Dice a medium sweet onion along with a couple of teaspoons of diced garlic.
In a Dutch oven heat extra virgin olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic begins to brown. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Keep the flame on medium high.
Add additional olive oil as needed and sear your steaks quickly. They do not have to be cooked-thru. Do not crowd them, brown them quickly and move to a platter.
At this point you will note that the bottom of your Dutch oven is encrusted with all manner of burnt brown bits.
Do not despair. These are valuable bomblets of flavor and the next step is to keep the Dutch oven on medium heat and deglaze it with a couple of cups of dry red wine. Merlot out of the box works just fine. If you are done hunting for the day pour yourself a glass too. Using a spatula be sure to scrape all the crusty bits of flavor from the bottom of the pot.
Raise the pot to a simmer, cover it and cook on a very low simmer for a couple of hours.
Use this interval to slice and rinse a couple of packages of fresh mushrooms. I like Baby Bellas but you pick whatever trips your trigger. Fresh is best and because mushrooms cook down use more if you're fond of them. Drain and set aside.
After your steaks have simmered on low for a couple of hours add the drained and cleaned mushrooms, cover the pot, turn-off the flame and go hunting with your buddy for about two additional hours. Leave the pot covered and the flame off. If you aren't hunting use this two hours of rest to read a book, watch the game or shag your partner. You pick.
Following this restpite remove the cover and return the pot to a very slow simmer. The mushrooms will have begun to release their juices so it's OK to leave the lid off to reduce the liquid in the pot. Your house will begin to fill with the aroma of deliciousness. As a consequence your stomach will begin to growl but you must be patient and strong. You must wait. Pour yourself an adult beverage and snack on cheeses, deer sausage, pickled herring or whatever. You cannot rush the stroganoff.
After the juice has reduced by one-fourth or one-third spoon a 14 ounce carton of sour cream into a bowl and whisk it into smoothness. At this point start a pot of salted water to boil on your stovetop for the noodles. A word about the sour cream - use more if you want. The fun thing about cooking in a pot is that you can adjust on the fly according to taste. Before adding the dairy element this would be an excellent time to taste the pot juices and salt and pepper as needed.
When the noodle pot approaches boiling add the whipped sour cream to the stroganoff and whisk it into silky smoothness. Keeping your Dutch oven on a low simmer use a wooden spoon break-up the steaks into slightly smaller pieces. This is a matter of personal preference - nevertheless by doing so it will make it easier to continue to whisk your stroganoff. No lumps!
When the water reaches boiling add a package of noodles of choice. These will take only about 6-10 minutes to cook so take the opportunity to check the stroganoff. Whisk it some more. If it is too thin you can thicken it by the careful addition of a cornstarch and water slurry. Go slow and easy as too much will turn it to goop.
Drain your cooked noodles and dish-up a bowl of noodle dumplings and top with a generous ladle of the venison stroganoff.
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| click on images for a detailed look |
Serve with garden-grown English peas from the freezer and dinner rolls or sliced baguette and sweet cream unsalted butter. A bold red wine pairs nicely with this.
Winter-time comfort food and a favorite at deer camp.
Cheers!
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