Susan's Recipes

Provencal style Venison Daube

(Andreas' Note: This is an utterly spectacular dish. It's very delicious. Your guests will make marriage proposals, offer you raises, and nominate you for President. Make it exactly to Susan's specifications.)

Marinade

  • 1 & 1/2 cups dry white wine, dry white vermouth or red wine
  • 1/4 cup brandy
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Several grinding of fresh black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of ground thyme or sage
  • 2 crumbled bay leaves
  • 4 cloves of smushed garlic
  • 2 cups thinly sliced onions
  • 2 cups thinly sliced carrots

Cut 3 pounds of rump venison into 2 inch cubes. Put the venison cubes into a large, non-reactive bowl (glass or ceramic) and add all the marinade ingredients, mixing well. Cover and marinate at room temperature at least 3 hours and up to 6 hours or longer in the refrigerator. Turn the meat occasionally in the marinade.

Ingredients

  1. 1/2 pound lean bacon, cut into slices 1 inch wide, 1/4 inch thick, and 2 inches long
  2. 1 & 1/2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
  3. 1 & 1/2 pounds of ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced and chopped (or use drained, peeled fresh pack tomatoes) You need about 2 & 1/4 cups of tomato pulp
  4. About one cup of all purpose flour on a large square of wax paper
  5. 1 to 2 cups of beef stock (preferably home made)

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Blanch the bacon in simmering water for about 10 minutes. Drain and dry the bacon.
  3. Remove the venison from the marinade and dry with paper towels.
  4. Line the bottom of an oven proof casserole with a few strips of the bacon. Strew some of the marinade vegetables, some mushrooms, some tomato over the bacon. Roll the venison pieces in the flour, shake off the extra flour and place the venison on top of the vegetables. Cover the venison with a few slices of the bacon and again strew vegetables over this. Continue layers vegetables, beef, and bacon. End with a layer of vegetables and 2 or 3 strips of bacon.
  5. Pour the liquid from the marinade over this. Add enough beef stock to almost cover the contents of the casserole. Bring up to a simmer on the range and then cover and place in the oven. Regulate the heat so that the daube will simmer gently for 2 & 1/2 hours. Remove and add the following:

Garlic and Anchovy Sauce Enrichment

  1. 10 flat anchovy filets packed in olive oil
  2. 2 tablespoons of capers, drained
  3. 3 tablespoons wine vinegar
  4. 3 tablespoons olive oil, either from the anchovy can or just plain olive oil
  5. 1/4 cup finely minced parsley

Mash the anchovy and capers together into a paste. Beat in the other ingredients. (You may do all of this in a food processor.) Skim the daube of fat. Baste the venison with this sauce.
Cover the casserole and return to the oven until the meat is tender or for a least another 30 minutes to give the enrichment a chance to meld with the daube.
Serve the daube with parslied new potatoes, rice, noodles, or lots of sourdough baguettes. Accompany with a green salad.

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