Venison Stew (gluten free)

Venison Stew
Here in the rural Midwest, there is no shortage of lean, free range and antibiotic-free venison. I have heard many people say they do not like it because it is tough and gamey. If you are not a vegetarian, would you not eat venison if it was tender and delicious? (Some of the crowd is saying, "aw shucks, but they are so cute." Well, they are not so cute when you hit them with your car, which happens more often when they get overpopulated. Steers and piggies are cute, too, and many people eat them without thinking about it.)

An easy way to take the gaminess out is with red wine. I do not know the chemistry involved, but if you pitch a cup of red wine into the crock pot with stew or over a roast, the venison will taste more like beef. The alcohol evaporates with cooking.

For the stew pictured above, I used a cup of Sugar Clay Winery's Bandana Red, which is slightly sweet. Dry wines also do the trick. The greatest factor in choosing the wine is what you would like in your glass. A cupful will do, and since the bottle is open, why let it go to waste?

Stew is a great way to clear the fridge out somewhat. Today's (and tomorrow's) stew contains:

about a pound of venison loin, thinly sliced
1 cup red wine
4 cups water (or leftover whey from cheese if you need a use for it)
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped yellow carrots
4 potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 bag (approx 8oz) mixed vegetables

Add the venison and wine to a crock pot. Turn it on high, and, after an hour or two, throw in the rest of the ingredients then turn the pot to low. Let it cook for about twenty-four hours total. Just before serving, add a little salt to taste. I added one teaspoon of "lite" salt.

The kids were funny today at the table. The Cadet wanted only carrots, and G-man wanted only broth. We'll see what happens when it is reheated tomorrow.



www.stealthymom.com

This recipe was shared at Traditional Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, and Sunday Night Soup Night, collections of natural food recipes.

2 comments:

  1. This looks really tasty! That's really interesting about adding whey, but I guess it would give extra protein and flavor! Thanks for sharing this with Sunday Night Soup Night, look forward to seeing you again soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I'd say the whey is optional. Wine is the tenderizer; whey is just something we often need to find a use for. Sometimes all the bread that can be baked is baked, the plants are watered... pitch it in the soup!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...