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I’ve based this venison soup off the traditional Scotch broth, which is a simple lamb and barley soup with carrots, turnips and other wintry things.
Only I am using venison here instead of lamb. Venison is still widely eaten in the United Kingdom, and Scotland is home to one of the largest remaining herds of red deer (they’re like our elk) left in Europe. So it seemed appropriate.
My special ingredient? Nettles. Blanched and chopped, nettles — a wild vegetable adored by both Irish and Scots cooks — add a vivid spring green to the soup. If you can’t get nettles, use spinach or chard.
There is one vital key to my version of venison soup: Never let this soup boil. I mean, you can still eat the soup if you do, but you will wonder what all the fuss is about. If you keep the venison cooking below a simmer — about 170°F — this will break down the connective tissue of the meat while at the same time keeping the venison tender and pink. If the soup boils, the meat will tighten up and turn gray.
The recipe keeps well in the fridge for up to a week, although the barley will swell over time. It is best eaten the day after it is made.
Venison Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds venison or lamb stew meat
- 1 quart venison broth or beef broth
- 2 quarts water
- Salt
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 3 turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
- 5 small carrots, peeled and trimmed
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 cup barley
- 1 cup blanched and chopped nettles or spinach
Instructions
- Pour the water and broth into a large pot and add the venison chunks. Bring this to a bare simmer, just to bubbling. You will notice lots of scum collecting on the surface of the soup. Skim it as best you can. I let the venison gently simmer for 20 minutes, then fish out the venison pieces and put them in a bowl. I then pour the broth through a paper towel set in a sieve over another pot or large bowl. This strains out all the scum. If you skip this step your soup will be cloudy, but still perfectly edible. I just like clear soup.
- Add salt to the broth, and return it and the venison to the heat -- only this time do not let it even simmer. Cover the pot and set it on low heat. You are aiming for about 160 to 175°F. Cook the meat this way until tender, which will take 2-3 hours for an old deer, or 90 minutes for lamb.
- Add all the vegetables and the barley, cover and cook for another hour or so, or until the barley is tender.
- Stir in the chopped nettles and add some black pepper, and just heat this through, about 5 minutes. Serve at once with a dark ale or red wine.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This soup is seriously good. I made it with elk and had to substitute baby spinach for my nettles, but we’ll eat this again and again, all winter long.
Venison chunks are canned and already cooked, how long should I simmer and what should I change?
This looks delicious. Have you used dried nettles for this recipe?
Caitlin: I have a couple times. It works, but frozen nettles are better.