Game on: an autumn feast of Italian venison stew
A warming stew hits the spot with autumn fully upon us, but why not branch out from the usual roast and try this hearty Italian venison casserole served with creamy polenta and buttery beetroot...
We are now properly into comfort food season, and today’s feast is a classic of the genre. The creamy blandness of soft polenta, with soft, sweet cavolo nero folded into it, combined with the deep, ferrous richness of the venison stew, will keep you warm you through the bleakest winter night.
There are two ways to serve this dish. The first is the traditional Italian method, which is to pour the soft polenta into a mound on a clean, unvarnished wooden table, and then make a depression in the middle of the mound into which you pour the stew. Guests either serve themselves from this meat volcano or, even more traditionally, eat directly from it with forks. I love the generosity and theatre of this approach, it does have its drawbacks.
It should, on no account, be attempted if (as in my case) there are likely to be tiny Lego parts or glittery beads secreted in the cracks of your kitchen table. In the past, I have got round this problem by pouring it instead on to a large wooden chopping board or a sheet of baking parchment. But you still have to get both the polenta and the stew to exactly the right consistency to avoid a messy landslide off the table and on to the floor.
If, like my wife, you are unamused by the prospect of scraping spatters of hardened polenta off far-flung corners of the kitchen for years to come, it is fine to serve it more conventionally, in a bowl, as shown in this photograph. But it won’t be half as much fun.
Venison stew
Serves 6
25g dried porcini mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
100g pancetta (or smoked bacon) lardons
1kg venison shoulder, cut into 2-3cm dice
1-2 tbsp flour
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
A sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
A pinch of ground cloves
A pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tbsp tomato puree
200ml red wine
200ml chicken or beef stock
1 tbsp butter
400g mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 Cover the dried mushrooms with 300ml boiling . Leave to soak for at least 20 minutes. Drain, keeping the soaking liquor, and roughly chop the mushrooms.
2 Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the pancetta lardons until they are lightly coloured and some of the fat has been released. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set to one side in a bowl.
3 Dry the venison chunks well and toss in the flour with lots of salt and pepper added. Brown the venison in batches in the pan; chucking it all in the pan will only make the meat stew and it will be harder to brown. Add the browned meat to the pancetta on the side.
4 Tip the vegetables into the pan with the chopped porcini, herbs and spices. Cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes, adding a little extra oil if necessary. Stir in the tomato puree and add the red wine – you can also add a slug of gin at this stage – turning up the heat and giving the pan a good stir to release any bits stuck to the bottom.
5 Return the venison and pancetta to the pan. Add the chicken stock and porcini soaking liquor and bring up to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat down, and cook gently for about an hour and a half, or until the venison is tender. Alternatively, you can transfer the venison into an ovenproof dish and cook it, covered, in a low oven –around 120C/235F/gas mark ¼-½.
6 Heat the butter in a large frying pan and cook the chopped mushrooms until they start to wilt. Season well and cook for a few minutes before tipping the pan contents into the stew. Taste an adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Wet polenta with kale
750ml water
125g polenta
50g butter
2 tbsp grated parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling over
400g black kale (cavolo nero)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper
1 Bring the water up to the boil, add salt and slowly pour in the polenta, whisking to incorporate. The consistency should be one of sloppy mash. Turn the heat down and cook the polenta slowly for about 35-40 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every 5 minutes.
2 While the polenta is cooking, prepare the kale by removing the leaves from the tough central rib. Blanch the leaves in salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes or until they are tender. Drain and refresh in cold water. Squeeze out any excees liquid and chop roughly.
3 In a large pan, heat the oil and cook the garlic for a few minutes without browning. Add the chopped kale, toss in the oil and season well. Cook for 5 minutes before transferring to a food processor and blitzing until you have a rough paste.
4 When the polenta is cooked, remove from the heat and add the butter and the parmesan. Beat until incorporated before adding the kale. Stir in and check the seasoning. Empty on to a large plate just before serving and sprinkle with extra parmesan.
Buttered beetroot
500-600g beetroot, peeled and grated
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
A pinch of allspice
Olive oil for drizzling
1 Place the beetroot in a large pan with the butter and vinegar. Season well and add the allspice. Heat until the butter melts and stir well.
2 Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and serve drizzled with olive oil.
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