Venison Stew

The recipe below was what I wrote out this morning and sent to Jeremy.  I had a lot of work to do at school so I wasn't coming home early enough to make this.  Since he was working at home today, he made this stew and just had it simmering throughout the day.  

I make this a lot throughout the year.  My mom made something similar to this so it's a very comforting dish for me.  This was delicious - Jeremy is very good at following directions.  He made a loaf of sesame bread to go along with it.  We have plenty of leftovers for the next couple of days too.  Yum!  

I get venison from my parents and usually have some in the freezer.  (Mom, I need more... so come visit.)  It's such a lean delicious meat.  This cooks nicely and becomes very tender.  If you don't have venison, you can use beef but might need to drain fat after browning the meat.  

I serve this stew over steamed rice.  It's a very thin stew - not thickened like most.  I've also had potatoes in it... but I'm partial to rice and that's how my mom served it.  I just make a few servings of rice right before it's finished cooking. 

There's nothing better after a long day of work than coming home to a hot pot of stew and a fresh loaf of bread.  I have the best husband in the whole world. :) 

2 lbs. venison steak

2 medium to large onions

6-8 medium carrots (about 8" long)

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tbs. dried parsley

2 qt. boxes of beef stock

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Clean the meat.  Cut off silverskin and fat.  Chop into bite-sized (about 1" square) pieces.

2. Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add 2 tbs. olive oil.  When the oil ripples, add the meat, season with salt and pepper.  Allow the meat to carmelize a bit on one side before stirring to brown on all sides.

3. While the meat is cooking, dice 2 medium to large onions.  (You want about 2 c. of onions when you're finished dicing.)

4. Add the onions to the meat (the meat doesn't have to be fully cooked).  Stir to combine.  Saute for 2-3 minutes until the onions begin to soften around the edges. 

5. Add 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp. dried oregano, 1 tbs. dried parsley.  Add beef stock.

6. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer (you might have to drop it to low eventually to keep it at a simmer) for 2-3 hours.  Stir occasionally. (You may need to add more beef broth if it evaporates too much.)

7. Once the meat is tender, peel and slice the carrots.  Add to the stew and simmer for 30-45 minutes until the carrots are nice and tender.

8. Adjust seasonings and serve.