Venison Stroganoff

Venison is a fantastic meat - low in fat, tasty, and it's all free range.  We're very lucky to have Brock's Farm Shop nearby in Alton where we can get it even if we miss the farmers' market.  It's not massively expensive, either - certainly cheaper than the equivalent beef steak.

It does tend to divide opinion though.  I remember serving venison burgers at a barbecue once - one person came up to me and congratulated me for choosing free range meat, then the next got upset because I was eating Bambi.  You just can't win.

Once you get going with this it's all ready quite quickly, so get the prep done first.  Today I used camargue rice which takes half an hour to cook, so I had loads of time.  Even if you choose basmati, you can get everything ready while the rice cooks so get the water boiling, then crack on with the rest.  Don't worry if you run out of time - you can always drain the rice then put it back in the pan with the lid on, or covered in foil, where it will continue to cook for a couple of minutes in its own steam without coming to any harm.

For reasons of aesthetics as much as anything else, I feel that all the ingredients of stroganoff need to be in long thin strips.  So, cut the onion, mushrooms (I used oyster mushrooms and large chestnut mushrooms today, but take your pick of robust mushrooms) and venison steak into strips (discarding any fat) and crush or chop a clove of garlic.

Sweat the onion and garlic until soft, then remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate for the time being.

Season the meat with salt, pepper and paprika, then fry along with the mushrooms in the pan. 

After a couple of minutes put the onion and garlic back in, then add the sage, a good glug of brandy and a knob of butter.  Flame the brandy if you're feeling brave!  After my accidental flaming of the mussels the other night, I decided to give it a go and stuck my gas lighter into the pan.

 Finally, stir in a couple of squirts of lemon juice and three tablespoonfuls of cream.  Simmer for just a couple of minutes, tasting and adjusting the seasoning as you go.

Serve over the rice, with some cornichons.

Taste verdict
Lovely rich creamy sauce with that strongly flavoured venison - what's not to like!  The earthy mushrooms were a nice match with the gamey meat, but the cornichons turned out to be an unnecessary step too far - not bad, just a cheffy flourish that didn't add anything to the dish.

Financial verdict
One large venison steak - £3.85
An onion - 20p
Mixed mushrooms - about £1
Tub of cream - 79p (although we used up the cream that I'd bought for the mussels the other day)
Paprika, sage, a couple of cornichons, a clove of garlic, rice, knob of butter, splash of brandy, lemon juice - pennies, from store

£2.92 per portion.  Compare it to a beef steak and it makes great financial sense!  Good for such a luxurious meal, too.

The skinny
Put rice on to boil.

Chop an onion into strips.

Crush and chop a clove of garlic.

Chop a selection of mushrooms (preferably robust, earthy ones) into strips.

Cut a large venison steak into strips and season with salt, pepper and paprika.

Fry the onion and garlic over a low heat until soft, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Fry the meat and mushrooms in the same pan, then put the onions and garlic back in once the meat has browned.  Let everything cook together for a minute, then add sage, a good glug of brandy and a knob of butter.  Flame the brandy if you're feeling brave.  Watch your eyebrows.

When the flame has died, add a couple of squeezes of lemon juice and three tablespoonfuls of cream, stir it all together and let it cook for another two minutes.  If you didn't flame, best to let it cook a little longer or the alcohol will give the dish a bit of an aftertaste.

When the rice is cooked, serve the stroganoff over the rice.


WeightWatchers ProPoints
12