Venison goulash with malt beer sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg venison for goulash, cut into large cubes
• some fat for frying (lard or high-temperature oil)
• 3 onions
• 1 small carrot(s)
• 1 small slice(s) of celery (carrot size)
• 400 ml Game stock
• 400 ml malt beer
• 4 grains allspice
• 4 juniper berries
• 1 large bay leaf
• 100 ml cream
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• some water
• salt and pepper
• 1 small jar of cranberries as a side dish

Instructions

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

without wine – alcohol-free

Finely chop the onions, carrots, and celery. Heat the frying fat in a large frying pan or roasting tin and fry the meat, cut into large cubes, briefly until it browns slightly. If necessary, divide the meat into several portions and fry them one after the other. Remove the meat from the pan and fry the onions, carrots, and celery in the same pan (add more fat if necessary) until the onions are translucent. Now add the game stock and malt beer and bring to a boil briefly. Add the meat and spices, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 1.5 hours. Tip: If the pan is too small, you can also transfer everything to a large saucepan after frying. You will then have to stir more frequently. The meat must be completely covered with liquid; if the 900 ml is not enough, add more stock, malt beer, or meat broth. Remove the bay leaf and spice grains shortly before the end of the cooking time. Skim off some of the sauce and as much of the vegetables as possible, puree, add the cream, and bring to a boil in a small saucepan. Mix the cornstarch with a little cold water and add it. When it’s really thick, add it back to the meat and the remaining sauce and stir it in. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with cranberries and, depending on your taste and the creaminess of the sauce, prepare napkin dumplings, dumplings, spaetzle, or potatoes and a vegetable of your choice. Variation: If you like, you can add three or four broken speculatius biscuits to the sauce towards the end of the cooking time. These add a little more flavor and also thicken the sauce.