Venison Stew - Civet de Chevreuil

Remove and discard skin, bones, and sinews from about 3 pounds venison shoulder or neck. Cut the meat into cubes, put in a bowl, and cover with an uncooked marinade. Store the meat in the refrigerator to marinate for a day or two, stirring and turning it from time to time, so that the marinade will penetrate evenly. Drain and dry the meat thoroughly and reserve the marinade. Parboil 1 cup of fat salt pork, cut in a small dice, in water to cover, and then drain it. Heat 1/2 cup salad oil in a heavy skillet and in it, brown the salt pork dice. Skim off the cracklings and set them aside. In the hot fat in the pan brown lightly 12 to 15 small white onions. Add 1/2 cup carrots, cut in pieces and lightly sugared, and cook for about 5 minutes, until both onions and carrots are golden brown. Remove the vegetables from the fat and set them aside with the pork.

Sauté 1/2 pound cleaned mushrooms in the skillet until they are soft and the moisture is cooked out of them. If the mushrooms are very large, cut them in half. Skim off the mushrooms and put them with the pork and vegetables. Heat the fat well and in it brown the drained and dried venison, a few pieces at a time. Put the browned meat in a saucepan, sprinkle it with 2 Tbsp. flour, to make a roux and cook it on top of the stove, stirring constantly until the flour is browned. Add 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 Tbsp. finely diced onion, 3/4 cup red wine, the strained marinade and a Bouquet Garnie made by tying together 2 stalks celery, 4 sprigs of parsley, 1/2 bay leaf and a pinch of thyme. Add water, if necessary, barely to cover the meat. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the meat for 1- 1/2 hours. Add the browned salt pork and vegetables and continue to cook 40 minutes longer, or until the meat is tender. Discard the Bouquet Garnie and correct the seasoning. Turn the stew into a serving dish and sprinkle it with finely minced parsley