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)
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.