch or shoulder of venison, diced
½ bottle red wine
400ml/14fl oz water
2 beef stock cubes, crumbled
3 tbsp redcurrant jelly
salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g/2oz cornflour
To serve
new potatoes
wilted spinach
To decorate (optional)
punnet redcurrants
6 sprigs rosemary or thyme
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large lidded casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened but not browned.
- Add the garlic, bacon and mushrooms and cook for a further minute.
- In a separate frying pan, brown the venison in batches, then add it to the casserole.
- Add the red wine, water, crumbled stock cubes and redcurrant jelly. Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil and stir well.
- Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 90 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add gradually to the casserole until the sauce thickens to your liking.
- Return the casserole to the hob and cook gently for about 5 minutes until the gravy has thickened.
- Serve with new potatoes and wilted spinach, decorating each plate with rosemary or thyme and fresh redcurrants if desired.