I have prepared this for people who swore they would never eat either venison or turnips, especially not in the same dish. So, I didn't tell them what they were eating and almost every time there was a call for seconds. Then I told them. This is another dish that I have been making for a very long time and which originated in my vintage French Game Cook Book. I have, of course, made what I consider improvements to the original recipe. This is not a thick stew, more like a soup, actually.
What you need:
1-2 lbs venison. Choose one of the more tender cuts and cut into pieces about the size of half a sugar cube.
1 stick unsalted Butter (use butter, not margarine)
6 cloves Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 long stems fresh Rosemary (use fresh, dried will not do); wash well, pat dry but do not remove leaves from stems.
1-2 cups of Marsala wine (in the cooking wine section of your supermarket...don't waste your money on a good bottle of Marsala...the cheap grocery store brand is fine...this is a hunter's dish and should be rustic)
8-10 ounces of beef stock (your choice as to what kind you use...I have made my own and I have used canned)
4-6** medium-large turnips peeled and cubed the same as the venison. (*You will need at least 3-4 cups of cubed turnips so how many you need will depend on their size.)
In a large Dutch oven, melt the stick of butter until it just begins to sizzle. Toss in the garlic and the rosemary and saute until the rosemary becomes limp and darkens. Remove the rosemary stems (if you let them cool a little, you can remove the leaves and add but not necessary). Brown the venison in the garlic-rosemary butter. Lower the heat slightly and add the beef stock and Marsala wine. Simmer venison for 30-40 minutes or until very tender. Increase to med-low heat and add turnips. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes.
NOTE: Potatoes are usually what thickens a stew but in this case, there are no potatoes, so you have to do it yourself if you want a stew thicker than this recipe produces. Use a teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in COLD water, added to the still cooking stew, stirring the whole time. It will begin to thicken quickly so do not leave unattended. Remove from heat as soon as it reaches the consistency you want. I prefer this stew the way it was meant to be but I have experimented with a thicker version and it was okay, too.
Serve with herbed scones, biscuits or other savory non-yeasted bread. This is a stew that is meant to be "sopped" or have the broth absorbed by bread, which is the way the peasants who created this type of dish would have eaten it. Enjoy!
(One more thing. Don't waste your time or ingredients making this with beef. It is just not very good.)
