Recipe - Potato Gnocchi With Venison Stew

One half cup Dried Porcini mushrooms
One fourth cup Olive oil
1 md Onion; minced
One fourth cup Minced Pancetta or bacon (1
ounce)
Salt and freshly ground
pepper
2 1/3 pound Boneless venison from the
leg or
Shoulder, cut into 1inch
cubes
One half cup Dry red wine
2 Bay leaves
2 Whole cloves
1 Fresh rosemary sprig or 1
teaspoon dried
2 tablespoon Tomato paste
3 One half cup Chicken stock or canned
broth
Potato Gnocchi

Soak the Porcini in 2 cups of hot water until softened, about 30 minutes.
Drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Rinse and chop the mushrooms,
discarding any tough bits. Strain the liquid through

a sieve lined with cheesecloth and reserve.

Meanwhile, in a large nonreactive casserole, heat the oil over moderately
high heat. Add the onion and Pancetta saute until golden, about 6 minutes.
Season lightly with salt and pepper. Increase the

heat to high, add the venison and cook until all the meat juices have
evaporated, about 15 minutes.

Add the chopped Porcini to the casserole, along with the wine, bay leaves,
cloves and rosemary. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes, until the wine is nearly
evaporated.
Stir in the tomato paste and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the
stock and the reserved mushroom liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat
to moderately low and simmer, partially covered,

until the meat is tender, about 1 One half hours. Remove the bay leaves and
rosemary sprig. (The venison stew can be made up to 2 days ahead and
refrigerated, covered.) In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the
Potato Gnocchi in 3 or 4 batches until they rise to the surface, 2 to 3
minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to a warm platter and
cov

er with foil. Toss the gnocchi with the hot venison sauce and serve
immediately.

Yield: 6 serving
Recipe By : COOKING LIVE SHOW #CL8759

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #304

Date: Sat, 16 Nov 1996 09:06:28 0500

From: "Angele and Jon Freeman" jfreeman@netusa1.net