Conference turris::cooks

   I have been asked to cater a party for a group of hunting buddies and
   their wives.  They want to have venison roast.  I have never prepared
   venison before, but thought I'd cook it in my clay pot.  Has anyone ever
   done this before??  Can I just follow the (beef) roast recipe I use??
   Any suggestions for aromatic vegetables or liquid (stock or wine?)
   to go in clay roaster to enhance venison.  Also will it take the same 
   time as a beef roast??

   Thanks Anne

   

Venison needs something to add moisture to the meat as it is too lean to
be treated as beef.  Other than that, cooking times should be the same
as for lean beef....you won't want to cook this well done (except in
a stew) as it will get real dry and tasteless.

A good dry red wine can be used for moisture.  I usually "bard" the roast
either the lazy way (lay strips of a good bacon over the roast and cook
like a good beef roast to medium rare) or actually bard the meat by
making slits in the meat and adding suet.  I suspect clay pot cooking
with red wine and a little pepper might be nice.... but I've never tried
it so it might not work.   I know it will work roasted with bacon
strips laid generously over the top.  Depending on the locale the deer
was taken in and the season, you might need a marinade to control the
gamey taste.  Local hunters will know about this.

Another suggestion:  check library for a game cook book.

    3 to 3 1/2 pounds of venison chuck roast
    2 onions sliced
    2 bay leaves
    12 peppercorns
    6 whole cloves
    12 juniper berries (if desired)
    2 teaspoons salt
    1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
    1 cup boiling water
    2 tablespoons shortening
    12 gingersnaps, crushed (about 3/4 cup)
    2 teaspoons sugar
    
    Place venison in an earthenware bowl or glass baking dish with onions,
    bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, berries, salt, vinegar and boiling
    water. Cover tightly; refrigertae at least three days, turning meat
    twice a day. Never pierce the meat when turning.
    
    Drain meat and reserve the marinade. In heavy skillet brown meat
    on all sides in the shortening. Add marinade mixture. Cover tightly;
    simmer 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Remove emat and
    onions from skillet and keep warm.
    
    Strain and measure liquid in skillet; add water if neede to make
    2 1/2 cups liquid. Pour liquid back into skillet and simmer for
    10 minutes. Stir gingersnaps and sugar into liquid, cover; simmer
    gently 3 minutes. Serve meat and onions on platter accompany with
    gingersnap gravy.
                                      -sunny-

    Venison steak		crushed crackers
    salt and pepper		1/2 cup fat
    flour			Currant jelly
    
    Rub the steak with a mixture of salt and pepper, dip in wheat flour
    or cracker meal and cook a rich brown on both sides in the fat.
    Place on a dish and keep warm. Dredge two tespoons of flour into
    the pan fat and stir until brown (but not burned), add a cup of
    boiling water with 1 tablespoon of currant jelly dissolved in it,
    stir a few minutes, strain the gravy, pour it over the meat and
    dig in.

    You ought to grind some up. EXCELLENT in chili. Mixed with a little
    ground pork makes the best burgers I've ever had. My husband had
    his last deer made into sausage and jerky - I miss having a little
    venison around for cooking.
    
    Pat

That is not true in all states.  Also, you can purchase imported venison (New 
Zealand?) by mail order.  I think What's his name and Harry, the fruit guys 
from the Northwest had venison in this year's catalog along with quail, 
pheasant, duck goose, smoked *.*, and so on.

						     
							- JP

    I recently heard that there is a "deer" farm somewhere in Central
    Mass, which is where most of the local restaurants get their venison.
    I know for a fact that there is a buffalo farm in upstate New York,
    kind of near Utica, since buffalo meat is popular in Indian cooking.
    
    One thing I have noticed though is that when I have pheasant at
    home it tastes alot "gamier" than the stuff I get at a restaurant.
    Probably has to do with the being raised in captivity.
    
    	-Nancy

    In Wednesday's (Jan. 11th) copy of Long Island Newsday, they have
    published an article called "The Joys of The Hunt".  In this article
    they include a recipe for venison chili along with other recipes
    for partridge, rabbit and quail.  The venison chili recipe follows.
    
    If anyone would like the others, let me know!
    
    
    VENISON CHILI
    
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 large Spanish onion, chopped
    4 cloves garlic, chopped
    2 lbs. venison, cut 1/4-inch dice
    1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
    1 teaspoon dried oregano
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    1 teaspoon ground coriander
    1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme or pinch dried thyme
    1 1/2 cups crushed plum tomatoes
    2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    2 teaspoons raisins
    2 teaspoons pine nuts
    Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
    12 fresh wheat tortillas
    6 lettuce leaves
    6 scallions
    6 lime wedges
    6 slices red pepper
    6 sprigs thyme
    
    
    1. 	In a large pan, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic until
    	onion is soft, but not brown.  Add diced venison and cook until
    	the meat loses its pink color.  Stir in chili powder, oregano,
    	cumin, coriander, cloves, cayenne and thyme.  Add tomatoes,
    	vinegar, raisins and pine nuts and stir well.  Bring to a boil,
    	reduce heat, and simmer about 1 hour or until meat is tender.
    
    2. 	Place 2 tortillas on one side of a plate and lettuce leaf on
    	the other.  Spoon one sixth of the venison mixture down the
    	center and garnish with a whole scallion, slice of red pepper,
    	a wedge of lime and a sprig of thyme.
    
    
    				MAKES 6 SERVINGS.
    
     

                       -< More recipes....sort of>-
    
    
      I started hunting in Colorado about three years ago.  Since both
    my husband and I both hunt antelope, deer and elk, along with small
    game, I needed to learn how to prepare it.  I started to get desperate
    when the freezer was rapidly filling up.  I don't have set quantities
    for everything, since the gamey taste varies from year to year.
    I marinate the steaks longer when the meat is gamey, but now that
    we hunt plains deer, they feed on corn, millet, sorgum etc. and
    they taste great!!  
      Anyway, heres what I do:
    
    MARINADE
    
    Soy sauce to cover meat  (Teryaki sauce is great too)
    Crushed garlic cloves or garlic powder to taste
    Onion powder to taste   
                                                         
    Arrange steaks in shallow dish to cover bottom.  Pour soy sauce
    to cover meat, or turn occasionally if steaks are not covered.
    Sprinkle/add garlic and onion powder.  (I use onion powder because
    the taste of chopped onions doesn't absorb as much as the powder.)
    Soak anywhere from half an hour to all day.  I like this on the
    BBQ, but coated with flour and fried is great also.
    
    
    VENISON STEW
    
    Approx. 1 lb. stew meat
    One onion, chopped
    Carrots, cut into 2 inch sticks
    Potatoes, cut to size of your choice
    Beef stock or bullion
    Onion powder
    Bay leaf
    (Sometimes I add sage, basil, etc., any spice of your choice)
    Flour and water for thickening
    
    Brown meat in large pot along with onions.  (Use about 1/2 tbls.
    margarine to brown.)  When meat is brown, add water and bullion
    or beef broth.  (As much as you think you would like.)  Add bay
    leaf, onion powder, and chosen spices.  Simmer about one to two hours 
    depending on toughness of meat.  Add carrots and potatoes, continue
    to simmer until they are soft.  To thicken, start with about three
    tbls. flour and add water.  (Shake in a glass bottle and use cold
    water to cut down on lumps.)  Add to stew.  Add more flour and water
    for desired thickness.  
    
         I also tried it as a fondue, and anything else that you use
    beef in, including stir fry.  It's all good, and the wild game gives
    it a special taste.
    
    P.S.
      In Colorado, it is unlawful to sell wild game, or serve it for
    sale in a restaurant.  Any meat in your freezer that amounts over
    20 lbs. must have a game tag or a signed note from the giver (hunter)
    saying that that person gave it to you.  So, in Colorado, the game
    served in restaurants is grown on a game farm as far as I know. 
      
            
        
    
    
    
    
    
      
    
     

    In order to cook venison (or any large game animal) meat, one must
    know how the meat hasa been handled prior to its culinary preparation.
    
    Most people do not properly age meat.  That is why it is usually
    "gamey" or strong tasting.  Or it has been improperly washed
    immediateley after it was taken while the flesh was still warm and
    highly suseptable to rapid absorption of the liquid used, which
    is generally water.
    
    If the meat has been handled properly LONG BEFORE cooking, it can
    be prepared like any other.  I have found this to be true irregardless
    of the age and size of the animal.  If not, long soaking in marinades
    or preparation in spicy dishes is usually called for in order to
    mask the strong taste.
    
    That is probably the reason that "restaurant" game meats are less
    "gamey" in taste, as I have taken deer and elk in diverse regions
    where they feed on all types of ground cover and shrubs and have
    always found the meat to be excellent IF properly aged and NOT washed
    with water.  (An old timer years ago taught us to NEVER put water
    on fresh meat, but only apple-cider vinagre!  It sterilizes the
    surface and is not absorbed by the meat.)
    
    An excellent "recipe" is to pan-fry your venison steaks in a little
    butter, but don't over cook them.  Medium-rare is great, as they
    maintain an absolutely astounding tenderness as well as flavor.  Of
    course, if it ain't been properly taken care of, grab the spice
    cans and go for it.

RE previous

You might want to look at the "HUNTING" notesfile.  It has alot of 
information about preparation, recipes, etc.  It would also be a good 
way for those of you who don't know a hunter to meet one and possibly 
persuade someone to give you some meat.  Good luck! ;^)

As for "gamey" taste, one thing I do is soak the meat in a water/
vinegar solution to pull the "gamey" out, then soak it in buttermilk.  
This alway gives us some pretty good eatin'.

Scott

I made some BBQ from tenderloin the other night that was fantastic.  
This is the recipe:

Venison tenderloin (as much as you want to make)
Hunt's Southern-Style BBQ sauce
flour 
2 beef boullion cubes
onion juice
garlic powder
salt
pepper

Soak the aged venison in liberally salted water for about 8 hours.  Pat 
dry, then cut the venison into 1" cubes.  Flour cubes and brown on all 
sides in a lightly greased frying pan.  You might need to keep adding 
small amounts of oil as the meat browns because there is no fat in the 
meat to keep it from sticking and burning.  After all the meat is browned, 
put the meat in a crock pot and cover with water.  Add the boullion cubes 
and season to taste with the onion juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  
I let the meat simmer about 5 hours, but if you use a hindquarter instead 
of the tenderloin it might need to simmer longer so that it isn't too 
tough.  After the meat cooks a while, use a food processor to chop the 
meat finely (how fine depends on how fine you like it).  Then add the BBQ 
sauce until it has the consistency you like.

Scott

    Leftover venison makes *excellent* variations on:
    
    Shepherd's pie (more gamey taste, a surprise for those expecting
    standard fare)
    
    Chilli'd (fully agree with .11) is good with tacos
    
    Curry
    
    Just use your imagination, this stuff is more versatile than you
    might think!
    
    Jacquie

    Taken from the Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 90 Issue (I have not tried
    but thought I'd post for those looking for Venison Recipies - when
    I have time I'll post the others)
    
    4 (4-ounce) lean, boneless venison loin steaks (about 1/2 inch thick)
    Vegetable cooking spray
    Dijon-Honey Sauce (recipe below)
    
    Trim fat from steaks.  Place each steak between 2 sheets of heavy-duty
    plastic wrap; flatten to 1/8-inch thickness, using a meat mallet
    or rolling pin.
    
    Coat a skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat
    until hot.  Add steaks; cook 30 seconds on each side.  (do not over
    cook)  Serve with Dijon-Honey Sauce.  Yield: 4 servings (about
    177 calories per 3 ounces steak and 1/4 cup sauce)
    
    DIJON-HONEY SAUCE:
    
    1 tablespoon margarine
    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    3/4 cup canned no-salt-added chicken broth
    1/4 cup Chablis
    1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    1 tablespoon honey
    1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
    1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
    1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
    
    Melt margarine in medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat; add flour.
    Cook 1 minute, stirring with a wire whisk.  Gradually add broth
    and wine, stirring constantly.  Add mustard and next 3 ingredients;
    cook 10 mintues or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.
    Stir in parsley.  Serve warm.  Yeld: 1 cup (about 17 calories per
    tablespoon).
                                                               

    Does anyone have a secret tip for cooking venison so that the fat isn't
    so waxy?  Once it start to cool, it looks like it's coated in parafin!
    Anything I can soak it in, cook with it to absorb it, etc?  Also could
    use some more interesting recipes to add to this topic, if you have any
    more!  We have about 75 lbs. to enjoy!
    
    Sarah
    

    
    The best thing you can do is trim as much of the fat off before
    cooking.  BTW the so called "gamy taste" of venison comes from the fat
    more than from the meat.
    
    Bob

    
    You can also marinate in worcestershire sauce. I think it is great
    2hrs. before Bar-b-Que. 
    
    Or you can steam it with onions, peppers, and mushrooms with a little
    butter. Then wrap in tin foil and bake @350 no more than 1 hr. for a
    pound of venison steak. (trim the fat off the steak)
    
    D.G.

    
    You can also use any of the Thai recipes I entered that are suitable
    for beef: I can recomend either Yum Nua [note 1146] or Kaeng [phet
    daeng] Nua [note 1701]- both of these I have had made with venison recently
    (result of dealing with a predating rowbuck). However you might also
    try Kaeng Penang [note 2504], or more traditionally Kaeng Hanglay 
    since this recipe doesn't appear to be in here yet, I will now enter
    it:
    
    Curry Paste:
    
    10 dried red chillies (up to 15 if you want it hot, less if you want it
    extra mild).
    1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
    1 teaspoon grated fresh galangal (use extra ginger if your can't get it)
    2 tablespoons dried lemon grass (if you can get fresh lemon grass then
    "bruise" it with a meat tenderizer, then cut into thin roundels - use
    about 1 & a half tablespoons of fresh)
    4 oz finely chopped shallots.
    10 large cloves of garlic.
    1 teaspoon shrimp paste (use anchovy paste if you can't find any)
    1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
    2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
    1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric.
    
    Put a cup (250 ml) of water in a small bowl and crumble the chillies
    into it. Leave to soak for 1 hour. If using dried galangal and lemon
    grass soak them also. Then put all the ingredients into a liquidiser
    and puree thoroughly.
    
    This paste can be made ahead of time and frozen until needed.
    
    Kaeng Hanglay: (Curry in the style of Chiang Mai)
    
    Ingredients:
    
    1.5 - 2 pounds of boneless, trimmed meat (beef, pork, venison, ...)
    5 teaspoons dark soy sauce
    3 1" cubes of fresh ginger
    12 shallots
    15 cloves of garlic
    2 tablespoons of tamarind paste (if you can't find any use 3
    tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce) - more if you like the stuff
    2 tablesoons (or more to taste) of dark brown sugar
    a dash of fish sauce (or just salt) to taste.
    
    Method:
    
    Combine the meat, curry paste, and soy sauce in a bowl and marinate for
    about 2 hours (preferably in a cool place - eg a refrigerator)
    
    Peel and julienne the ginger. Peel the shallots and garlic, leaving
    them whole.
    
    Put the meat and its marinade in a large wide pan (a deep saute pan is
    ideal, a wok of course is traditional), and simmer it at medium heat
    until the meat starts to release its fat (typically about 15 minutes).
    Increase the heat to medium high and stir fry for about 10 minutes
    (until the marinade begins to dry out and thicken noticeably) Add a
    pint (American pint) of water, the ginger, shallots and garlic, and
    bring it up to a simmer. Cover and cook on low heat for 45 minutes. Add
    the tamarind paste (you can substitute lime juice if you can't find it
    or prefer the taste) and brown sugar. Mix and taste. Add fish sauce and
    adjust the tamarind (sour) and sugar (sweet) balance as needed. 
    
    Cook for a further 3-4 minutes stirring continuously to spread the
    flavours thoroughly through the meal.
    
    Serve with rice ('sticky' rice is traditional in this region) and a
    variety of Thai sauces and pickles.
    
    Serves 4
    

>                     <<< Note 1589.22 by DELNI::SCORMIER >>>
>                           -< waxy feel to venison? >-

Sarah,

the standard practice is to remove all existing fat and then bard the meat
with beef or pork fat while cooking it.  I remember my mother making a
superb venison roast by laying thick sliced bacon quite generously over
the top of the roast before cooking the meat, and removing the bacon
approx. 1/2 hour before it finished cooking so that the meat could brown.
She also seasoned the meat with cracked pepper.  It was incredible!
She also marinaded her venison in dry red wine and spices - at least overnight
for the big solid chunks like a roast...but, that may have been because the
venison we got was from the high desert mountains and the deer were quite 
fond of sage...if there was a drought, the meat could get very gamey - then 
it was marinaded for several days in the refrigerator before we attempted 
to eat it.

Another note:  Only very fatty meat stays tender when cooked to well-done
stage.  Venison is leaner than beef or pork and should not be cooked more
than the rare side of medium....it toughens up real fast after that.    

Argh!  Now, I'm hungry for venison....not an easy craving to satisfy when 
living/working in the middle of silicone valley...

If your not used to Thai food then, yes, I'd recomend you go easy on the spicing
The Hanglay recipe is a slight variant of a Madhur Jaffrey recipe and shouldn't 
be too hot, but caution is advised the first time - it would be a shame to waste 
the venison.

I mentioned this topic to my wife and she said that in Thailand the most common
thing they do with a deer is marinade it in a mixture of ground green 
peppercorns and ground fresh red chillies mixed with fish sauce. She also said 
that the resultant stir fry is *HOT*...

/. Ian .\

    
    Have either your father or husband ever cooked venison, from their
    response I would guess not?  What you should do is cut the roast in
    half as you said, but let them cook their half and you cook yours. 
    Also cut it before you trim the fat and let them cook theirs whatever
    way they want.  I'm saying this because they asked you to cook it and
    then gave "expert advise" on how your method would taste before it was
    tried.  After trimming the fat don't forget to place either bacon or
    beef fat over the roast while cooking to prevent its drying out as was
    suggested earlier.
    
    Bob

    One of the best ways to fix venison is to marinate either a roast cut
    into stew cuts or tenderloin in Italian dressing overnight then grill! 
    Married to a big hunter and I seldom buy beef anymore.

 A surprisingly tasty marinade for venison is plain dijon mustard. Liberally
coat the steaks with dijon mustard and let them sit for 2-4 hours. Then
grill. Fantastic!

    Does anyone have a clue as to how I can prepare venison sausage?  I'd
    like to do something a little more interesting with it other than
    simply toss it on the grill unadorned.  
    
    The sauerbraten recipe earlier sounded good (if I cut the sausage in
    chunks), but perhaps I should be utilizing the fact that it is in
    sausage form.
    
    Also, what vegetables/starches complement a main course of venison?
    
    Thanks - Sue
    
    

    
    You can remove the casing and use the sausage in any recipe requiring 
    hamberg. I use it in spaggetti sause, as hambergers the most. You can
    even make meatloaf! This is very good. I had it at a game dinner in 
    Fitchburg severral times. 
    
    
    Yummy, great stuff,
    
    Dan

HI!

I'm interested in hearing about venison recipes that work well.  I've got a
great "pot roast" recipe that I will post here.  I'm looking for other ways
to cook roasts, steaks and burgers, as well as new and different ways of
tenderizing and various marinades if any.  (My father swore by beer as a marinade
that tenderizes as well as removes the "gamey" taste, other skilled chefs I know
use milk.....)

It's easy.  First you "brown" the meat in order to have a carmelized flavor later.
...  Browning is a matter of sauteing for 20 minutes in an oil-based substance 
with a higher burn temperature (butter - out, certain margerines in, olive oil 
in).  After browning (ususally with onions, garlic and/or shallots) some cooks 
add flour and a little water that acts as a thickening agent for a gravy-type 
sauce.  The vegetables and more water (as well as a cup of red wine) is added 
at this time (with a cover) and then slowly cooked (known as simmering) until 
done.  The pressure cooker speeds up the process and was the microwave of the 
50's...  They've kind of fallen out of favor now, but are handy to know how to
use.

So, I can I have your favorite recipes???  Full instructions too please.

Thanks
Debra

Hunter's Venison Sausage

4 lb. ground venison
4 lb. ground pork
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon all-spice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix venison and pork together.  Add approx. 1/2 cup hot water to meat to gain
desired texture for sausage press.  Add spices and mix well.

Remember to increase the amount of spice proportionally to the amount of meat!




Grandpa and Grandma B's

4 lb. ground venison
4 lb. ground pork
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 clove garlic 

Again mix the venison and the pork, and add water.  Finally add the spices and
mix well.

I haven't used the recipe for the past 2 years, I prefer a variety of spices 
and the other recipes have more flavor, but this is a safe and proven recipe.
My grandparents have used it for over 60 years.





Blaine's Venison Sausage

6 lb. ground venison
6 lb. ground pork (lean)
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 cup honey

When the venison, pork and hot water are well mixed, add spices and honey 
to mixture and mix in well.

This is probably my favorite recipe eventhough this is the one which has
evolved the most in the past 5 years.  A couple of years ago my father 
mistakenly calculated the spices in tablespoons instead of teaspoons, and it
was better then the previous batch of sausage written above.  The next year we
increased the amount of black pepper, and was it ever good.  So if you like 
spices, and in sausage a little spice is good, then play around with the 
mixture a little bit.  I will be adding a small amount of a "cajun" pepper mix 
to a small 20 lb. test batch of sausage this weekend. 




Venison Jerky

add:
	1/2 cup salt
	1/4 tablespoon black pepper
	1/2 tablespoon sage
	1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
	2 tablespoons liquid smoke 
to:
	4 quarts hot water

Cut strips of meat along grain to 1" wide X 1/4" maximum thickness X 8" long.
Marinate meat overnight (12 hours)

Drape over oven racks and leave on low heat for 12 to 14 hours.

If I had a smoker I would eliminate the liquid smoke and then dry the meat in 
the smoker.  But since I don't have access to a smoker, my oven will do.

                            BBQ VENISON ROAST
    
    3-4 lbs. venison			2 T. brown sugar
    2 envs. onion soup mix		2 T. worcestershire sauce
    1 C. salad-oil			1 C. catsup
    1/2 C. cider vinegar
    
    Marinate roast overnight. Cook slowly in covered roaster in 300 degree
    oven for 4 hours or until fork tender. Slice and serve with sauce.

    			   EASY VENISON BREAKFAST SAUSAGE
    
    Get Mortons Sausage and Meatloaf Seasoning Mix. Follow directions on
    bottle. For variations try mixing equal parts Venison with Pork, or
    Beef. We do it with Pork and Venison and usually do it in 5 or 10 lb
    batches, and form patties, and freeze it. This stuff is really excellent.
    
    enjoy
    Conrad
    

    
    Can anyone remember the  best temperature and cooking time 
    per lb  for a venison  roast  ? ...It's been marinading in
    red wine , lemon  juice  and  teriyaki sauce  for the last 
    24 hours  and  tonight's the night !!!! . I used to have a 
    great  scottish  Game cookbook  which to my horror I could 
    not find anywhere last night !!!
    
    Thanks!
    
    Sandie.../ 
              

originally posted by Steve Kallis in 1985 to SCA conference

                               VENISON STEW


           3 tablespoons bacon fat
           1 medium onion, minced
           2 pounds venison, cut into 1.5-inch cubes (beef/veal as sub.)
           0.25 cup flour
           1.5 cups boiling water or beef stock
           1.5 cups red wine
           2 teaspoons finely minced ginger
             or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
           1 tablespoon (or more) vinegar
           0.5 cups currants
               salt
           0.5 cup bread crumbs (optional)
               fresh deer blood, to taste (if available)

     1.  melt bacon fat in large saucepan
     2.  Saute onion in fat until transparent
     3.  Dredge venison cubes in flour
     4.  brown cubes in skillet, combining them with onions
     5.  Combine water/stock, wine, ginger, vinegar, currants, and salt 
         -- to taste.  Stir to blend.
     6.  Pour liquid over meat
     7.  Cover and simmer about 2.5 hours or until meat is tender.
     8.  Add bread crumbs to thicken if desired.
     9.  If using blood, remove pot from flame a few minutes before 
         adding it, as it shoukd not boil.  The blood will thicken and 
         flavor the sauce as well as darken the color.

>>Serves 4 - 6