A white plate of cooked slices of venison, mushrooms and bacon in a sauce with some garnish on the side and a spoon resting on the rim

Braised Venison with Bacon, Chestnuts and Wild Mushrooms in a Rich Madeira Sauce

2 hours 30 minutes

Serves 4-6. See questions Lindsey has answered on this recipe at the end of the method

This recipe is from Delia's Happy Christmas.

This casserole freezes extremely well and fits the bill perfectly at Christmas when you have had enough turkey.

Because it’s braised slowly, there are lots of lovely flavours and because the sauce, made with rich Madeira, is dark and glossy, this cries out for a pile of creamy, fluffy mashed potato.

The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch how to make Perfect Mashed Potatoes. Press the image to play.

Got a question on Delia's recipes? Ask Lindsey

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Substitute for the Madeira in the Braised Venison recipe

Asked by: SR

Hi Lindsey, We love the braised venison with bacon, chestnuts and wild mushrooms recipe. However, nowadays it can be hard to find anything other than very expensive, premium Madeira. Could you recommend an alternative to the Madeira? Many thanks

Answered by Lindsey: Hello, You could do white wine and a splash or Madeira or Port. Best wishes Lindsey

Swapping venison for beef

Asked by: Joanna Hallam

Hello I have your recipes for braised venison with bacon chestnuts and wild mushrooms (which states freezing instructions) and braised steak with a wild mushroom and Madeira sauce (which has no instructions for freezing) My questions are - could I follow the whole recipe (including freezing) for the venison dish, but substitute the venison with braising steaks as in the beef recipe? Are the ingredients such as chestnuts and pancetta ok with beef? Would the freezing and re-heating instructions be the same? I would be most grateful for your answers. Thank you

Answered by Lindsey: Hello, Yes you can swap the venison for beef (and visa versa) and yes the freezing instructions would be the same. We mostly defrost meat or fish overnight the fridge now. Best wishes Lindsey

Method

Begin this by heating half the oil in the casserole and, when it’s hot, add the onions and cook them for about 6 minutes, till they’re dark and caramelised at the edges.

Then add the garlic, stir and cook for a further minute before removing the whole lot to a plate, using a draining spoon. Next, add the bacon lardons or cubetti di pancetta to the casserole, toss them around in the hot fat till they turn golden, then transfer them, too, to the plate. Now add the rest of the oil and, keeping the heat high, brown the cubes of meat, about 6 at a time, removing them to join the onions as you go.

After that, add the fresh mushrooms and toss them around in the hot juices for another minute, then return everything from the plate back to the casserole. Stir well now, add a good seasoning of salt and pepper, then sprinkle in the flour, stirring again to soak up the juices, then gradually add the Madeira, still stirring.

Finally, add the thyme, the bay leaves, chestnuts and the dried porcini (having rinsed them first under a tap and broken up any extra-large pieces). As soon as the whole thing reaches simmering point, put a lid on and transfer it to the oven to braise slowly for 2½ hours. Then remove the braised venison from the oven and, when it’s absolutely cold, transfer it to a plastic freezer box and freeze till needed.

To reheat, remove from the freezer and defrost at room temperature (about 4-5 hours). Pre-heat the oven to 180C, gas mark 4. Transfer the the venison to a casserole dish and heat in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until piping hot.