I've never been a fan of stews. Over my lifetime I've occasionally had a stew that was delicious. But typically, I'm just not a fan of the flavor. I never knew what the difference in flavor was and I never thought to ask. Now I believe that I know the answer: Herbes de Provence! I am a fan of Herbes de Provence.
What is Herbes de Provence?
I'd never heard of that seasoning blend until recently. While searching for a recipe for venison stew I found a young lady that uses Herbes de Provence in her recipe. I listened to why she recommended it and I looked it up.
Herbes de Provence is a blend of herbs that were used in the Southeastern region of Provence France. These herbs were widely used because they were widely available in that area. The blend began to be bottled in the 1970s and became more widely available. The bottled version that I have contains:
- Thyme
- rosemary
- basil
- parsley
- oregano
- tarragon
- marjoram
- lavender flowers
How Did I Make Delicious Tender Venison?
Venison is a very lean meat making it a healthy choice. Because it is so lean it can be overcooked and become rubbery. I have made the mistake of overcooking venison. This is why searched for tutorials on making venison stew. I wanted something other than a roast made in the crockpot and I wanted to attempt a flavorful stew.
I decided to use the recipe from Miss Allie's Kitchen, Her recipe includes venison, celery, potatoes, onions, and carrots. Her recipe is also how I heard about Herbes de Provence.
I seared the chunks of venison and removed them from the pan. I placed the other ingredients into the pan for just a bit to aid in softening them. I didn't realize that I didn't have diced tomatoes. So my first attempt did not include that ingredient but the stew turned out great despite that omission. I then removed the vegetables from the pan, added the venison back into the pan with a sprinkle of flour as other recipes suggested to thicken the stew. I added the remainer of the ingredients and closed the pressure cooker.
Because venison is so low fat, I used a small pressure cooker. I prefer a stovetop pressure cooker although my son is trying to convince me to purchase an Instapot. I am accustomed to the stovetop style pressure cooker and get good results. But there are several ways to cook this stew and you can choose what works best for you.
(note: The brand shown in the Amazon link is the brand I use and prefer. However, at the time of this writing, the product listed on Amazon is double the price of the same product in local stores)
Related Links:
Watch Miss Allie's Kitchen Classic Venison Stew video tutorial here.
Find the ingredients and Miss Allie's Kitchen written recipe here.
I recently began baking popovers which are perfect with venison stew! You can see my review of popovers here.