venison casserole, braised cabbage with caraway and a baked sweet potato

It's a Monday night and time for some real cooking because I'm on my own, so it's time for a solo person's meal treat. So into the freezer I delve, bring out some of the local venison I was given before Christmas, open my prized jar of juniper seeds that I managed to find in Tuscaloosa, the remnants of a rather dubious bottle of red wine left over from the other day, some carrots, celery and onion, one of my mothers stock cubes, let simmer until my stomach aches with anticipation and then pair with one of my favorite winter vegetables, cabbage with caraway seeds.



For anyone who hates cabbage, this is definitely the antidote - just braise briefly with a little oil, salt and the caraway, don't overcook and cook plenty because you'll want more. This is a bit of a genetic recipe, the kind that I inherited from my father who got it from who-knows-where, but I have a vague grandmotherly memory in there. It's so so good. Time for seconds.



Sometimes I feel deeply selfish that I wouldn''t actually cook this if I had friends round who I knew wouldn't appreciate it. That venison would stay in the freezer for another day.