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Venison Stew with Tomatoe-Fruits

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Venison Stew with Tomatoe-Fruits from Outlander Kitchen, the official Outlander Companion Cookbook

Venison Stew with Tomatoe-Fruits from Outlander Kitchen, the official Outlander Companion Cookbook

Recipe from Outlander Kitchen – the Official Outlander Companion Cookbook.

Venison Stew with Tomatoe-Fruits from the Outlander Kitchen Cookbook

Hands up, who else sobbed their way through the Outlander Series 2 finale yesterday on their device while their husbands were busy watching the football/tennis/Formula 1 on the telly?

Not just me, eh?

I can’t even remember why I began watching Outlander – I think I was randomly flicking through the tv shows on Amazon Prime one night after finishing Black Sails and Turn, wanting something set in the same era to watch. It wasn’t until Series 2 was released that I began watching, but I was instantly hooked on the romantic tale of WW2, time-travel, kilted Scotsmen and true love. The first half of the first series was, to me, what I imagine a Mills & Boon novel to be like (I’ve never read one, true story!), but then it got dark, really quickly. 

I caught up on the episodes pretty quickly, and then had to wait one week for each new episode to be released. I have to confess, while I was bikepacking through the highlands of Scotland recently it was still there in the back of my mind that I’d have a few episodes to catch up on when I returned!

Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders

The day after I began my epic bikepacking trip the official Outlander companion cookbook was released, Outlander Kitchen, written by Canadian chef, food writer and unabashed fan of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander book series.

Featuring more than one hundred recipes, Outlander Kitchen retells Claire and Jamie’s incredible story through the flavors of the Scottish Highlands, the French Revolution, and beyond. Theresa has drawn on the events and characters contained within the pages of Gabaldon’s novels to create mouthwatering and inspiring dishes highlighting local ingredients and traditional cooking techniques, but updated for today’s modern kitchens.

There are a wide range of recipes from breakfasts to appetizers, soups to preserves, meat and seafood dishes, sweets and desserts and even drinks and cocktails.

Each recipe comes with an exerpt from the original books from where it was inspired, plus a bit of historical background to really bring it to life.

For my first meal from this book I chose the venison stew with tomatoe-fruits served with Spoon Bread.

Outlander Venison Stew recipe

While bikepacking through the highlands of Scotland recently the weather was mostly on our side. Except for one day, one day where the heavens opened from early morning until late afternoon all the way from John o’Groats to Thurso. We were soaked to the bone, with shriveled toes and fingers like we’d spent too long in the bath.

We had intended on cycling all the way from John o’Groats to Bettyhill that day, following the north Scotland coastline (apparently it’s really picturesque if you can see the sea – we couldn’t), but after passing a rather unusual split stone on the outskirts of Melvich and pausing for a break after cresting a rather steep hill we spotted an inn with a tendril of smoke gently drifting from its chimney.

We were lured inside at the thought of getting warm and dry, and possibly a bite of food. It turns out that they had camping facilities: for only £5 we pitched our tents in the garden, grabbed a wonderful hot shower and propped our soaking wet cycling shoes next to the coal fire in the inn to dry.

Dinner was ordered. A haggis starter and the most gorgeous, succulent venison stew for a main. For this reason I chose to make venison stew from this cookery book, a recipe the publishers have very kindly given me permission to reproduce.

Venison Stew with Tomatoe-Fruits from the Outlander Kitchen Cookbook

In 18th century Britain venison was only found on the tables of the wealthy – the lords and lairds whose land holdings were large enough to sustain a deer population. Highlanders themselves survived on boiled grains and vegetable stews up until the clearances when they were forced from their homes (we saw many an information board on our cycling travels through the highlands about these clearances) and they began to hunt in the North American forests filled with birds and game.

This recipe is a gorgeously rich, satisfying stew, and served with Spoon Bread (a favourite of George Washington) it made for a rather delicious dinner last night before I watched the Outlander series 2 finale.

I sobbed my way through the last half of the episode, and as soon as it was finished I ordered the first three Outlander series books off Amazon. I can’t wait until series 3 comes out, I need to find out what happens!

You can buy a copy of Outlander Kitchen off Amazon for £25. It’s also available in Canada for $47 and the United States for $35. For more information (as well a well stocked recipe index!) visit the Outlander Kitchen website.

Are you an Outlander fan? Let me know in the comments below!

Venison Stew with Tomatoe-Fruits from the Outlander Kitchen Cookbook

Venison Stew with Tomatoe-Fruits

Beets, red wine and juniper join venison, onions, beans and sun-dried tomatoes to make a rich, satisfying stew. Recipe reprinted with permission from the Outlander Kitchen - The Official Outlander Companion Cookbook by Theresa Carle-Sanders (2016)
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Print Rate
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • 0.5 cup dried kidney beans
  • 0.5 cup sundried tomatoes
  • 0.25 cup plain flour
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt plus additional
  • 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper plus additional
  • 1.5 lbs venison stew meat cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil plus additional
  • 4 slices bacon cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
  • 1 large onion cut into 1/2-inch wedges
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 2 cups brown chicken or beef stock (see recipe in book)
  • 1 lb beets peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 12 juniper berries
  • 2 garlic cloves halved

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, cover the kidney beans with 2 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and soak for 1 hour. Drain.
  • Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in 1 cup boiling water for 1 hour. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Chop the tomatoes roughly.
  • Move a rack to the bottom rung and heat the oven to 325 F/ 160 C.
  • Mix together the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pat the venison dry with paper towels, then dredge the pieces in the flour to coat on all sides.
  • In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heath the oil over medium-high flame. In batches, brown the venison on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Rest the browned meat on a plate and repeat with the remaining venison, using additional oil if required.
  • When the last batch of venison is gone from the pan, reduce the heat to medium and fry the bacon pieces until golden brown. Add the bacon pieces to the venison and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan.
  • Add the onions to the pan and cook until slightly softened, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze with the red wine and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the stock, tomato soaking liquid, venison, bacon, beans, tomatoes and beets. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a rapid boil.
  • Meanwhile, make a bouquet garni. Wrap the bay leaves, rosemary, juniper berries and garlic in a square of cheesecloth and tie with string, or enclose the items in a large tea ball.
  • When the stew is boiling, poke the bouquet garni under the surface and cover the pot. Cook in the oven until the meat, beans and beets are tender, about 90 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve hot with Spoon Bread (recipe in the book). Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

Notes

Excerpted from Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders. Copyright © 2016 by Theresa Carle-Sanders. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Tried this recipe?Mention @TangoRaindrop or tag #elizabethskitchendiary!

Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders

OUTLANDER KITCHEN GIVEAWAY

Penguin Random House have kindly offered a copy of Outlander Kitchen as a giveaway prize for one of my UK readers. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below!

HOW TO ENTER

For your chance to win a copy of Outlander Kitchen: the official Outlander companion cookbook enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Come back and tweet about the giveaway every day for more chances to win!

TERMS & CONDITIONS

This giveaway is open to UK entries only. Entrants must be age 18 or over. The winners will need to respond within 30 days of being contacted; failure to do this may result in another winner being selected.

The prize is offered and provided by Penguin Random House. The prize is to win a copy of Outlander Kitchen: the official Outlander companion cookbook. There is no cash alternative and the prize is not transferable.

There is no entry fee and no purchase is necessary to enter this giveaway. The promoter (Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary) reserves the right to cancel or amend the giveaway and these terms and conditions without notice.

Entry into our giveaways will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.

If you need some help using Rafflecopter, here’s a quick clip to show you how. Rafflecopter will pick the winners at random from all the entries received. I will be verifying entries and any automated entries or those who have claimed they have made the mandatory blog post comment and really haven’t will be disqualified. It’s mandatory! Please make sure your comment is eight words or longer or Google views it as spam. >>>>> All entries with comments fewer than the mandatory 8 words will be disqualified. <<<<<

Closing date is midnight (that’s 00:00 hours, 12 am on Sunday night/Monday morning) on Monday 25 July 2016 (GMT) and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Family Fever

Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary received a complimentary copy of Outlander Kitchen for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. This is not a paid post. Recipe excerpted from Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders. Copyright © 2016 by Theresa Carle-Sanders. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Comments

  1. Just stumbled upon this recipe, what a fantastic autumn stew. Bookmarked and I’ll be making it as soon as the local butchers has fresh venison in. Shouldn’t be long!

    Reply

  6. Sorry to say I’ve never watched it (yet) but the cookbook looks great and I now feel curious.

    Reply

  7. I haven’t actually watched it yet, but it is on my ‘to watch’ list as i have a few friends who love it!

    Reply

  9. I haven’t seen it but I am definitely going to look out for it now as your recipes sound lovely

    Reply

  12. I’ve not watched Outlander yet, but it’s been highly recommended to me. We have just got Amazon Prime so I’m hoping to start watching it next week.
    What a fantastic prize.
    I’d love to win.
    Thanks for the chance.

    Reply

  13. I have never seen Outlander but it looks like something I will like, just catching up with all GOT and then I think I will watch this.

    Reply

  15. I love this series, am a little behind have some still to watch. I just love the signature tune “over the sea to skye”

    My favourite bit is when the Highlander Connor is rescued from the prison

    Reply

  19. I’ve never heard of the Outlander books, but the recipe book looks fantastic, and I would take it with me when I spend two weeks in a cottage in the Scottish Highlands in September…. I have loads of time to cook there and it looks perfect

    Reply

  20. I am a huge fan of Outlander and the final episode of season two had me in tears when Claire said goodbye to Jamie at the memorial stone on the battlefield.Can’t wait for series 3!!!

    Reply

  22. I have to admit i haven’t seen Outlander although the cookbook looks amazing so i will have to make a point of listing it as a must see X x

    Reply

  24. Never seem Outlander but this type of food makes be very, very happy indeed. Will be taking a look at it.

    Reply

  27. Haven’t watched it yet! But I am Scottish so the recipes would be great to add to my own family cookbook!

    Reply

  31. I’ve read most of the books and just started Season 2 but hands down the wedding night scene was The Best. It was hot, funny and sentimental and it’s refreshing to see sex scenes on TV that are all about the female gaze, rather than male. Also, that dress. Amazing.

    Reply

  35. I have never seen it -but heard good things- however the cook book looks great and I collect cookery books!

    Reply

  37. Yes! I loved the books but don’t have Prime so haven’t seen the series – but the DVD boxsets are out so that’s definitely on my present list!

    Reply

  38. I have been dying to see the series, but haven’t had the time yet. I’ve heard really good things though.

    Reply

  40. to be honest nope I’ve not heard of it but I just been looking at all the pics on IG so I’m gonna try and find on line to watch …

    Reply

  43. I hadn’t heard of Outlander before, I was the one watching the football. I tried Venison for the first time last year and it was delicious so I’ll definitely be putting this in the dishes to try pile
    Tanya recently posted…Race For Life 5KMy Profile

    Reply

  45. I have never seen this series but this meal looks amazing!! I have already printed it off to try soon as it just looks so good. Thanks for sharing

    Reply

  48. I’m outlander obsessed according to my hubby, he’s started called me Sassenach! Having had my head buried in the books for years I persuaded him to watch the series and we both loved it. Such a shame the weather wasn’t kinder to you, the recipe looks great!

    Reply

  49. This makes me even more hungry than I am right now. I would really love to get this book and I hope I win it 🙂

    Reply

  50. Oh my days, I’m so hungry after reading this 🙂
    Your photos are lovely and make it look very inviting!
    Thanks for sharing this recipe x

    Reply

  51. Really hoping to get this book as a birthday present (I’ve dropped enough hints!) Love Outlander and used to read the books with my Granddad (a proud Fraser) they are a real family tradition xxx

    Reply

  52. What a fantastic recipe! I admit I have never had venison. I must try this 🙂 As for Outlander, yes I am an ardent fan of the books (am on book 3, purchased all 8) and of the show. I think the television series has done a masterful adaptation of the source material, from capturing the wild beauty of Scotland, to the intricate details of costume and language. The casting is superb! My favorite moment from the show has to be in the season 2 finale… The heartbreaking dance like sequence when Jamie sends Claire back through the stones. It was so beautifully acted, the longing and grief palpable. I was weeping. A close second is the wedding, both in the book and the show. Thank you for sharing your passion! Take care.

    Reply

  53. I must admit that I have not seen the series but from your article it seems that I have missed something I would have enjoyed watching

    Reply

  54. Honestly, I haven’t really watched outlander and not heard much about it! You seem to really like it though so I’ll have to check it out! Sounds like my kind of program! That stew sounds delicious!
    Kira C recently posted…Paris 01 Perfume ReviewMy Profile

    Reply

  57. I’ve never seen Outlander so can’t say I’m a fan, but my mother in law is and she’s also a keen cook so this book would make a great gift for her.

    Reply

  58. Oh well I want this sounds absolutely delicious! I don’t watch outlander, but clearly I can see you’re very enthusiastic about it 🙂 xxx

    Reply

  59. Wow that looks incredible! I think I must have been living under a rock as not heard of the series or book. Where have I been?

    Reply

  61. This cookbook sounds like it is full of awesome hearty recipes. I love love love stew but have never thought to use venison! I will have to try this as we still have some venison leftover in our freezer that was given to us by a friend. I am sure venison will give this stew an awesome gamey flavor.

    Reply

  64. I’ve never heard of that show- but the cookbook looks interesting! What a great soup idea for cold dreary days

    Reply

  65. I just got into this series and the books. I love it! This cookbook sounds like so much fun and the stew looks delicious. xo, Catherine

    Reply

  73. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to watch Outlander on TV as it was on Amazon Prime and sadly goes beyond my current budget but will hopefully catch it on DVD…it sounds great.

    Reply

  91. I’m a fan of the books and the series – I love it when Claire shocks all he men by swearing.

    Reply

  92. For me, the best thing about Outlander is the chance to see familiar places in Scotland in a new light; it’s a reminder not to take this beautiful country for granted.

    Reply

  93. I hadn’t heard of the series but the book looks fantastic, it makes me want to watch the series.

    Reply

  100. I have just got into Outlander, up to the wedding at the moment in the first season, love Jamie and Claire getting to know each other.

    Reply

  102. Sorry i have never looked at an Outlander Book, but looking at the recipe above, i will make a point of looking

    Reply

  103. I am the biggest Outlander fan going, have read all 9 books and am totally in love with Jamie and Clare in the TV show, great casting!
    My favourite book is still the first one as I love all things Scottish (men in kilts mainly) and the Wedding episode has to be my favourite still after 2 seasons of watching on Tv.

    Reply

  106. I’ve never read the books or watched Outlander on TV but my best friend loves it and I know she would love the cook book too.

    Reply

  115. I read the book a while back and completely fell in love with the story and the brilliant descriptions of the Highlands. I haven’t yet watched the programme, though I keep meaning to. Life is just so hectic with 3 kiddies.

    Reply

  119. My sister & mum are big Outlander fans, so won’t be surprised to see a cookbook! I’ve just started watching on their recommendation☺

    Reply

  120. The herb and pumpkin seed oatcakes are lovely. Looking forward to using up my allotment produce using interesting recipes.

    Reply

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