Ngong Game Stew with Juniper Berries
Game meat long-braised in red wine, juniper berries, and onions, coated in a dark glossy sauce — the grand evening dish, worthy of a dinner under the Ngong veranda.
Game meat long-braised in red wine, juniper berries, and onions, coated in a dark glossy sauce — the grand evening dish, worthy of a dinner under the Ngong veranda.
The game of the Ngong plain has a taste you will find nowhere else: that of dry grass and wind. When an important guest was announced, I would marinate the meat all day, then braise it for hours over low heat with the juniper and wine I kept carefully. Then I set the table as in Copenhagen — white cloth, silver, crystal — and laughed to think that the lions were prowling just a few steps away in the night. A good table, you see, is still the finest defense against the savagery of the world.
- •Bush game meat (gazelle, antelope) — a fine cut (base)
- •Full-bodied red wine — one bottle (marinade and braising liquid)
- •Juniper berries — a small handful (signature aromatic)
- •Onions — several (base)
- •Smoked bacon — a few slices (fat and flavor)
- •Redcurrant jelly — a spoonful (sweet-sour binder)
Ngong Game Stew with Juniper Berries
Game meat long-braised in red wine, juniper berries, and onions, coated in a dark glossy sauce — the grand evening dish, worthy of a dinner under the Ngong veranda.
Why this dish? At the farm, game was hunted in the bush, and Blixen received her guests — Denys Finch Hatton, officers, passing travelers — with a carefully set table. This stew marries African game with the Danish way of braising venison, like a bridge between her two worlds.
The game of the Ngong plain has a taste you will find nowhere else: that of dry grass and wind. When an important guest was announced, I would marinate the meat all day, then braise it for hours over low heat with the juniper and wine I kept carefully. Then I set the table as in Copenhagen — white cloth, silver, crystal — and laughed to think that the lions were prowling just a few steps away in the night. A good table, you see, is still the finest defense against the savagery of the world.
Ingredients (period version)
- Bush game meat (gazelle, antelope) — a fine cut (base)
- Full-bodied red wine — one bottle (marinade and braising liquid)
- Juniper berries — a small handful (signature aromatic)
- Onions — several (base)
- Smoked bacon — a few slices (fat and flavor)
- Redcurrant jelly — a spoonful (sweet-sour binder)
Ingredients
- Venison or doe shoulder — 1.2 kg (base)
- Full-bodied red wine — 75 cl (marinade and braising liquid)
- Juniper berries — 10 (signature aromatic)
- Onions — 3 (base)
- Smoked bacon lardons — 150 g (fat and flavor)
- Carrots — 3 (base)
- Redcurrant jelly — 1 tbsp (sweet-sour binder)
- Flour, butter, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper — to taste (thickener and seasoning)
Method
- The day before, marinate the meat cut into large cubes in red wine with crushed juniper berries, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Drain the meat (reserve the marinade), pat dry, dust with flour, and sear in butter with the lardons until well browned.
- Add sliced onions and carrots, sweat, then deglaze with the strained marinade.
- Cover and braise over very low heat for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the meat shreds.
- Remove the meat, reduce the sauce, mount with a knob of butter and a spoonful of redcurrant jelly.
- Return the meat, adjust seasoning, and serve hot with roasted potatoes.
How it was made : Game was hunted with rifles on the plain, and the meat, lacking reliable refrigeration, was cooked quickly or preserved by salting. The long braise in wine and juniper, inherited from Nordic game cookery (where venison was served with berries and red fruit jelly), tenderized lean, tough meats.
The contemporary twist : Serve the shredded meat in a deep bowl, mirror-sauce, and scatter with a few crushed juniper berries and orange zest for a modern Scandinavian touch.
Sources : Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), Out of Africa, 1937 · Kristine Marie Jensen, Frøken Jensens Kogebog, 1901
Karen Blixen · Charactorium