Saturday 13 June 2015

Hedy's Venison Stew


I've spent the past 6 days in 3 different countries, had two 3:30am starts and haven't quite caught up with myself yet, so I think it apt to write a post from Greece on a supposedly Turkish blog about a Scottish recipe cooked by a South African.

We are all encouraged to eat as naturally as possible and one of the most wholesome sources of meat must be venison.  Allowed to wander where it fancies, feeding on grass and shrubs in the Highlands, miles away from chemicals and pollution, drinking pure water and having a jolly life until the gamekeeper's expert bullet kills immediately.  Despite its organic credentials, it's a dish I'm often reluctant to eat (unless it's a filet cut) because the very low fat content can make it a tricky meat to cook successfully and I've sat down to a fair number of venison stews that could take a week to chew through. Unfortunately, I've cooked a few of them myself.  So it was a real treat to enjoy probably the tenderest venison I've ever eaten, prepared by Hedy. She was very generous with the secret of her succulent stew, even though I had to ask her to repeat it 3 times as it is a name quite alien to me;  Sweetheart Stout! A sweet, black beer with a low alcohol content of only 2%, it used to be recommended drinking for pregnant and breastfeeding mums in the Highlands. Added to sautéed onions, root veg and cubed venison, and simmered for a few hours in a low oven, it makes a fantastic sauce for venison or any other meat stew.  So if there are any Highlanders heading for Bodrum, slip a can or two of Sweetheart Stout in your bag and this blogger will see how it cooks down with Turkish beef.



11 comments:

  1. I wonder if Guinness would work, as more easily found down here in Wales. I love venison and have found the slow cooker works wonders at making it tender.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've used Guinness in the past, next time I'll add something to give sweetness too.

      Delete
  2. I make a beef and Guinness stew. It also works well with Efes dark beer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And now we can get Guinness in Bodrum

      Delete
    2. Love venison and Liam loves Guinness so a marriage made in heaven!

      Delete
  3. It certainly beats the cans of Tennents' Lager Lovelies both in style and content!
    Leo remembers as a boy in Belgium that everyone drank a dark, low alcohol beer with their meals....I wonder if the Sweetheart Stout is similar...
    When we were given venison in France I used to cook it in a mix of red wine and beef stock with juniper berries cloves, garlic,bay leaf, thyme, mustard and apricot jam.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It is dark and low in alcohol but also very sweet. Your recipe sounds wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 'Mackeson - Look good, tastes good and by golly it does you good!' or it did, once upon a time! My mother swore by it for cooking - usually after she'd had a couple of whisky chasers!

    ReplyDelete
  6. A very neat tip, thanks for that, this may encourage me to tackle venison. Enjoy all the travels, Ozlem x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Next time you head up to Scotland you can stock up.

    ReplyDelete