Venison Stroganoff
Venison stroganoff is perhaps one of my most requested venison dishes. This classic Russian dish blends creaminess with mushrooms to make for quite a savory dish.
However, you will find this recipe is a little different than most.
Ingredients
Depending on what part of the world you in you will find different ingredients for stroganoff.
For this recipe I wanted to keep it simple, yet add enough ingredients to create a melody of flavors.
Meat
One of the main components of stroganoff is the meat. Traditionally this dish is made with beef, but given that we’re all about wild food we use venison or elk.
However, what is important is the cut of meat you use. Venison stroganoff requires a prime cut of meat due to the short cooking time.
Tougher cuts like venison round will not have enough time to tenderize during the cooking process.
For this reason, the recommended cuts are backstrap, tenderloin, flat iron, or flank, although I usually reserve the flank steak for venison fajitas.
Mushrooms
This is where my recipe varies from most other recipes you can find online. I’m an outdoorsman and there is no way I will go to the store and buy champignons over some wild mushrooms.
My mushroom of choice is porcinis, also known as king bolettes. I collect dozens of these every year and dry them.
You will find most of my dishes that have mushrooms will normally have king bolettes or some other form of wild-harvested mushroom.
A couple of things to keep in mind when using wild mushrooms, the flavor profile is much more complex and pairs better with venison.
When using dried mushrooms the ratio is about 10 – 1. So this recipe uses 1.5 oz of dried porcini, if using fresh mushrooms you would need about 15 oz.
Cream
A classic trait of stroganoff is its creaminess, which can be achieved in various ways.
Some recipes call for only fresh whipping cream, and others only sour cream.
Some recipes use a tin of mushroom soup (please don’t do that).
My preference is to use half-heavy whipping cream and half sour cream.
This gives the dish lots of creamy texture but without too much tang from the sour cream.
If tang is your thing you can use all sour cream, or replace the whipping cream with natural yogurt.
Wine
Wine is optional in this recipe, sometimes I use it sometimes I don’t, but it does make a noticeable difference.
If you opt to use wine, then use a dry white wine.
The wine brings a little tartness and sweetness to the dish. I usually use it if I am mixing creams, but if using only sour cream I forgo the wine.
Steps
One of the great things about this dish is you can make it in less than 30 minutes.
The first step is to rehydrate your mushrooms in warm but not hot water.
While they are rehydrating you can prepare the venison, season it, and coat it with flour.
Brown the venison on a hot pan with olive oil, and set aside to rest. The juices will leak out, reserve the juice as it will be returned to the pan with the venison.
Lower the temperature of the pan a little and add the butter. Add the shallots and gently cook for approximately 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
If you are using wine, now is the time to add it. Reduce the wine by about half.
Add the mushrooms and any extra water.
Cook for about 4 minutes
Add the Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Return the venison to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream and whipping cream
Return the pan to low heat and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until you reach your desired consistency.
Serve over pasta or egg noodles and garnish with fresh chives
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds venison or elk backstrap Sliced thinly (note 1)
- 1.5 oz dry porcini mushrooms + 1/2 cup warm water (note 2)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 medium shallots
- 1 cup venison stock (note 3)
- 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup dry white wine optional
To serve
- 8-10 oz pasta
- 1 tbsp chives finely chopped
Instructions
- Place the mushrooms in the water to rehydrate
- Grind the salt and pepper and season the flour. Sprinkle over the venison and mix to coat evenly.
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the venison in small batches and gently brown. Transfer to a plate to rest
- Add the butter to the pan along with the shallots and gently cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- If using wine add now and reduce by half, if not skip this step
- Add the mushrooms along with any remaining water. Cook for 4 minutes
- Add the Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Return the venison to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream, and whipping cream
- Return the pan to a low heat and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until you reach your desired consistency.
- Serve over pasta or egg noodles and garnish with the fresh chives
Notes
- This recipe is best made with prime cuts of elk or venison, such as the backstrap or tenderloin. You could also use a flank or flat iron.
- If using fresh mushrooms you will need 10oz
- I try to use venison stock in place of store-bought stock where possible, however, a low sodium beef stock can be substituted directly for venison stock,