Bonnie is already in the woods for hunting this year

Dear Nona:

I’ve heard a lot of great recipes for venison, but I don’t ever read any of them in your column. What gives?

I’ve been in the tree stand bow-hunting just about around the clock, and I need a recipe for when I get the Tirty Pointer.

Bonnie the Buck Hunter Dear Bonnie:

I generally only dwell in recipes that are delicious. You need to read some of the work of Stella Stewmeat to find good venison recipes.

We used to be thick as thieves, but we went separate ways a few years back. I was coming up with great entrees and dessert ideas featuring quality products that are good and good for you. Stella spent her time experimenting with cooking road kill, rodents and wild animals. We were coming out with a cookbook together, and I just couldn’t see my secret prime rib recipe being on the page next to her famous “Tips on making things edible that usually aren’t.”

Every stinking one of her recipes starts like this: “Hold your nose until you can get that into the crock pot. Throw in onion, garlic and bouillon and set it on high for a few days.”

For years, people have extolled to me the virtues of eating venison.

“Nona…you just haven’t had it prepared right,” they tell me.

So, I ask, “How do you prepare it right?”

The answer is always the same: “Throw it in the crock-pot in the morning and it should be tender enough to eat that night.”

Sounds great, especially with the “should” in there.

Like most of what I refer to as “non-normal” meats, venison sneaks into a lot of things where ether quality and flavor of meat doesn't matter, such as sausages and chili. “You can’t even taste the venison. It’s great!” Twenty-guage Tom told me last year.

I have nothing against hunting, and to prove that point, I’m going to let all you outdoors folks enjoy some of Stella Stewmeat’s favorite deer hunting recipes.

Here’ s to a succesful hunt!

Stella’s Hunters’ Stew Ingredients 3 lb venison roast 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can 94% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted 1 cup cabernet Sauvignon wine or 1 cup dry red wine 2 tablespoons very low-sodium beef bouillon cubes 3 fresh garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce 1 large onion, diced 1 (8 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained 6 large potatoes, quartered (optional) 8 carrots, peeled and cut into 4 inch long pieces (optional) 3 – 4 tablespoons cornstarch (optional) 1/4 cup water (optional)

Directions

In crock pot, add soup, wine, bouillon granules, garlic, onions, mushrooms, hot sauce,

and seasonings. Stir to mix well.

Add roast.

Turn crock pot on high and cook 4-6 hours or until meat is just tender.

Serve with your favorites, gravy, carrots, potatoes, or cooked noodles or rice.

In pot of water, boil potatoes and carrots about 15 minutes until almost done, but still very firm Drain; add veggies to crock pot.

Cook an additional 1-2 hours until roast and veggies are very tender.

Gravy: Remove veggies and roast from crock pot and place in covered dish to keep them warm while you make the gravy. Make a slurry by mixing cornstarch and water until no lumps remain.

Use Method 1 OR 2 to thicken the gravy.

Gravy Method 1: With crock pot on High, bring broth to a boil.

Pour in the cornstarch slurry and stir to mix.

Cover and bring liquid back to boil and boil until thickened about one minute.

Gravy Method 2: Pour broth mixture from crock pot into a saucepan.

Bring broth to boil and stir in cornstarch slurry.

Return to boil, boiling about 1 minute until broth mixture is thickened.

GRANDMA

NONA

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