Try your hand with venison

Venison is healthier than most other meat, thanks to being low in fat and cholesterol. But some think it’s a pain to cook, it’s tough, dry and gamey. But that’s because they haven’t tried out these recipes. Venison can be tender and these recipes prove it

INGREDIENTS:

2kg shoulder of venison

1 x 750ml bottle of Spanish red wine

Olive oil, for frying

1 carrot, roughly chopped 1 celery stick, roughly chopped 1 onion, roughly chopped 2 tomatoes, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 sprig fresh marjoram

5 black peppercorns

2 cloves

½ cinnamon stick

25ml (1tbsp + 2 tsp) brandy 500g wild mushrooms

570ml (2¼ cups) beef stock

Salt

For the mashed potatoes

1kg waxy potatoes

200g butter go hunting in the mountains of Madrid, but not all of us liked hunting, so we used to pick mushrooms along the way.

This was a dish that would be on the table a couple of days later, after we’d chopped up and marinated the animal.

Cut the venison into big chunks and leave to marinate overnight in the red wine.

The next day, drain the wine and reserve it for later. Heat some olive oil in a deep pan or roasting tray over a high heat and fry the venison pieces to seal them.

Remove and set aside. If you plan to slow-cook the stew in the oven, preheat it to 160°C/gas mark 3. Add a little more oil to the pan and add the carrot, celery and onion. Cook for 20 minutes until caramelised and then add the