Classic Moose Stew
Find our recipe for moose stock here: ediblealaska.com/recipe/moose-stock
Ingredients
- 3 pounds moose stew meat, cleaned of gristle and silver skin, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons rosemary
- 2 teaspoons tarragon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon finely ground espresso
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (more as necessary)
- 2 tablespoon butter (more as necessary)
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 4 cups moose stock (see recipe link above)
- 2 cups red wine or 1¾ cups pure apple juice and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Vegetables (to be added for last 45 minutes of cooking):
- 3 medium carrots
- 3 stalks celery
- 4 medium potatoes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ cup red wine or pure apple juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300° F. Toss moose meat chunks with herbs, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to massage seasonings into meat. Whisk flour and espresso powder together, sprinkle over top of the meat, and toss again to thoroughly combine.
- Heat olive oil and butter in an 8-quart ovenproof casserole over medium heat. Once oil is shimmering, sauté meat in batches, turning once or twice so that it’s evenly browned. As each batch is finished, remove to a bowl and reserve.
- Once all the meat is cooked, add onion to the same pot, adding more oil and butter if needed. Add a splash of red wine and stir to deglaze.
- Sauté until onions are soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Return the meat to the pot, add stock and red wine, and stir thoroughly to combine. Cover and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, transfer the pot to the oven and cook for 2½ hours.
- While meat is cooking, prepare vegetables. Chop carrots, celery and potatoes into chunks about the same size as the meat. Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add all the vegetables to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, just enough to soften the edges.
- Sprinkle flour over top and stir to combine. Add red wine and stir—the liquid will thicken right away. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Remove pan from heat.
- Once meat has cooked for 2½ hours, bring pot out of the oven, uncover, and stir in the vegetables, getting right to the bottom of the pot to distribute evenly.
- Cover and return the pot to the oven. Cook for another 45 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Taste and add more salt and pepper as necessary. If the sauce needs a little brightening, stir in a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Serve at once with some hearty sourdough bread, pasta, or polenta.
