Traditional venison goulash

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg venison goulash
• 4 tbsp clarified butter or lard
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250 g mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 carrot(s), finely chopped
• 1 onion(s), finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 glasses of mulled wine, alternatively sweet red wine
• some water or meat broth
• 1 cinnamon stick(s)
• 5 juniper berries
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 tsp, heaped oregano
• 1 tsp, heaped thyme
• 2 tbsp cranberries
• 1 bar of dark chocolate (one row)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in a little water
• 1 shot of cognac
• some nutmeg
• some paprika powder
• some salt and pepper, freshly ground
• 1 cup of crème fraîche, optional

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 15 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 45 minutes

refined with cognac and dark chocolate

I sear the meat and vegetables over very high heat with lard and olive oil, then deglaze with mulled wine and a little water or, if available, meat broth. The meat should be almost covered. I then add cinnamon bark, juniper berries, bay leaves, oregano, a little nutmeg, paprika powder, salt, and pepper, and let everything simmer gently, covered, for about 2 hours. If there isn’t enough liquid, I can add a little water, wine, or broth. While the meat is simmering, I have plenty of time to prepare the side dishes. So, cooking here is a very relaxed affair. When the meat is tender, I finish it with the cognac and cranberries and dissolve the chocolate in the sauce. Now I can also season it one last time and stir in the cornstarch dissolved in a little water to thicken everything. To do this, the goulash needs to be brought back to a boil briefly. Tips: I serve the venison goulash with red cabbage and dumplings; bread dumplings, croquettes, or spaetzle would also be possible, of course. Other vegetables that work well include Brussels sprouts, beans with bacon, almond broccoli, or simply a nice lamb’s lettuce or mixed salad, perhaps with celery and beets. If you like, you can add a dollop of crème fraîche to the goulash and garnish it with cranberries. Given the current cold, we were really craving a hearty, wintery venison goulash on Sunday. Fresh venison isn’t too expensive to make as goulash and is readily available here. We had a bottle of excellent mulled wine left over from Christmas, which came in handy for this. It gives the tart venison a wonderfully rounded flavor. A truly easy-to-make yet incredibly delicious Sunday meal!