Tomorrow is the last day for Deer in Seneca County

photo courtesy of Keith G. Tidball

Tomorrow (December 21) is the last day to take a deer with a muzzle loader or bow in Seneca County.

The snowy, winter weather is perfect for enjoying venison stew which can also be made in a crock pot. Hopefully you have had a productive and memorable big game season this year.

Venison Stew

1.5 lb cubed venison meat (can cube a steak or roast if you do not have stew meat packaged)

6 medium potatoes washed and cut in half or quartered

1 medium onion, diced

1 c. diced carrot (large chunks or can use "baby" carrots)

1 c. diced celery

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 T. olive oil

1/4 cup flour (optional to season the flour with salt and pepper)

1 T. Italian season

salt and pepper to taste

1 t. Worcestershire sauce (optional)

1 T. balsamic vinegar (optional)

1.5 cups dry red wine or 12oz. of dark beer

1 can (about 14.5 oz) canned tomatoes (diced or whole)

4 T. fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees or turn on your crock pot. In a suitable braising pan (i.e. a deep pan with an oven-proof lid, such as a dutch oven) heat the 3 T. of olive oil over medium heat. Meanwhile lightly flour the venison cubes. Brown the floured venison cubes in the oil until nicely browned on all sides about 3-5 minutes. Remove venison from the pan and set aside on a plate. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and seasonings to the pan and gently brown your veggies for about 3 minutes. Add the wine, Worcestershire and vinegar to the pan and gently scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Turn off burner. Add potatoes and tomatoes and add venison meat back into the pan. Gently stir all ingredients to combine and season with salt and pepper (about 1tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper) and parsley (optional). Cover the braising dish and place in oven for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender.

If using a crock pot: flour and brown the meat in the olive oil as explained above. Place browned meat in a crock pot. Add the wine or beer to the pan that the meat was browned in and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add this to the crock pot along with the remaining ingredients and leave it to cook all day (4 -5 hours on high setting or 8+ hours on low).