Weekends are for slow food.....
Ingredients: Olive oil 2 onions, diced 4 garlic cloves, minced 1kg (2lbs) venison or beef roast 1 liter (4 cups) chicken stock, homemade 1 liter (4 cups) tomato passata 2 handfuls greens (kale, chard, etc.), chopped 1-2 handfuls chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano, parsley) Salt and pepper to taste 1 large carrot, chopped 2 potatoes, chopped 1 cup garden peas or green beans, chopped 1 cup mushrooms, chopped (Use whatever vegetables you have on hand or none at all and serve on top of roasted, steamed, or mashed veggies instead).
Method: Put oil in a Dutch oven or other large heavy-bottom pot on med-high heat. Saute onions until caramelized then add garlic and the roast.
Seal (brown) the roast on all sides, then pour on the stock and passata. Add herbs, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to the boil.
Once boiling, turn down the heat to simmer and cover. You will need to allow the roast to cook for several hours, turning and storing every-so-often. The meat should start to come apart and the sauce should thicken (I usually start this in the morning and allow it to cook all day).
About 60 minutes prior to serving, add the vegetables and put the lid back on. Prior to serving taste for seasoning (a roast this size will require at least a couple teaspoons of salt).
You will get around 10-15 serves from this recipe.
Any leftovers can be made into a pot pie....place stew in a pie dish and cover with either mashed veggies (potatoes, cauliflower, etc.) or pastry of choice - seal edges and make a slit in the top. Bake until topping is cooked and the stew is heated through (about 30 minutes on 180C/350F).
Enjoy - N