Reindeer Goulash with Lingonberry-Pear

Ingredients

• 800 g reindeer meat (shoulder or neck)
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
• 500 ml dry red wine
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 200 g celery root
• 1 Garlic clove
• 4 allspice berries
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 6 juniper berries
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 250 ml game stock
• 250 g mixed mushrooms (e.g., button and porcini)
• 2 tbsp butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• 100 ml heavy cream
• 5 tbsp lingonberry jam
• 2 ripe pears

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash the reindeer meat, pat dry, and cut into about 2.5 cm cubes. Rinse thyme sprigs, shake off excess water, and place them with the meat in a bowl. Cover with vinegar and red wine, chill, and marinate overnight.

2. 2.

   Remove the meat from the marinade and strain it through a sieve. Peel and dice onions, carrots, celery root, and garlic. Place allspice berries, peppercorns, juniper berries, and bay leaf into a tea filter and seal tightly. Brown the meat in a pot with oil. Add the vegetables and sauté until golden brown. Stir in tomato paste.

3. 3.

   Deglaze with 100 ml of the wine marinade and reduce. Gradually pour in red wine, allowing it to evaporate. Cover and simmer for about an hour over low heat, stirring occasionally and adding game stock gradually. Add the spice sachet and continue to simmer gently for another 30 minutes.

4. 4.

   Clean the mushrooms, halving or slicing them as needed. Brown them in butter in a pan until golden. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the meat from the sauce, discard the spice sachet, and strain the sauce. Return the meat and mushrooms to the pot, stir in cream, and season the goulash with salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp lingonberry jam.

5. 5.

   Peel and slice pears, optionally filling them with lingonberries, and serve alongside the reindeer goulash.