Ale and Venison Stew

My brother and his girlfriend are visiting from Copenhagen. Yesterday I took them to some of my favourite places in London (guess where?): the farmers' market by Oval Station and Borough Market.  The result?  Loads of good food was sampled and we schlepped home a lot of delicious meats, cheese, herbs and vegetables.

After carefully browsing the selection of treats at the farmers' market, we set our hearts on some diced venison which we decided to stew last night.  Last time I cooked a venison stew I used red wine, but this time I cooked it in ale.  I also used smoked bacon so it came out quite different to the last one.  I prefer this one as it has more flavours and  I like the smokiness and saltiness from the bacon.

To feed 4 friends:
500g of diced venison
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
6 pieces of smoked bacon (I swear by Giggly Pig bacon from the farmers' market)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
3 cellery sticks, washed and sliced
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 pint of ale (I used Black Sheep Ale)
2 bay leaves
2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
5 large sprigs of fresh thyme
3 pepper corns
0.5 L of beef or venison stock
freshly ground pepper

  

1. Cut or slice the bacon into small strips and put them into a large hot pot on the stove.  Let the strips fry until light brown and the fat has melted.  Then add the onions and garlic.

2.  Add the venison and freshly ground pepper once the onions turn light brown. When the venison turns brown, add the bay leaves, carrots and cellery.  Stir it around and add the thyme and rosemary.  Fry for another couple of minutes while mixing everything around.

3. Add the pepper corns and pour in the ale and stock.  Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for at least an hour.

My brother made a mash out of potatoes, celeriac and garlic which went really well with the stew.  It would also be good with boiled potatoes.

  

Venison Stew

Last night I made a stew with the venison I bought at the farmers' market by Oval tube station.  I paid just under £4 for 400g!

The stew was very easy to make and incredibily delicious. Venison really is one of my favourite meats and it goes hand in hand with autumn and red wine. 

To feed 4 friends:
400g of diced venison
4 peeled and sliced carrots
4 sliced cellery sticks
2 peeled and diced white onions
3 peeled and sliced cloves of garlic 
half a bottle of red wine
half a litre of beef stock
thyme (fresh or dried)
1 bay leaf
olive oil
salt & pepper (preferably fresh ground)

1. Heat some oil in a big pot.  Add the onions and garlic and fry them for a few minutes.  Add the venison and bay leaf.  Fry for another couple of minutes.  

2. Add 2-3 tablespoonfuls of dried Thyme/ 4 fresh Thyme sprigs. Add salt and pepper.  Add the carrots and cellery.  Fry for a few minutes.  

3. Add the wine and stock. You want to cover everything in liquid.  Bring it to a boil before reducing the heat.  Cook for an hour with the lid on.

I served the stew with boiled potatoes and a big glass of red wine.  It would also go well with mashed potatoes or fries. 

Weekly Trip to the Farmers' Market

Another Saturday, another trip to the wonderful farmers' market by Oval tube station.  And what a gorgeous autumn day for it.  


    

As usual I wanted to buy everything, but I settled for a few treats:

3 slices of cake
4 crunchy chard falafels
oak smoked salmon pate
400g of diced venison
cellery
tomatoes
onions
garlic

All this for under £21!


I had the falafels, tomatoes, and salmon pate for lunch with fresh bread from our local bakery on Landor Road, The Old Post Office Bakery, which also has a stall at the market.  I am serving the cake for my friend Karen this afternoon when she comes for tea and I am going to cook a stew using the venison and cellery.  Quite a food day, but it is Saturday and I feel like sharing the wonders of this gem of a market with my nearest and dearest.