VENISON AND BUTTERMILK DUMPLINGS
Tender venison shank meat is simmered into a rich gravy with carrots, celery, onion, and herbs, then finished with soft buttermilk dumplings. It is a cold-weather venison stew that eats like old-school comfort food.
Ingredients
For the Dumplings
- 3 1/3 cups pastry flour, chilled
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter (frozen and then grated with a cheese grater, then refreeze)
- 1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
For the Gravy
- 3 venison shanks
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 2 cups celery, diced
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon naturally brewed soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons mild vinegar-based hot sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the dumplings
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or butter a non-stick baking sheet and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cold flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Using your hands, work the frozen grated butter into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse cornmeal. Add the cold buttermilk and mix until just combined. Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until it is smooth (this should take about 2 minutes).
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out the dumplings using a 1/2 inch circle cutter or use a knife and cut into squares. Line the dumplings onto your prepared baking sheet. They should be touching like you would do for biscuits. Bake the dumplings for for 8-10 minutes until they start to firm up. They shouldn't have any color on them. Pull the dumplings apart and let them rest at room temperature uncovered for up to 3 hours.
For the Venison and Gravy
- Place the shanks in a large enough pot so that they can lay horizontal. If they cant lay horizontal, trim a couple of inches off of the bone so that they fit. Cover with just enough water so that the shanks for covered. Add 1 cup of the carrots, 1 cup of the celery and 2 cups of the onions and the herbs. Cover and bring to a simmer until the shanks are fork tender (about 3 hours).
- Remove the shanks from the pot and set aside. Strain the pot and reserve the cooking liquid and discard the solids. Wash the pot and set it over medium-high heat. Add the butter, once it is melted add the remaining vegetables and cook for 10 minutes while stirring frequently.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the all purpose flour. Stir until until there are no lumps in the flour. While frequently stirring, cook the roux until it is a light golden color (about 8-10 minutes).
- Slowly stir in the strained broth broth. Bring this to a simmer and cook at a simmer until it has thickened. About 25 minutes.
- While the broth is simmering, remove the meat from the shanks and shred thinly. If you like tendons, chop those up and mix in the with meat.
- Add the soy sauce, hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the Dumplings
- Add the dumplings to the stew and simmer for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.
NOTES
- Par-bake the dumplings first. Bake them just until they start to firm up and pull them before they take on any color. This helps them hold together better when they finish in the gravy.
- Use enough water for the shanks. Add just enough water to cover the shanks while they simmer. That gives you the broth you need without weakening the flavor.
- Cook the shanks until fork-tender. Plan on about 3 hours, but go by texture instead of the clock. The meat should shred easily before it goes back into the gravy.
- Strain and save the broth. Once the shanks are tender, strain the vegetables and herbs, then keep the cooking liquid for the gravy.
- Cook the roux to a light golden color. After sautéing the fresh vegetables, stir in the flour and cook until there are no lumps and the roux turns a light golden color. That keeps the gravy from tasting raw.
- Shred the meat while it simmers. Pull the meat from the bones and shred it thinly while the broth thickens, then stir it back in before adding the dumplings.
- Simmer the dumplings gently. Once they go into the stew, give them about 5 minutes to cook through. A hard boil can break them up.
Nutrition
Calories: 1115kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 97g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 365mg | Sodium: 1113mg | Potassium: 2010mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 12031IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 313mg | Iron: 16mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
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