Taste of Autumn Venison Stew

October 28th, 2011 |

Author: Susan

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All the flavors of fall: venison, apples, butternut squash, cinnamon and clove!

When the air gets crisp and I start feeling the urge to hunker down in my comfys all night, I start craving hearty stews. But I don’t always want potatoes and carrots in my stew; to me that gets kind of boring after a while. Besides, in my area, the farmer’s markets are brimming with fresh local apples and a variety of squashes. Oh how I love butternut squash!

As I was looking through my autumn recipes, I remembered how perfectly venison pairs with apples. I also remembered how easy the slow cooker makes my life. A perfect combination. So it was fate when I came across a recipe for Venison Crockpot Stew on the Queen of the Quick Meal blog. It was a guest post by Kelly Freihofer, who I’ve decided is an an excellent cook! This stew is fabulous.

: Taste of Autumn Venison Stew

: Layer these ingredients in the slow cooker and cover them with a mixture of local apple cider, real maple syrup, cinnamon and cloves. This is one of most amazing venison stews Iâ€™ve had yet.

1 1â„2 pound venison stew meat, cubed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 small onions, sliced thin
1 very large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
5 large, firm apples, peeled and cubed
1 cup local apple cider
2â„3 cup real, Grade A maple syrup
1â„4 teaspoon cinnamon
1â„4 teaspoon cloves

Melt butter in large skillet over a medium heat and add olive oil.
Add the venison to brown it, turning it often. Don’t cook it through, just make sure it’s nice and brown on the outside.
Remove stew meat the slow cooker.
Layer the sliced onions on top of venison, then add the butternut squash in a deep layer, and then add apples.
Heat the cider to a boil and add maple syrup, stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the spices.
Pour mixture over the ingredients in slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 4 hour(s)

Diet tags: High protein, Gluten free

Number of servings (yield): 8