[Sca-cooks] German Venison Pepper Stew

[Susan Fox-Davis]

Wow, this reads startlingly identical to the "Bambi Bourgongion" I 
served up at Angels 20th Anniversary, what, about 15 years ago now?   I 
didn't use a recipe, I just made venison stew the way I did at home by 
"feel".  German, eh?  Who knew?  For the big banquet it was more like 20 
pounds of meat and enough wine to cover.  The wine I used was a 
Hungarian Bikaver Egri "Bull's Blood" which I would drink as well.    I 
think I kicked in some sage and bay leaves;  then thickened with a 
broken-up loaf of rye bread.  This was the first time I used bread as a 
thickener and I think I like it better than roux  for this purpose now!

Selene

Lisa wrote:

>Unfortunately it has been too many years since I have made it, although I
>have put in a request for the recipe from my mother.  I can put in what I
>remember and perhaps someone will recognise it?
>
>I believe it takes approximately 5 lbs of venison, cut into 1" cubes... this
>is marinated in a marinate containing 2 C (if I remember right) of red wine,
>(I prefer to use something I'd drink myself rather than cooking wine) a
>large onion cut into fairly large pieces, peppercorns, cloves and juniper
>berries along with a few other spices that I can't remember off hand.  This
>marinates for 12-24 hours, the longer the better.  After marinating, you
>take a stew pan (2 quart or larger) and brown bacon in it for the fat
>content (It calls for something else, similar to bacon, but bacon was an
>acceptable mondern substitute.)  Then once the bacon is browned, you brown
>the venison, basically searing it on each side.  Then you add one cup of the
>marinade, after straining the large stuff out.  The stew must cook for at
>leat an hour, longer if I remember right, and you add the rest of the
>marinade over the cooking time.. It tends to cook down somewhat and be
>fairly thick and is served over Spatzle.  This was from a German cookbook of
>traditional recipes.
>
>Lady Elizabeta of Rundel
>