Venison Chilli

Why not stay at home this weekend and treat yourself to some restaurant-standard fare.

This recipe for Venison Chilli by Rowley Leigh was published in the November 2020 issue of House & Garden magazine and is as good as any restaurant meal I’ve tasted.

Allegedly created by President Lyndon B Johnson when he was told he had to cut down on cholesterol.

House & Garden

Ingredients

• 2 dried ancho chillies
• 1 dessertspoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 fresh chillies, finely chopped
• 100ml sunflower oil or similar oil
• 1.5kg stewing venison
• 1tsp chilli powder
• 500g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 dessertspoon dried (or fresh chopped) oregano

To serve

• Pilaf rice and sour cream
• 6 spring onions, chopped
• Bunch fresh coriander
• Tortilla chips or other crackers

Method

1. Soak the dried chillies in a bowl of cold water.
2. In a heavy, large, dry casserole dish roast the cumin seeds on a high heat until they give off a strong toasty aroma.
3. Pour these seeds into a mortar or blender and grind to a powder.
4. In the casserole, stew the onion, garlic and fresh dried chillies with 2 tbsp of the oil.
5. Remove from the heat.
6. In a separate frying pan, fry the venison in batches in 2tbsp of oil, colouring each side and then adding to the aromatics in the casserole.
7. Once all the meat is sealed, add the chilli powder, tomatoes and oregano to the casserole, with just enough water to cover.
8. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim off any scum that rises to the top and, later in the cooking process, any oil or fat.
9. Cook for 2½ hours until the meat is beginning to break up into a ragu.
10. Serve with pilau rice, a bowl of sour cream, a bowl of spring onions, the coriander and the tortilla chips.

Serves 6

Top Tips

The venison chilli will be further improved by cooking the day before and reheating for 30 minutes before serving the next day.

Serve with a little grated cheese for extra flavour.

External links

House & Garden website

Morrisons supermarket stock various cuts of venison

📸 Great British Chefs on Pinterest