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Caribou stew
A northern stew of caribou and root vegetables
Caribou is the everyday red meat of many Dene, Inuit and northern families in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Labrador, and a pot of caribou stew is what simmers on the stove in Yellowknife or Inuvik through the long winter. The meat is lean and slightly sweet and gamey, and slow-braising with onion, carrot, potato and turnip makes it meltingly tender. Outside the North, farmed reindeer, venison or beef chuck work in exactly the same way. A common mistake is boiling hard, which toughens lean meat; it should barely bubble. Chef's tip: dust the meat in flour and brown it well in batches for a rich, thick gravy.
- Total time
- 175 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb caribou, reindeer or venison stewing meatcut into 4 cm cubes
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionschopped
- 2 cloves garlicchopped
- 6 ¼ cups beef stock
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 6 juniper berrieslightly crushed (optional)
- 1 ⅓ lb potatoespeeled and cubed
- 3 carrotsthickly sliced
- 10 ½ oz swede (turnip)cubed
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Toss 2 ⅝ lb caribou, reindeer or venison stewing meat with 3 tbsp plain flour, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper.
3 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the meat in three batches, 4–5 minutes each, until deep brown on all sides. Set aside.
15 minStep 4: Return the meat, pour in 6 ¼ cups beef stock, add 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried thyme and 6 juniper berries and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook very gently for 1½ hours.
90 minStep 5: Add 1 ⅓ lb potatoes, 3 carrots and 10 ½ oz swede (turnip) and cook, covered, for 40–45 minutes more until the meat is fork-tender and the vegetables are soft. Taste for salt and serve hot with bannock or bread.
45 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does caribou stew take?
- About 175 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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