Venison Casserole

Photo: flickr user www.theedinburghblog.co.uk

Ingredients

1 pound onions thickly sliced

2 pounds carrots cut ½" dice

2 bay leaves

cup white wine vinegar

1 cross-cut venison saddle - (5 lbs) cut 2" cubes

3 tablespoons flour

Salt to taste

Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Clarified butter as needed

cup tomato puree

cup red wine

2 tablespoons red currant jelly plus

2 teaspoons red currant jelly

1 teaspoon arrowroot

lemon juiced

1 lemon thinly sliced

cup whipped cream

Finely-chopped parsley

Preparation

Combine onions, carrots, bay leaves and vinegar in saucepan. Boil and pour over meat. Let marinate overnight. Drain and dry meat and vegetables.

Mix meat and vegetables with flour and season with salt and pepper. Heat some clarified butter in large saucepan. When hot, add venison and brown, then add onions and carrots and brown. Add bay leaves.

Heat tomato puree in separate small saucepan until brown. Add puree to meat and vegetables. To this, add most of the red wine and 2 tablespoons red currant jelly. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.

Transfer meat and vegetables to heated serving dish. Mix arrowroot with remaining red wine and add to boiling gravy to thicken. Add lemon juice. Nap meat and vegetables with gravy, garnish with lemon slices, cream and remaining jelly. Dust with parsley.

This recipe yields 6 servings.

Comments: A specialty of Masterbuilder House Hotel at Bucklers Hard, England.