Venison ragout with Printen – prune sauce and pear compote

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1,000 g venison goulash
• 800 g pear(s)
• 100 g gingerbread (plain gingerbread, without chocolate)
• 300 g root vegetables (carrots, celery, leeks, onions)
• 200 ml white wine
• 500 ml red wine
• 10 juniper berries
• 4 bay leaves, fresh
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 12 prunes (soaked in red wine with cinnamon)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

a hearty and refined game dish, delicious with the sweet compote

Clean the meat and sear it well in a roasting pan, working in batches for better browning. After 5 minutes, add the roughly chopped root vegetables and roast them with the meat. Stir in the tomato paste and spices and braise briefly, being careful not to burn anything. Deglaze with the red wine and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1 liter of water (you can also add a glass of game stock), bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered over medium heat for 1 hour. Peel, quarter, core, and dice the pears. Simmer in the white wine with the vanilla sugar for 2 minutes and roughly puree (a hand blender works well, but be careful not to over-purée). Remove the cooked meat and vegetables from the sauce, using a ladle is best. Separate the vegetables, as far as possible, from the meat and pass them through a food mill or sieve into the sauce liquid. Keep warm. Dissolve the diced gingerbread in the sauce. Return the meat to the sauce, along with the prunes soaked in red wine with cinnamon. Heat briefly, but do not boil. Serve the venison ragout with the pear compote and fresh spaetzle (recipe in my profile). The pear compote also goes well with a light chili flavor, adding a touch of sophistication and harmonizing well with the sweetness of the fruit. Dutch fruitcake is also an excellent substitute for gingerbread.