bacon and fennel venison stew

Recipe by
barbara lentz
beulah, MI

So good. The fennel melts in your mouth and gives the stew a wonderful flavor. This is a recipe I tweaked from a Venison stew recipe my dad had. This recipe works really well with a heat diffuser (if you use an electric range). A heat diffuser will keep the stew from developing hot spots that cause stew to bubble up or burn to the pan.

yield 4 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For bacon and fennel venison stew

  • 2 Tbsp
    olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp
    butter
  • 2 lb
    vension meat cubed
  • 1 lg
    onion chopped
  • 5
    pieces of bacon cut into cubes and browned but not cooked all the way
  • 4 clove
    garlic chopped
  • 1 c
    fennel chopped
  • 1 md
    red bell pepper chopped
  • 3 c
    red wine divided
  • 1 Tbsp
    fresh sage chopped
  • 1 Tbsp
    paprika
  • 2 sprig
    fresh thyme
  • 1
    bay leaf
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 tsp
    cornstarch mixed with a little water
  • 2 sprig
    fresh rosemary
  • 2 tsp
    baking soda

How To Make bacon and fennel venison stew

  • 1
    Marinade the meat in 1 cup red wine, oil, rosemary, thyme, and sage for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove meat from marinade and place in a colander. Rinse well. Rub 2 tsp. baking soda all over meat. Let sit 30 minutes then rinse well and pat dry. Now meat is ready to be used. Discard the marinade
  • 2
    Add oil and butter to hot dutch oven pan. Sear the venison well until browned. Reduce the heat and add onions, garlic, bacon, fennel, red bell pepper salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from pan.
  • 3
    Deglaze the pan with the remaining 1 cup of wine scraping up all the delicious bits from the bottom. Add the meat mixture back to pan. Add the paprika and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour or until meat is tender.
  • 4
    Remove bay leaf and discard it. Thicken with the cornstarch and water mixture. Serve

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