Venison ragout Rhenish style

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g deer meat, from the leg
• 2 onions, finely diced
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 gingerbread cookies (Aachen herb printen), finely ground
• 100 ml port wine
• 400 ml red wine, dry
• 400 ml Game stock
• 6 juniper berries, crushed
• 4 grains of allspice, coarsely crushed
• 3 carnations
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ vanilla pod(s)
• 1 tsp thyme
• some salt
• some black pepper, freshly ground
• e.g. cream, fresh

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Trim the venison and cut into strips, peel the onions and finely dice them. Scrape out the vanilla pod, press the juniper berries, roughly crush the allspice, and place the bay leaf, cloves, allspice, and juniper berries in a tea strainer. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of lard in a roasting pan. Brown the meat in two batches. Remove from the pan, heat the remaining oil/lard, and lightly brown the onion. Return the meat, add the vanilla seeds and vanilla pod, and brown briefly. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with port wine and reduce the heat. Add the tea strainer with spices and pour in the red wine. Simmer slightly, then add the game stock and ground ginger. Simmer for around 30 minutes, add the thyme, add a little more stock if desired, and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod and spice strainer and refine with a little cream, if desired. The sauce does not need to be thickened. Suitable accompaniments include bread dumplings, potato dumplings, potato fritters, or spaetzle/nut spaetzle. As a vegetable side dish, try red cabbage, braised savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, or salsify.