Braised Venison with Rosemary and Shiitake

Name: Braised Venison with Rosemary and Shiitake
Prep time: 10 min
Cuisine: allrecipes.com
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons bacon drippings; 1 1/2 pounds venison, cut into 2 inch cubes; 2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced; 2 medium onions, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional); 2 cups dry red wine; 1 cube beef bouillon; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves; 1 1/4 teaspoons dried rosemary; 2 bay leaves; 1 (8 ounce) package baby carrots (optional); 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional); 2 tablespoons water (optional)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 1/2 pounds venison, cut into 2 inch cubes
2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional)
2 cups dry red wine
1 cube beef bouillon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 1/4 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 (8 ounce) package baby carrots (optional)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
2 tablespoons water (optional)

Instructions

Step 1

Melt the bacon drippings in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the venison in two batches until nicely browned and remove. Stir in the shiitake, onions, and garlic; cook until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the cognac, wine, and bouillon cube, simmer for 30 seconds to remove the alcohol flavor and dissolve the bouillon.

Step 2

Stir in the venison, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the venison is tender, about two hours or more; adding water as needed.

Step 3

If using baby carrots, add them during the last half hour of cooking. When the venison is tender, you may wish to thicken the sauce by dissolving the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water and stirring it into the sauce.