Venison Goulash
Servings:
4 people
Rich and redolent with smokey paprika and fragrant whilst mildly spiced this is the ideal slow cook when a stew feels wrong but you still want comfort and indulgence - those Hungarians know a thing or two about cooking venison!
Ingredients
- 500 g diced venison
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil / lard / butter
- 3 onions (finely sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and sliced)
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp best quality smoked paprika (ideally Hungarian)
- 1 large pinch chilli flakes
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 juniper berries (lightly crushed)
- a large sprig thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 400g tin of chopped tomatoes (or 350ml tomato passata)
- a dash sherry vinegar
- 200 ml venison (or other meat) stock
- salt and pepper
To finish
- a pinch smoked paprika
- a small pot sour cream
- a bunch chopped parsley / basil (optional)
Instructions
- Place a medium casserole pan over a moderate heat, add half the oil or other fat. Dust the diced venison with the flour and season well with salt and pepper. Fry the venison off in the pan to colour it and seal it up nicely. Spoon it out onto a plate or a bowl.
- Add the remaining fat into the pan and then add the onions, herbs and garlic. Sweat this off over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until they soften up and wilt down nicely.
- Add the venison back to the pan and a dash of sherry vinegar. Stir and season again. Add the chilli flakes, paprika, fennel seeds and again, cook for a minute or two. Now add the passata and stock (or water if you have no stock) and pop in the juniper.
- Bring everything back to a gentle simmer and cook for around another hour and a half with a wee stir occasionally. This can be either on the stove or in the oven, but certainly with a lid on.
- Once you are happy the goulash is ready and the meat is tender, check the seasoning and add a dash more vinegar if you think it needs perking up. Then turn off the heat and leave the whole thing alone for at least 20minutes.
- I love a nice garlic buttered flatbread, lashings of soured cream and some lemon as a garnish to serve with this unctuous beauty, but it is probably more traditional to boil some tatties and steam some greens to go with your goulash – Its excellent served with a little more paprika sprinkled over the top and lashings of sour cream, chopped parsley and basil lend an excellent finish too.
Recipe Notes
This will make an excellent filling for pies, stores well in the freezer for re heating and even works as a quick pasta sauce on those days when you just need something quick and hassle free.
Rich and redolent with smokey paprika and fragrant whilst mildly spiced this is the ideal slow cook when a stew feels wrong but you still want comfort and indulgence - those Hungarians know a thing or two about cooking venison!
Ingredients
- 500 g diced venison
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil / lard / butter
- 3 onions (finely sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and sliced)
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp best quality smoked paprika (ideally Hungarian)
- 1 large pinch chilli flakes
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 juniper berries (lightly crushed)
- a large sprig thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 400g tin of chopped tomatoes (or 350ml tomato passata)
- a dash sherry vinegar
- 200 ml venison (or other meat) stock
- salt and pepper
To finish
- a pinch smoked paprika
- a small pot sour cream
- a bunch chopped parsley / basil (optional)
Instructions
- Place a medium casserole pan over a moderate heat, add half the oil or other fat. Dust the diced venison with the flour and season well with salt and pepper. Fry the venison off in the pan to colour it and seal it up nicely. Spoon it out onto a plate or a bowl.
- Add the remaining fat into the pan and then add the onions, herbs and garlic. Sweat this off over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until they soften up and wilt down nicely.
- Add the venison back to the pan and a dash of sherry vinegar. Stir and season again. Add the chilli flakes, paprika, fennel seeds and again, cook for a minute or two. Now add the passata and stock (or water if you have no stock) and pop in the juniper.
- Bring everything back to a gentle simmer and cook for around another hour and a half with a wee stir occasionally. This can be either on the stove or in the oven, but certainly with a lid on.
- Once you are happy the goulash is ready and the meat is tender, check the seasoning and add a dash more vinegar if you think it needs perking up. Then turn off the heat and leave the whole thing alone for at least 20minutes.
- I love a nice garlic buttered flatbread, lashings of soured cream and some lemon as a garnish to serve with this unctuous beauty, but it is probably more traditional to boil some tatties and steam some greens to go with your goulash – Its excellent served with a little more paprika sprinkled over the top and lashings of sour cream, chopped parsley and basil lend an excellent finish too.
Recipe Notes
This will make an excellent filling for pies, stores well in the freezer for re heating and even works as a quick pasta sauce on those days when you just need something quick and hassle free.
