Mixed game meat and tomato stew

Following interest in a previous game meat recipe, I decided to attempt a new creation. While the first was a casserole this one can be a classed a stew. What is the difference between a casserole and a stew? Follow the link to find out. This recipe focuses on the flavour of the game meat, a rich tomato sauce, a strong taste of thyme with celeriac providing the substance.

This has only been tested the once, but it was an overwhelming success, so I am confident in recommending it.  Don't worry if you have alternative game meat for this dish as it will work with venison and others just as well.

Serves: 4 as a main meal

Ingredients
350g mixed game meat - pigeon, partridge, pheasant and mallard.
400ml tin of chopped tomatoes
600ml of beef stock
Half a medium celeriac - cubed (pictured below)
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 medium carrots
2 fresh tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
3 sprigs of thyme
2 tsp of dried thyme
2 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of coriander powder


Method

1. In a little olive oil in a large saucepan heat the chopped onion and garlic until soft.
   
2. While that is cooking, mix half the salt, coriander powder and dried thyme with the chopped game meat in a bowl.
   
3. Add the meat to the onion and stir continuously or the meat will stick to the pan.
   
4. After 5 minutes add the tomato puree and tomatoes roughly chopped (not the tin), mix and reduce the heat.
   
5. Now add the beef stock, tin of chopped tomatoes, cubed celeriac and sliced carrot. Using scissors cut the sprigs of thyme and add to the saucepan.
   
6. Add the remainder of the salt, stir and place the lid on the pan.
   
7. Now leave to simmer of an hour, stirring occasionally.
   

Serve with steamed green vegetables and jacket potatoes.

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Parsnip and sweet potato soup recipe - Perfect winter warmer

There is nothing better on a cold winter's day than a simple root vegetable soup served with freshly warm crusty bread. Well, it is not bad at least!

This recipe is predominately parsnip, but the accompanying vegetables are interchangeable, so go with what ever you have available.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

5 medium parsnips
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 large carrot
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp of dried parsley
300ml chicken stock
300ml vegetable stock
200ml milk
splash of double cream


Method

1. Chop the root vegetables and boil for 20 minutes in lightly salted water
   
2. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in a knob of butter for 5 minutes, until soft.
   
3. Add the stock and herbs to the onion and garlic and simmer gently until the root vegetables are ready to strain.
   
4. Add the cooked root vegetables into the onion stock mixtures and blend to a puree using a blender, or a hand blender if you have one.
   
5. Add the milk and cream, mix well and add salt according to taste. Depending on the quality of your stock the soup may need a kick from salt and/or black pepper.
   

Serve with warm bread.

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How to roast beetroot

Beetroot has to be one of the most poorly perceived and misunderstood vegetables on earth. It hardly ever comes up on recipes, is rarely on menus and the only time people encounter it is when it has been drowned in vinegar.

This richly coloured root vegetable is however a joy to use as a side dish for roast dinners, while beetroot soups and chutneys are quite delicious.

There are 'rules' that need to be remembered when dealing with a beetroot, such as to leave the skin and undamaged when boiling it, but this recipe deal with simple roasting beetroot to provide an eye-catching side dish for a roast dinner - such as beef.

Ingredients 

4 medium sized beetroots (avoid large beets as they can be tough)
olive oil
dried thyme
salt and pepper

Method

You may find cooks adamant that beetroot should also be roasted with its skin on and then peeled once cooled, but I don't believe that this is necessary as the flavour is retained in this recipe.

1. Carefully peel the beetroot and then quarter each one
   
2. Mix together with enough olive oil to cover the beetroot pieces.
   
3. Add the thyme (roughly 2 heaped teaspoons, but I can't say I measure this) and a pinch of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.
   
4. Mix the beetroot pieces so the herbs/salt/pepper are evenly distributed.
   
5. Place on a roasting tray and put in a pre-heated oven (200 degrees) for an hour.
   

The beetroot pieces do not ooze too much juice, even to though they've been peeled, but if you use the roasting tray to make a gravy to accompany the roast this will help aid the flavour.

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