Venison goulash

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• 3 kg game meat (roe deer, wild boar, venison)
• 3 large onions, diced
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• ¼ celeriac
• 5 carrots
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 juniper berries
• 2 carnations
• 800 ml game stock or vegetable stock
• 1 cup mushrooms, dried, optional
• 150 ml gin
• 1 bottle of red wine
• 1 jar cranberries
• 1 bar of dark chocolate
• Flour for binding
• e.g. butter, frozen, for binding
• 1 tube(s) Tomato paste
• Clarified butter
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 hours; Total time approx. 5 hours

Heat clarified butter in a large saucepan and fry the diced onions over high heat until dark brown. Dice the leeks, celery, and carrots, add them, and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, crushed juniper berries, and crushed cloves (use the spice bag if possible) and deglaze with the game or vegetable stock. Add 1.5 liters of water and simmer over medium heat. Dry about 1/3 of the game meat and sear it in a sufficiently large pan with clarified butter (the clarified butter must be really hot before adding the meat!). The meat should not touch in the pan. Fry two tablespoons of tomato paste. When it is well seared all over, season with salt and pepper. Then deglaze with about 50 ml of gin and pour in 1/3 of the red wine. Bring to a boil, sprinkle with a handful of flour, and stir well. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat this process two more times until all the meat is seared. Loosen the pan juices with a little hot water and add them to the pot with the vegetables. Add the meat as well. If there is too little liquid, add a little more water. Add the cranberries and a bar of dark chocolate and simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Optionally, soak the mushrooms and add them with the soaking liquid. Simmer uncovered over medium heat until the meat is tender (at least 2 to 2.5 hours). If the sauce is too thin, add three pieces of frozen butter to thicken it. Serve now. I recommend serving with dumplings, spaetzle, or fusilli.