As I was digging through the chest freezer looking for some ham the other night, I found a venison roast from back in September. I didn’t realize we had anymore! I wanted to put it to good use, but how would it be best enjoyed?
My parents visited over the weekend, and my mom left half a bottle of red wine behind. I couldn’t drink it, but I couldn’t let a good red go to waste. My mind immediately went to the venison. And boeuf bourguignon.
This is my launching pad. The recipe I’ve used for boeuf bourguignon for
11+ years. There are always some minor adjustments, but this is the
starting point.
Without further ado, tonight’s recipe, with estimated measurements, because that’s just how I cook:
Venison Bourguignon
Serves 6, 1hr 30min (including toddler distractions and preschool help)
- 2lbs venison (or more, I didn’t weigh it. Anywhere from 1-3lbs would be
fine. It all depends on how much meat you like!), cubed - 3/4lb ish bacon pieces (leftovers from slicing homemade bacon)
- Four big carrots, sliced
- 5 small onions, just the white part, halved and sliced
- Olive oil
- 1 generous cup of red wine
- Water
- Quatre épices (ground cloves, nutmeg, ginger, allspice), about 1/4-1/2tsp each
- Herbes de Provence, a very large pinch, or a small handful
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Potatoes, peeled and quartered
The best part: all the main ingredients were home grown! Such a good feeling!!
Garden harvest for both rabbit broth and venison bourguignon
Heat oil in a pot (or just start everything in a normal sized pressure cooker. I couldn’t find my small pressure cooker, so I did the active cooking in a regular pot). Add onions and venison. Cook a few minutes before adding the bacon pieces.
Once meat is browned, add carrots. Add wine, then water to cover. Mix in spices,
herbes de provence, and salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer everything to a pressure cooker. (Don’t wash the pot yet, you can reuse that in the next step). Once pressure reaches 15psi, maintain for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to reduce on its own before removing the lid. This was the actually the first time I’ve used the pressure cooker for any variation of this meal and the meat came out so tender! This is definitely the way to go.
While the pressure cooker is going, boil water in the pot you started the meat in. I like my potatoes quartered for smaller mouths to eat more easily. Add potatoes and cook until soft (about 10 minutes).
Serve meat over potatoes in a bowl. Bon appétit!!
Notes: Fresh green beans would make a nice addition, or as a side dish. Like any good french meal, serve with bread to sop up the juices in your bowl at the end.
Pastorale Farm 