Venison-Stew-art

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Venison-Stew-art - 9/7/19

"1500's Venison Stew" by Siobhan O'clartaigh.

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This article was added to this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium, with the permission of the author.

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Thank you,

Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li Rous

stefan at florilegium.org

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1500's Venison Stew

by Siobhan O'clartaigh

The original recipe was in a reference book I found in my local main library. It called for a haunch of old hanging deer or the neck and any organs that were available. It also said just the neck meat of a large buck in rut could be used to avoid wastage.

This is the best I can do as a recipe for the venison stew. I do not have documentation, as the book was a reference book I found in the library and it is no longer in the system. I do not remember the name. But the stew is very good and can be cooked at camp after it is mastered. Rosemary does wonders for gamey venison.

It also called for a cup of salt per section of meat. I am guessing it was meant to be for 10 lbs of meat. I reduced that amount first thing.

You will need 1 4 oz package of dried mushrooms. Shitake mushrooms work well. They can be found in most Asian markets much cheaper than regular stores. The package should be as big as an 8 x 11 envelope. Carefully remove the stems and keep them for making stock.

3 tsp dried rosemary depending on the amount of meat used

2 to 3 tsp coarse kosher salt

6 to 10 large cloves of garlic

2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

2 cups of a dry red wine and water as needed.

Flour to dredge the meat

oil to saute.

Rinse the neck very, very well and cut the meat off in 2 to 3 inch pieces. Shape is not important as long as the sizes are similar. Save the neck bones for stock.

Dredge the meat in the flour without any seasoning and brown it for flavor and color. Use a low heat to avoid burning the flour. You should have at least 6 cups of meat.

This is one of those recipes that takes a bit of practice to get it the way you like it.

In a deep heavy pot mix the cooked meat with the wine and spices salt and simmer on low for at least 2 hours. The longer it takes to cook the better the flavor.

The rosemary should be crushed in your palm to release some of the oils. It covers a multitude of sins in meat that has been around for a while. And a buck in rut has very strong flavored meat.

The mushrooms will also rehydrate as it cooks so check the liquid level. When everything is tender and the gravy has thickened on its own it is done.

Crush the garlic under a heavy knife until it is almost minced. If you want you can add it to the last batch of meat as it is browned but don't let the garlic get brown.

I like to thicken the gravy until it is spoon able with a chunk of bread. Sometimes it does not need it. Depends on how much flour coats it before cooking. You can taste and add salt to taste.

I used to serve this at a tavern table in a bowl with a fresh hard roll instead of spoons. That was how I made money to buy things at 12th Night. I usually went through four 10 quart kettles.

I had salt and pepper for seasoning when it was served

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Copyright 2019 by Deb Ketelsen. Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited. Addresses change, but a reasonable attempt should be made to ensure that the author is notified of the publication and if possible receives a copy.

If this article is reprinted in a publication, please place a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.