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Venison Casserole with Port and Rosemary

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Slow cooked succulent venison served in a rich and complex red wine and port sauce loaded with carrots, mushrooms, rosemary, redcurrant jelly and juniper berries. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes or roast potatoes and you have an impressive casserole ideal for guests yet also perfect for a cosy family lunch or supper. I love to serve this on a Sunday and it is also perfect after a day on the slopes.

The layers of flavour in this casserole are created by slowly sautéing the vegetables, browning the meat, long, slow cooking in the oven (or slow cooker) and, if you have time, leaving to sit overnight, to allow the flavours to develop and infuse into each other. Although it is still delicious served on the day you make it, I try, where possible, to make it the day before. This has the added benefit of being able to serve an incredibly tasty and impressive meal with minimal work and fuss on the day.

How to make Venison Casserole with Port and Rosemary

Collect all your ingredients together:

  • olive oil
  • unsalted butter
  • onions, peeled and roughly diced
  • celery, finely chopped
  • carrots, washed, top, tailed and sliced
  • smoked streaky bacon cut into small pieces
  • garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • juniper berries, crushed
  • button mushrooms
  • diced venison
  • plain flour
  • fine salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • port wine
  • red wine
  • beef stock
  • brown sugar (optional)
  • rosemary
  • redcurrant jelly
  • bay leaves

First, the vegetables:

  1. Pulse the roughly chopped onion in a food processor until finely chopped. Alternatively chop by hand.
  2. Heat half the butter and oil in a cast iron casserole dish (the one that you will cook the casserole in) over a moderate heat and add the onion. Cook on a moderate to low heat for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until soft and lightly caramelised. You may need to turn the heat down as the onion cooks – the onion should only be lightly browned.
  3. As the onion cooks, finely chop the celery, (either in the food processor or by hand) trim and chop the carrots into larger pieces and finely chop the smoked bacon.
  4. When the onions are ready, add the celery, carrots and smoked bacon and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
  5. As these are cooking, finely chop the garlic, prepare the mushrooms and crush the juniper berries. Wipe the mushrooms clean; small mushrooms can be left whole whereas larger mushrooms can be halved or quartered.
  6. When the onion mixture is ready, add the garlic, juniper berries and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
  7. Finally add the red wine and simmer for a minute or two, stirring constantly and scraping up all the gorgeous sticky bits on the base of the pan.

Cook the meat:

I do this in a different pan at the same time as the vegetables are cooking:

  1. Meanwhile put the venison in a mixing bowl with the flour and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
  2. Melt the remaining oil and butter in a frying pan and brown the venison a handful at a time. It is important not to cook too much meat at a time or you will end up boiling it in its own juices rather than frying it. As the meat cooks, turn over to brown the other side and then remove from the pan. Add further meat to the pan and continue to cook until all the venison is browned.
  3. You will get lots of gorgeous sticky bits on the base of the pan which are loaded with flavour.
  4. When all the meat is browned, deglaze the pan with the port and boil for 1 minute scraping up all those gorgeous sticky bits. The base of your pan should look clear!.

Reduce the stock:

Whilst all this is happening, I also reduce the stock. Simply pour your stock into a saucepan and simmer until it is reduced by half.

NB I only do this if I am using a good quality stock. If using a stock cube, use only the reduced quantity, but as you normally make it.

  • I am useless at knowing when something is reduced by half, so this is what I do. Pour the stock into a saucepan and use a little stick to measure the depth of the stock. Make a mark. I then make a mark at half way so I can use this to know when I have reduced it sufficiently.
  • Simmer the stock to reduce.
  • Take off the heat when your stock has reaches the lower mark on your measuring stick.

Bring it all together and cook:

  1. Add the venison, brown sugar, redcurrant jelly, rosemary and bay leaves to the onion and red wine mixture in the cast iron casserole. Pour in the port from the pan you cooked the meat in.
  2. Also add the stock.
  3. Stir well to mix. Cover and cook on a low heat in a pre-heated oven for 3 1/2 – 4 hours until the venison is soft and succulent and the rich sauce slightly reduced.
  4. Taste and adjust the seasoning – you may wish to add more salt and/or sugar
  5. Ideally leave overnight to allow the flavours to develop and infuse.
  6. To reheat the following day, simply heat on the hob over a low temperature until piping hot.
  7. I like to serve casseroles with mashed potato, but roast potato is also delicious, and some vegetables, either roast or steamed or a mixture of them both!

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.

Photograph of Venison Casserole with Port and Rosemary
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Venison Casserole with Port and Rosemary

Slow cooked succulent venison served in a rich and complex red wine and port sauce loaded with carrots, mushrooms, rosemary, redcurrant jelly and juniper berries. Serves 4-6

Course Dinner, Lunch, Supper
Cuisine British
Keyword casserole, Comfort Food, venison
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 2 onions, peeled and roughly diced (around 250g)
  • 100g/2 celery sticks, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 240g/4 carrots, washed, top, tailed and sliced
  • 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon cut into small pieces
  • 16g/4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 6 juniper berries, crushed
  • 200g button mushrooms (or halved or quartered larger mushrooms)
  • 1.2 kg diced casserole venison
  • 2 tablespoons plain/all-purpose flour
  • ½ – 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 100ml port
  • 300ml red wine
  • 1 litre good quality beef stock (reduced to 500ml)
  • ½ – 2 teaspoons brown sugar (optional)
  • 3 -4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 100g redcurrant jelly
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to Fan Oven 130°C /150°C/300°F/Gas 2

  3. First, cook the vegetables: pulse the roughly chopped onion in a food processor until finely chopped. Alternatively chop by hand.

  4. Heat half the butter and oil in a cast iron casserole dish (the one that you will cook the casserole in) over a moderate heat and add the onion. Cook on a moderate to low heat for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until soft and lightly caramelised. You may need to turn the heat down as the onion cooks – the onion should only be lightly browned.

  5. As the onion cooks, finely chop the celery, (either in the food processor or by hand) trim and chop the carrots into larger pieces and chop the smoked bacon into small pieces.

  6. When the onions are ready, add the celery, carrots and smoked bacon and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.

  7. As these are cooking, finely chop the garlic, prepare the mushrooms and crush the juniper berries. Wipe the mushrooms clean; button mushrooms can be left whole whereas larger mushrooms can be halved or quartered.

  8. When the onion mixture is ready, add the garlic, juniper berries and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.

  9. Finally add the red wine and simmer for a minute or two, stirring constantly and scraping up all the gorgeous sticky bits on the base of the pan.

  10. Cook the meat: whilst you cook the vegetables, put the venison in a mixing bowl with the flour, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

  11. Melt the remaining oil and butter in a frying pan and brown the venison a handful at a time. It is important not to cook too much meat at a time or you will end up boiling it in its own juices rather than frying it. As the meat cooks, turn over to brown the other side and then remove from the pan. Add further meat to the pan and continue to cook until all the venison is browned.

  12. When all the meat is browned, deglaze the pan with the port and boil for 1 minute scraping up all those gorgeous sticky bits. The base of your pan should look clear!.

  13. Reduce the stock: at the same time, pour the stock into a saucepan and use a little stick to measure the depth of the stock. Make a mark. I then make a mark at half way so I can use this to know when I have reduced it sufficiently.

  14. Simmer the stock to reduce.

  15. Take off the heat when your stock has reaches the lower mark on your measuring stick.

  16. Bring it all together and cook: add the venison, ½ teaspoon brown sugar, redcurrant jelly, rosemary and bay leaves to the onion and red wine mixture in the cast iron casserole. Pour in the port from the pan you cooked the meat in.

  17. Also add the stock.

  18. Stir well to mix. Cover and cook on a low heat in a pre-heated oven for 3½ – 4 hours until the venison is soft and succulent and the rich sauce slightly reduced.

  19. Taste and adjust the seasoning – you may wish to add more salt and/or sugar

  20. Ideally leave overnight to allow the flavours to develop and infuse.

  21. To reheat the following day, simply heat on the hob over a low temperature until piping hot

  22. I like to serve casseroles with mashed potato, but roast potato is also delicious, and some vegetables, either roast or steamed or a mixture of them both!

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • chopping board and knife
  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • food processor (if desired)
  • cast iron casserole dish
  • frying pan
  • mixing bowl

2 Comments

  • CinnamonGirl

    5 stars
    Cooked haunch of venison for Christmas meal. Made the following changes:
    Scored a hole using sharp knife along joint through middle to allow sauce into middle of joint.
    Cooked an extra couple if hours day before
    Left to cool overnight in sauce
    Took joint out and sliced finely and lay into flat heavy pan
    Heated sauce and using masher, pushed sauce 3 times through sieve removing, rosemary retaining goodness into sieved jus.
    Poured over slices and made sure each slice was submerged fully.
    Covered and heated gently and simmered for 10min.
    Placed slices on warmed covered serving dish
    Thickened remaining jus into gravy (optional) and serve with veg.

    (Baked golden butternut squash, roast potatoes, roasted carrots/parsnips and chestnut and cranberry stuffing balls)

    All in all, one of the most delicious recipes I have come across. Thank you very much.
    My concern wrt casseroling this is how to avoid chewing rosemary leaves.

    Nb I don’t use Instagram. Sorry

    • Susan

      Thank you so much for taking the time to send me your feedback, I really appreciate it. I am so pleased you enjoyed the recipe but I have to say, your changes sound outstanding! I’ll have to give them a try! Merry Christmas and all good wishes for 2022. Susan 💛🌼

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