Smoky Braised Venison Diced with Herbed Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 pack Silver Fern Farms Venison Diced
• 2 Tbsp flour seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp chipotle powder
• 1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
• 400g can cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes in juice
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tsp brown sugar

Herbed Dumplings:

• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 30g butter
• ¼ cup parmesan, grated
• 2 Tbsp fresh herbs – mix of parsley, coriander, and chives, chopped
• ½ cup milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Remove the Silver Fern Farms Venison Diced from the fridge and packaging and allow to bloom at room temperature for 10 mins.

Coat venison with seasoned flour.

Bring a fry pan to med-high heat with oil. Cook venison for 2-3 mins until brown. Transfer to a casserole dish.

Reduce pan heat to low. Add extra oil if necessary, cook onion and garlic until soft. Add smoked paprika, chipotle powder, rosemary, cherry tomatoes, stock and brown sugar to the pan. Bring to the boil then pour mixture into the casserole dish. Cover and braise in the preheated oven for 60 mins.

After 50 mins, increase oven temperature to 200°C. Place flour in a bowl, add butter and rub into flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in parmesan and herbs, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in milk and mix to form a light dough.

Place spoonsful of the dough onto the venison and bake, uncovered, for 18-20 mins until the dumplings are golden and cooked through.