 Venison Stew with Red/Yellow/Orange Peppers - Italian Style
reference: Every Night Italian, page 128
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 pounds of Venison stew meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 x 14 oz can of diced tomatoes without skins
2 peppers (size of baseball) - red or yellow or orange
1/2 cup heavy cream
Put the butter and oil in a 10" pan by 3 inches deep - large enough to hold the venison snugly but not necessarily in single layer. Place it over high heat. When the butter foam begins to subside and the fat is hot enough to sizzle when tested with a bit of the venison, add as much venison as will comfortably fit in the pan in a single layer and lightly brown the meat on all sides. Transfer it to a platter. Repeat with the remaining venison. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the onion. The pan will probably retain enough heat to sauté the onion, but if necessary, place it over medium heat. Sauté until the onion turns a light brown color.
Add the tomatoes, season them with a little salt and pepper, and return all the meat to the pan. When the tomatoes begin bubbling, adjust the heat so that the stew is cooking at a gentle simmer. Put the lid on slightly askew and cook for 3 hours. Stir the stew every 20 minutes and check that there is enough liquid in the pan. Add water when necessary.
While the meat is cooking, peel the peppers. I use a Ceramic Peeler (Fortunoff Dept # 81; SKU 01160002) from Japan Model CP-08 (Kyocera Corp.). Remove the core, pith, and seeds. Cut the peppers into strips about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide. When the venison is tender, add the peppers and cover the pan completely. Continue cooking until the peppers are tender - 15 to 20 minutes. Add the cream, stir about 1 minute and serve.
Note: The stew can be prepared 2 to 3 days in advance. Stop after the 2.5 hour cook. Refrigerate. Take from frig heat 20 minutes, add peppers, cook for 20 minutes and then add the cream, stir and serve.
Serves 4 to 6 people
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