Braised Venison Stew In A Red Wine & Bitter Chocolate Sauce

• Olive Oil, For Cooking
• 1/2 pounds Slab Bacon, Chopped
• 2-1/2 pounds Venison Stew Meat Or Shoulder Cut Into Chunks
• 4 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 teaspoon Each Of Kosher Salt And Black Pepper
• 3 whole Shallot, Peeled And Roughly Chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, Peeled And Crushed
• 8 whole Button Mushrooms, Cleaned And Halved
• 3 whole Carrots, Peeled And Roughly Chopped
• 3 stalks Celery, Roughly Chopped
• 4 whole Small Turnips, Peeled And Cut Into Chunks
• 2 sprigs Fresh Thyme
• 2 whole Bay Leaves
• 1 teaspoon Mixed Peppercorns, Crushed
• 2 cups Red Wine (Be Generous!)
• 2 cups Beef Stock
• 1 ounce, weight Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids), Grated
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. Drizzle a little oil into a large ovenproof Dutch oven and saute the bacon for 4-5 minutes over a moderate heat until lightly golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Put the chunks of venison in a large bowl or plastic bag with the seasoned flour (4 Tablespoons flour seasoned with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper) and toss well to coat. Shake off the excess flour. Add a little more oil (if needed) to the Dutch oven and fry the venison in batches over a moderate to high heat, until browned on all sides. Remove from the pot and set aside with the bacon.
4. Add a final drizzle of oil to the casserole dish and add in the shallots, garlic, and mushrooms. When golden in color, add the carrots, celery and turnips. Saute the vegetables with the herbs and crushed peppercorns for about 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Return the bacon and venison to the Dutch oven and pour in the red wine. Give everything a good stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the dish to loosen any sediment. Bring the wine to the boil, then pour in the stock and add some salt and pepper. Return to a boil again and then cover with a lid. Transfer to the oven and cook for 11/2 to 2 hours, or until tender.
5. Remove the casserole from the oven and strain the meat and vegetables through a large sieve or colander set over a saucepan to catch the sauce. Discard the bay leaves and thyme. Place the meat and vegetables back into the dish and cover to keep warm. Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the chocolate until it melts and the sauce is smooth. (If it turns grainy, pass it through a fine sieve.) Taste and adjust the seasoning, then pour the sauce over the venison and vegetables and stir well.

olive oil, bacon, flour, salt, shallot, garlic, button mushrooms, carrots, stalks celery, thyme, bay leaves, red wine, beef, chocolate, salt

Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/braised-venison-stew-in-a-red-wine-bitter-chocolate-sauce/ (may not work)