Blackened venison stoup

Soup + stew = 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.