Soup + stew = Stoup

Whatever it is, with a venison base it’s great

I don’t know about for everyone else, but last year flew by for me. It seems like it was only a few weeks ago I was hoping winter would break and the temperatures would rise. To begin this new year, I would like to wish everyone the best of health, happiness and prosperity.

Beginning the second week of January, there are boat, fishing, hunting and outdoor shows across the Carolinas almost every weekend through March. By then, spring fishing has started and hunters are getting ready for turkey season — and it just keeps going.

I know many of you attend these shows and have favorite game and fish recipes. If you will take the time to write your recipes up and bring them by the Sportsman booth, I’ll promise to look them over and maybe even use some in this column. If you won’t be at any of the shows, e-mail me your recipes. I’ll have prizes for the folks whose recipes we use.

This is the coldest time of the year, a time I like to feature soups, stews, chili and other recipes that are good and filling and will quickly warm us up after being outside. While a few feature fish and fowl, most soup and stew recipes highlight venison, and that’s good. Numerous surveys position deer as the most-popular game species across the Carolinas, and with moderate success, there should be venison in the freezer for your favorite recipes.

While the excitement and camaraderie of the hunt is special, it would be a shame not to celebrate the hunt by introducing new hunters, plus other family and friends, to the excellent flavor and healthy benefits of venison, especially venison they harvested or helped bring to the bag. I have found that sometimes recipes with a lot of familiar ingredients are a great way to acquaint people to enjoying the mild flavor of venison.

This is a recipe that was supposed to be something else, which led to the name that combines stew and soup. I’ll get into more detail on that later, but I point it out here to show the versatility of venison. It is tasty, healthy and easy to use. That’s a trifecta you should use to your advantage whenever possible.

Blackened venison stoup

Many people believe there is a lot to a name, and if so, this one should get you thinking. I believe it is obvious this has something to do with blackened venison being cooked in a crock pot, but just what the heck is stoup? Stoup is a word I made up to describe this dish, as it has some of the qualities of soup and some of the qualities of stew, but really isn’t quite exactly either.

This recipe got off to a necessary start when I thawed a package that was marked venison stew meat, only to find it was a package of ground venison. Of course, it was already thawed and the veggies chopped when I realized what had happened. I needed to have this ready for a meal that afternoon, so the option wasn’t available to thaw some stew meat, but to figure out a way to make this work.

When faced with food problems, I usually channel my inner Cajun and try to cover things with an abundance of spice. Quickly, I eliminated gumbo, etouffé, creole, perlou and jambalaya. Well, actually, I thought a while on jambalaya before moving on. Suddenly, it hit me that I could work with a combination between a stew recipe and a soup recipe and blacken the venison to give it a little kick. This was an opportunity to try something new, and I welcomed it with open arms.

I got lucky!  That first version was pretty good, and with a little tweaking, it has become a favorite at our house and with a lot of friends. It uses ground venison, but with all the stew vegetables, it is a little thicker than soup. It could be thickened even more by adding a little flour, but we like it better without. It could be thinned into soup by adding more consommé or broth. If you decide to try the soup, just remember that consommé has a richer flavor than broth.

I think that much like spaghetti and chili, this is a little better after it has cooled and is reheated. It seems like when it cools, the meat and vegetables absorb more of the spices and, while the stoup is more flavorful overall, there is less spice concentrated in the broth.

My wife really doesn’t care for much spice, but she will eat a full bowl of this and smile. It has enough spice that even I notice it, but it isn’t hot. I would recommend it for your family, as a winter patio or deck meal with friends and especially as a meal at the hunting lodge or fishing cabin. In the words my grandfather used to describe good hearty meals, “It’ll stick to your ribs.” I believe he would have liked it also.

This is another great way to introduce people to the mild flavor of venison. Those who already appreciate venison will enjoy it also and both will usually ask for seconds.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 pounds ground venison

2 cups petite carrots (12-ounce package)

4 large potatoes

3 sweet onions

2 stalks celery

2 cans beef consommé

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp coarse ground black pepper

1 tbsp paprika

1 Bay leaf

1/2 cup blackened seasoning

PREPARATION:

Cut carrots in half, peel and cube potatoes, cut onions into slices, chop celery into 1/2-inch pieces. Put all ingredients except venison, onions and blackened seasoning in crock pot, sprinkle on 1/8 cup of blackened seasoning, stir to mix and turn on low. Lightly brown venison, beginning with 1/8 cup of blackened seasoning. Turn/stir venison and add another 1/8 cup of blackened seasoning venison. Cook venison until lightly brown. Move venison to crock pot and cover vegetables with it. Put onions in pan with venison drippings, sprinkle with blackened seasoning and sauté very lightly, just enough they become opaque. Move onions to crock pot and spread on top of venison and sprinkle well with blackened seasoning. Cook one hour on high. Stir crock pot to thoroughly mix venison and vegetables. If there is any blackened seasoning left, sprinkle it in and mix it well into vegetables and meat. Cook one hour on high. Stir well. Cook 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Stir well before serving.

This is very hearty and is almost a complete meal in itself. Occasionally I serve it with white rice, and it can be served over the rice. A warm piece of hearty bread is good and can be used to sop up any extra juice. If you feel the need for more vegetables, a lettuce wedge or green salad is a great way to start.