Wild venison stew with pearled barley

Winter

When you’re outdoors and you’ve got a fire going, it feels right to cook meat from an animal that’s had a truly wild life, like venison. Sometimes I add bacon or pancetta to venison stew because the fat helps keep everything rich and moist, but here you can achieve a similar effect using pearled barley. It has a gelatinous, starchy quality, not to mention a gorgeous nutty texture.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil or lard
500g boneless venison shoulder, cubed
1 large or 2 smaller onions, peeled and sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 litre good chicken, game or veg stock
50g pearled barley, well rinsed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Prepare your fire. Let it burn until you have a bed of hot embers with an occasional flame.

When the fire is ready, set a grill over it and position your large casserole dish on the grill; if you’re using a heavy cast-iron pot or Dutch oven you can place it straight onto the hot embers.

Add the olive oil or lard to your cooking pot, followed by the cubed venison – it should sizzle; if it doesn’t, move the dish to a hotter part of the fire or add more fuel. Season the meat with salt and pepper and fry on all sides for 4–5 minutes, until it’s beginning to colour. Add the onion, garlic and herbs and continue to cook, stirring, for 8–10 minutes.

Pour over the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook the stew, with the lid set slightly ajar, at a very low, tremulous simmer for about 1½ hours.

Now add the rinsed pearled barley and simmer for a further 40 minutes. If the stew looks a little dry at any point, then add a dash of water. When the meat is lovely and tender, taste the liquor and adjust the seasoning.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to sit for 15 minutes before serving. This is great with some warm flatbreads for mopping up the juices.

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