Caribou Stew in the Crock Pot

by Millie Bentley

Greetings! Now is a good time for a crock pot recipe. When I first experienced the joy of crock pot cooking I lived in La Honda, California – an hour drive home from where I worked in Cupertino. In the winter time it was cold and hard to get enthusiastic about cooking dinner after the long drive home. That provided a good excuse to stop off at my favorite Chinese restaurant in Mountain View, “Mings of Palo Alto” (go figure). This was a little expensive, so I began using a crock pot. That made all the difference in the world. To walk into the house in the evening with the wonderful aroma of food ready to eat was great!
Often the preparation takes some time in the morning, so some of the work can be done in the evening. Most modern crock pots have removable stoneware cooking wells which can be refrigerated until morning. I have one now that can be put on the stove for browning the meat before starting the slow cooking. Nice. Anyway, these crock pots, or slow cookers, are a valuable tool for cooks. My daughter-in-law Susan uses hers to make great tri-tip roasts in barbecue sauce that feed her many guests.
Here’s a recipe to try with caribou, moose, venison or beef. Also, there’s a recipe included for marinade should you wish to use it to tame any “wild” taste of the game.
Caribou Stew in the Crock Pot
2 pounds meat cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt, pepper and ½ cup flour
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil or bacon grease
3 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled, sliced into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves, garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
½ cup water
½ cup beef broth or unsweetened apple juice
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 package (9 oz.) frozen peas (optional)
Place salt, pepper and flour in paper bag. Add meat and shake well, remove and brown in the oil. Shake remaining flour over browned meat (adding more oil if necessary); stir and brown, but be careful not to burn the flour. Place celery, onion and carrots in crock pot. Add meat cubes and remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on LOW 10 to 12 hours. Serve with steamed rice or buttered noodles. Makes about 4 or 5 servings. Yummm!
Marinade:
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons salt
Cold water to cover meat
Mix ingredients in a bowl just large enough to hold meat and cover with marinade. Soak frozen or fresh game in refrigerator overnight. Use for red meat or game birds.
Until next week, dear Reader, vaya con Dios. Hope you enjoy cooking and eating this meal.