Venison Stew with Goat Cheese Johnnycakes

Recipe: Venison Stew with Goat Cheese Johnnycakes
Page: 190
Date Cooked: November 28, 2011

Of all the recipes in "A Great American Cook," this I think is by far the most daunting. I remember flipping through the cook book when I first got it and thinking, "Wow! That is a lot of ingredients for one recipe AND a whole lot of steps." However, I think I am always up for a bit of a challenge.

Unfortunately, my grocer didn't have any venison in stock. But perhaps it was somewhat fortunate, because it goes for $20/lb - which is a bit out of my price range, being a grad student and all. But no fear, JW gives the option of using boneless beef chuck or pork shoulder as a substitute - so pork shoulder it was.

Ingredients: Garlic, pork bones, onions, carrots, olive oil, bouquet garni (not pictured), Kosher salt, pepper, pork shoulder, serrano peppers, leeks, butter, Cabernet Sauvignon, rosemary, thyme, carrots, new potatoes, turnips, parsnips, celery root, bacon, eggs, milk, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, soft goat cheese, and parsley

There are three main components to this stew: the stock, the stew, and the johnnycakes.

The Stock

I put horizontally halved garlic heads (which had been peeled) along with the pork bones, whole onions, and carrots into a roasting pan. I drizzled the ingredients with olive oil and placed the pan in the oven to roast.

Roasting stock components

I transferred the bones and vegetables to a pot and deglazed the roasting pan with some water. I poured the liquid along with some more water into the pot and brought it all to a boil. I then reduced the temperature down to a simmer and added the bouquet garni. The stock simmered for a few hours.

The stock simmering

A quick side note about the bouquet garni. It is simply a herb bundle used to flavor stocks and stews. It includes items such as - bay leaves, parsley sprigs, leek greens, ginger, and black peppercorns. As you can see in the picture above, I used the aforementioned ingredients and tied them up into cheesecloth and put it right in the stock.

Once the stock was ready, I stained it into a bowl, covered it, and allowed it to chill. I then skimmed any fat off the top of the stock (which this had very little) and poured the liquid into a pan and reduced it down. The stock was then seasoned and set aside.

Left: Taking large components out of pot before straining
Right: Strained stock

The Stew

First, I cut the pork shoulder into 2-inch cubes and seasoned with salt and pepper. I roasted the chiles under a broiler until blackened and blistered. I put them into a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and allowed the chiles to steam. While the chiles steamed, I quartered onions, peeled garlic cloves, and sliced leeks. Then, I peeled with chiles with my fingers; stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced them.

1. Pork cubes 2. Quartered onions 3. Peeled garlic cloves 4. Sliced leeks

1. Serrano chiles 2. Chiles, blackened and blistered 3. Steaming chiles 4. Thinly sliced chiles

I added butter and olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat and browned the meat in batches. As it browned, I transferred the meat to a plate with a slotted spoon. 

Browning meat in batches

Once all the meat had been browned, I cleaned out the pot, and melted some butter. I added the onions and cooked until soft for a few minutes. I then added the garlic, chiles, and leeks. All items cooked slowly. Finally, I put in the meat back in, poured in the Cabernet, the reduced stock, chopped rosemary, and thyme leaves. I covered the pot and brought the stew to a simmer. The stew simmered for a hours until the meat was really tender. 

Stew simmering for hours

The Johnnycakes

While the stew simmered, I made the batter for the johnnycakes. I beat melted butter and milk into a bowl of eggs. I then whisked in the flour and cornmeal. Finally, I crumbled the goat cheese into the batter. I covered the bowl and put it in the fridge. 

Johnnycake batter

Back to the stew...

Finishing the stew meant including all those root vegetables. I peeled and cut the carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and celery root. I placed the vegetables into a bowl of cold water and set aside. 

1. Carrots 2. Potatoes 3. Turnips 4. Parsnips 5. Celery root

I also cut the bacon into lardons and fried them in a skillet until golden brown. I removed the bacon with a slotted spoon and drained them on paper towels

Frying up lardons of bacon

Once the meat in the stew was tender, I brought a large pot of water to boil, reduced it to a simmer, and added in all the root vegetables. I cooked the vegetable just until tender. I took heed to JW's warning... "Many people overcook their root vegetables when they make stews. Don't be one of them!"

Cooking root vegetables. I forgot about the carrots initially, but cooked them separately later on.

I then added the root vegetables and bacon to the stew, checked for seasoning, and kept the stew warm.

Finished stew

Back to the johnnycakes...

Finally, I whisked the johnnycake batter and some salt and pepper. I melted butter into a skillet, added some of the batter to the pan and cooked the pancake till golden brown on each side. I transferred them all to a plate and kept warm. 

Cooking the johnnycakes

Ready to eat...

I spooned the stew into bowls, draped a johnnycake over the bowl, and sprinkled it with parsley.

Venison Stew with Goat Cheese Johnnycakes

So if you're actually still with me, I can go ahead with the verdict. It was damn good. Flavors - check. Texture - check. Heartiness - check. Freshness - check. Everything was there. The stew was cooked to perfection. And I think I know what Jonathan Waxman is saying about people overcooking root vegetables. The vegetables were obviously cooked but had that al dente bite to them which worked so well alongside the tender pork shoulder. 

The surprising component of the stew was without a doubt the johnnycakes. They were amazing! The goat cheese played nicely with the cornmeal pancake. I found myself just taking one off of the stack and eating it on its own. It was soo freaking good. 

Overall, lots of ingredients. A good amount of work. But at the end of the day it made enough for several meal and is super easy to freeze. So...yeah...I think it was a good one.

Enjoy!