Venison Stew

Remove the skin and cartilage from the meat and cut it into 3 cm cubes. Place the meat cubes in a large baking dish and add the cleaned and diced vegetables from the marinade. Sprinkle the preparation with the spices, then add the thyme and the crushed garlic clove. Pour in the red wine, cover the dish with plastic wrap, and let the meat marinate overnight. After the indicated time, strain the marinade and collect the liquid in a bowl. Using a fork, separate the meat cubes from the vegetables and remove them from the container. Dry the meat by patting it with a few sheets of paper towels. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and brown the meat over high heat until it is well colored. Season with salt, add the drained vegetables from the marinade, and sauté everything for a few minutes. When the vegetables begin to color, add the tomato paste and let it dry, stirring constantly. Add the marinade liquid and, if necessary, some water, so that all the ingredients are covered. Bring to a boil and skim. Let it cook over moderate heat and covered for an hour, then pour everything into a strainer and collect the cooking liquid in a saucepan. Heat the liquid, adjust with salt and pepper, then add the meat, separated from the vegetables, bring to a boil, and serve with the mushrooms, cleaned, halved, and sautéed in a pan with butter over medium heat for 15 minutes. If you prefer, you can cook the stew in the oven after covering the saucepan: this method makes it easier to prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom of the container. -- TIPS. The stew is one of the best methods for preparing game, which is cooked after being diced and marinated for a long time in a mixture of wine, spices, and vegetables. The marinade helps to moderate the intense flavor of the meat and also contributes to keeping it tender. An additional advantage of this cooking method is the format of the meat: since it must be cut into cubes, it is possible to use less prized cuts like the neck and shoulder. The preparation of the stew is quite long and laborious, especially considering the time needed to marinate the meat, but the result is truly excellent. The recipe we propose is made with venison, however, you can also prepare the stew with other types of game or with veal or beef. It is important to use cuts of the same type of meat so that they have the same fiber and therefore the same cooking times.