In addition to the meat itself, moose stews usually feature a variety of root vegetables. In this version, however, there are no root vegetables — unless you count the onions. This moose stew with chocolate, perfect for warming up autumn evenings, gets its kick from chili, sweetness from plums, and depth of flavor from cocoa.
Moose stew with chocolate
Ainekset
annosta
| 1,5 kg | moose meat suitable for stew (e.g. shoulder or brisket) |
| 4 tsp | cooking oil for frying |
| 4 | onions |
| 1 | bell pepper |
| 1 tsp | dried chilli flakes |
| 10–15 | dried plums (prunes) |
| 1 tsp | paprika powder |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 2 tbsp | red wine vinegar |
| 1 – 1.2 litres | water |
| 1 tbsp | cocoa powder |
| salt and black pepper to the taste |
Valmistus
Remove membranes from the meat, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Chop the onions, the bell pepper and the dried plums.
In a heavy pot (e.g., a cast-iron stew pot) heat the oil and fry the meat pieces until they develop a browned surface. Then add the onions, and sauté on low heat for about 15 minutes.
Add the bell pepper and paprika powder, sauté briefly.
Add the water, the plums, bay leaves, red wine vinegar and salt. Let the mixture simmer on low heat for 2–3 hours until the meat is tender. Add water during the cooking if necessary so the meat remains covered by the liquid.
At the final stage add the cocoa powder. Taste and adjust salt and black pepper as needed. If the sauce feels too runny, thicken it, for example with a bit of cornstarch (Maizena).
Serve the stew, for example, with a vegetable-based mash. Traditional mashed potatoes go well, but even better with this stew is a mash made with half potatoes and half parsnips.
A long simmering time makes the moose meat wonderfully tender.
