Braised Venison With Chilli and Chocolate

Ingredients

• 1 kg diced venison
• olive oil, for browning
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 parsnip, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 dried chili, crumbled
• 250 ml venison stock (or stock made from bouillon cubes)
• 163 ml red wine
• 50 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon red currant jelly

for the marinade

• 325 ml full-bodied red wine
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 fresh red chilies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5 juniper berries, crushed
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat an oven to 190°C/gas 5).

2. 2

   Cut the venison into 2.5cm cubes, removing large bits of fat or gristle. Put these into a double-layered plastic bag, along with all the marinade ingredients. Set aside for a day in the fridge, turning every so often so that all of the meat comes into contact with the marinade.

3. 3

   When you are ready to cook, remove the venison from the marinade, setting the marinade aside for later.

4. 4

   Heat a large casserole over a high heat until it is smoking hot. Pour in a tablespoon of olive oil and when it is very hot add the venison cubes, 6 or 7 at a time, so that you are not overcrowding the pan and thus bringing down the temperature of the oil.

5. 5

   Brown the meat on all sides for 1–2 minutes, letting the pan get hot again between each batch and adding more oil if necessary.

6. 6

   When the meat is all browned, set it aside while you brown the vegetables.

7. 7

   Add a tablespoon of oil to the casserole and sweat the onions for 5 minutes before adding the carrots, celery and parsnips. Cook for a further 10 minutes, allowing the vegetables to start caramelising without letting them burn. Add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.

8. 8

   Return the venison to the casserole, along with the reserved marinade and the rest of the ingredients. Bring up to a gentle simmer, stirring to melt the chocolate into the sauce. Cook in the preheated oven for about 90 minutes or until the meat is tender and falling apart.