Venison Casserole

• Prep: 25 mins
• Cook: 1-2 hours
• Serves 8-10

This venison casserole benefits from long, slow cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 25g/1oz butter
• 2 onions, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 rashers smoked bacon, chopped
• 500g/1Ib 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, to taste
• 50g/2oz cornflour
• punnet redcurrants, to decorate
• 6 sprigs rosemary
•  or thyme, to decorate

To Serve

• Wilted Spinach
• New Potatoes
  

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.

STEP 1

• On the hob, heat the olive oil and butter in a large lidded casserole dish. Add the onions and cook until softened, but not browned.

STEP 2

• Add the garlic, bacon and mushrooms and cook for a further minute.

STEP 3

• In a frying pan, brown the venison a handful at a time and add to the casserole. When all the meat is browned, add the red wine, water, stock cubes, redcurrant jelly and salt and pepper.

STEP 4

• Bring to the boil and stir well. Put the lid on the casserole and place in the middle of the oven - cook for 90 minutes.

STEP 5

• Remove from the oven. Make a paste with the cornflour and two tablespoons of water. Add as much of the paste to the casserole as is needed to thicken the sauce - add a little at a time if you are not sure how much you will need.

STEP 6

• Transfer the casserole to the hob, and, on a low heat, cook until the gravy has thickened - this will take about five minutes.

STEP 7

• Serve with new potatoes and wilted spinach. Decorate each plate with a sprig of rosemary or thyme and a bunch of fresh redcurrants.