Diary
A Recipe from Rita Ackermann: Patient Hungarian Stovetop Deer Stew
Rita Ackermann and Harmony Korine, Sekret Klubs; acrylic medium, sand, spray paint, oil, oil stick, popcorn, latex on vinyl; 2010. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
The Budapest-born artist originally shared the family recipe for the second issue of Ursula, now available online for the first time.
Ingredients:
2 pounds venison meat
2 deciliters (around 1 cup) furmint
(Hungarian dry white wine) or sauvignon blanc
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons whole black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of salt
2 or 3 garlic cloves
1 cup of white or red onion, chopped
3 large carrots, cut into small pieces
2 large parsnips, cut into small pieces
Directions:
Fill 3/4 of a saucepan with water and add the white wine. Add the fresh herbs, salt, garlic, black pepper and onions. Place meat into the saucepan and cover. Let the venison marinate for three days in the fridge or the “winter kitchen” in order to soften, turning the meat occasionally.
Take the meat out of the marinade, rub fresh rosemary and a little salt into both sides and let sit. Boil the marinade, then wait until it cools completely. Once the marinade is cool, place the meat back into the saucepan and simmer on the lowest of low heat for at least 1 hour. Keep a tight lid on the pan while cooking, occasionally checking to see if the soupy liquid is simmering. If yes, turn the meat over and cover the pan.
After an hour of slow cooking, add the chopped vegetables and cover. Continue cooking for at least 2 hours without changing the steady, low heat. The key is to wait until the juices of the meat and the vegetables become one, which is possible only by the most patient slow cooking. The result will be delicious!
Serve with fresh horseradish and celery puree.
This recipe originally appeared in the second issue of Ursula Magazine.
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