Autumnal feast in Montafon – recipes and tips

In autumn, we don't just love the atmospheric sight of the leaves turning colorful. This season also has a lot to offer in terms of cuisine, because now, during game season, the treasures of the forest are served up on our plates. So that you can enjoy these delicacies at home, our chef Florian is sharing his recipe for his excellent venison ragout with you today. He serves it with an Austrian side dish specialty – Schupfnudeln. These long noodles made from potato dough go perfectly with any kind of game.

Ingredients for 4 servings

For the venison ragout
3 onions
150 g carrots
150 g celery
1 venison leg approx. 1.2 kg
Salt
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
300 ml red wine
400 ml meat stock
5 juniper berries
1 tsp peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 untreated orange (zest)
1 sprig of rosemary
1 sprig of thyme
2 tbsp cranberries

For the potato noodles
250 g floury potatoes
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp flour
Salt, nutmeg

Preparation

Venison ragout

Clean the vegetables and cut them into approx. 2 cm cubes. Cut the venison leg meat into 3-4 cm cubes, pat dry with paper towels, and season with salt. Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the meat in portions before removing it from the pot. Then fry the chopped vegetables in the same pot.

Add the tomato paste, fry briefly and deglaze with red wine. Pour in the meat stock and add the fried meat. Season the ragout with juniper berries, peppercorns and bay leaf. Tip: Put the spices in a small cloth bag so that you can easily remove them at the end.

Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes over medium heat. Then add the orange zest, rosemary and thyme and simmer the ragout for another 15 minutes.

Remove the meat from the sauce with a kitchen fork and strain the sauce through a sieve into another pot. Now return the meat to the sauce and season to taste with salt, pepper, and cranberries. Tip: To round off the flavor, we recommend adding a dash of port wine.

Potato noodles

While the ragout is simmering, you have enough time to prepare the side dish. Wash the potatoes and cook them with their skins on in salted water. Allow the cooked potatoes to cool, peel them, and then press them through a potato ricer. Add egg yolk and flour and season the potato dough with salt and nutmeg. Knead the dough well.

Now form a "test Schupfnudel" from a small amount of dough and cook it in boiling water. This will show you whether your dough holds together or falls apart. If necessary, simply add a little more flour.

Roll out the dough on a floured work surface, cut it into pieces, and roll it into Schupfnudeln. Cook the noodles in boiling salted water until they float to the surface. Drain, fry in a pan with butter, and add a few fresh herbs if desired.

Serve the ragout with cranberries and autumn fruits.

We wish you every success and, above all, bon appétit!