Simple Slow Cooker Venison Casserole…with Chocolate

I picked up a pack of casserole venison in our local butcher during the week as the ideal thing to put in the slow cooker on Saturday, to cook whilst we spent the afternoon in the rugby club celebrating the opening of the new pitches.

Not the cheapest meat, I opted only to buy a 500g pack between five of us and bulk it out with something.  I settled on this recipe with button mushrooms, as I am not a fan (as I might have mentioned) of overly stewed carrot and celery.   Only one child baulked at them.

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
500g casserole venison
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 large clove of garlic, finely sliced
50g smoked bacon offcuts or 2 rashers smoked bacon, diced
200g button mushrooms
200ml red wine
1 beef stock cube, crumbled
1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
Boiling water

At the end of the cooking time:-
4 heaped tsp cornflour
4 cubes dark chocolate
Salt and pepper, to taste

Fry the cubed venison in the olive oil in batches to brown it.  When brown, place in the warming slow cooker.  Fry the onion, garlic, bacon and mushrooms in the pan after the venison.  When it begins to brown or catch add the wine, stock cube and redcurrant jelly.  Bring to the boil and pour into the slow cooker.  Top up with about 200ml boiling water so the meat is just peeking out.  Stir, cover, and leave on Auto for about 6-8 hours.

When ready to eat, pour back into the pan you used to fry everything in if still available.  Mix a little water into the cornflour until it is the consistency of double cream and stir into to the simmering stew to thicken.  Melt the chocolate into the sauce (mainly done to win the kids over admittedly), check the seasoning and serve with mashed potato, or pasta if you think you’ll still need additional help winning the kids over!

Twitter: Leesa@sunhillcurry

Slow Cooker Pheasant in Cider

Adapted from Delia Smith’s Pot Roast of Pheasant with Shallots & Caramelised Onions.

Pheasants are currently selling at £9.99 for four in our local butchers.  Which means last nights meal was roughly £1 each for the five of us, plus veg.   Apparently, according to Delia, the pheasant season comes to an end in mid-February so try it out quick.

Serves 5

2 pheasants
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil
12 shallots or 3 onions, quartered
1 large clove of garlic, thinly sliced
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp Calvados or brandy
500ml cider
300ml recently boiled water
1 chicken stock cube
1 tbsp flour
Salt & pepper

Plug in the slow cooker to warm up.  Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan and brown the pheasants.  Once browned, place in the slow cooker.  Brown the peel shallots (or onions) in the remaining fat then add to the slow cooker together with the thyme and bayleaf.

Return the pan to the heat.  Add the Calvados/brandy if using to scrape any meaty goodness off the bottom of the pan.  Add the cider and bring to the boil.  Pour over the pheasants.  Crumble the stock cube into a measuring jug and add the recently boiled water. Top the slow cooker up with this so the liquid comes about halfway up the pheasants.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours or Auto for 6-8 hours.  Serve with mash to absorb all the lovely cidery sauce.

Any leftover liquid can be used as a stock for a soup.

Twitter: Leesa@sunhillcurry