Crockpot Antelope Stew

 Joe shot four antelope this fall in a special hunt near Worland, Wyoming.  I am cooking a lot of different dishes with antelope, but this stew was a favorite!

Antelope Stew

1 lb antelope (or venison) stew meat

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 quarts water or more as needed

1/2 cup celery, coarsly chopped

5 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 parsnips, peeled and chopped

3 white potatoes, diced

Salt and pepper

Bay leaf

Thyme leaves

1/4 cup brown rice flour for thickening

 Chop one onion and saute in a frying pan in olive oil until carmelized.  Transfer onions to crock pot.

In the same pan, brown the stew meat in small portions.  Transfer the stew meat to the crock pot.  When all the meat is browned, add chopped celery to the frying pan with a small amount of olive oil.  Saute slightly, then transfer celery to the crock pot.  Add a small amount of water to the frying pan and scrape up all the brown bits, transferring them to the crock pot.  Sprinkle stew generously with salt, pepper and add a light dusting of thyme leaves over the top.  Add a bay leaf and water to cover, then set the crock pot on to cook all day.

Midway through cooking, add carrots, parsnips, and white potatoes to the crock pot.

At this point, thoroughly mix the flour with about 1/2 cup water, and add this mixture to the stew, stirring to distribute it throughout the broth.

By the end of the day, the stew meat will be tender and the vegetables will be cooked just right.

This dish could also be cooked on the stove top - if so, plan on taking about 4 hours simmering to get the meat thoroughly cooked  and add the vegetables during the last hour of cooking.