Venison and chestnuts with winter vegetables
- Prepare
- overnight
- Cook
- over 2 hours
- Serve
- Serves 4
- Dietary
- Nut-free
A British classic - this beautiful winter stew celebrates the seasons best game and produce.
Ingredients
For the venison and chestnuts
- 1kg/2lb 4oz venison shoulder, sinew removed and cut into large chunks
- 500ml/18fl oz red wine
- 250ml/9fl oz port
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into pieces
- 2 onions, peeled and halved
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 6 juniper berries
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 10g/⅓oz fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 100g/3½oz flour
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 litre/1¾ pints chicken stock
- 180g/6oz cooked chestnuts
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish
- 2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped, to garnish
For the winter vegetables
- 4 carrots, peeled left whole
- ½ celeriac, peeled and cut into 4cm/2in pieces
- 2 small potatoes, peeled
- 90g/3¼oz unsalted butter
- 1 bunch cavolo nero
Method
To make the venison and chestnuts, marinate the venison chunks with the red wine, port, carrot, onions, celery, garlic, juniper berries and black peppercorns. Tie the thyme, bay leaves, and rosemary together with string and add to the mix. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2. Remove the venison, vegetables, and herbs from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Pat the meat dry.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy, lidded, ovenproof pot until hot. Add the marinated vegetables and cook until caramelized, about 6–8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Dust the venison in the flour and plenty of seasoning, then brown the meat on all sides in the pot. Set aside.
Stir the tomato purée into the pot and cook for 1–2 minutes. Pour in the reserved marinade liquid and reduce by half.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the venison and vegetables back into the pot and cover with the lid. Cook in the oven for 2–3 hours, or until the venison is tender.
In the last 30 minutes, add the cooked chestnuts to warm through. If the sauce is too thin, remove the meat and reduce the liquid on the stove.
Meanwhile, to make the winter vegetables, boil the carrots, celeriac pieces and potatoes for 10–15 minutes, until tender. Remove from the saucepan and set aside.
Divide the butter equally between two frying pans, and place each on a medium heat.
Add the carrots into one pan with the honey and cook until glazed and sticky.
Add the carrots, celeriac and potatoes to another and cook until golden brown, this will take 5–8 minutes.
In the other pan add the cavalo nero and cook until wilted, this will take 2–3 minutes.
Garnish the venison with the parsley and tarragon and serve alongside the winter vegetables.
