Sika Deer Easter Stew (Chakapuli)

We adapted this stew from a recipe written in the cookbook “Taste of Persia” by Naomi Duguid. It's a fantastic cookbook, and a primer for the food cultures of Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kurdistan- regions we’re not all that knowledgeable about. It’s full of beautiful photography and personal stories from Duguid’s travels through the region, and reads more as a love letter to a place than a run-down of recipes. It’s an inspiring book.

Chakapuli is a Georgian dish of stewed meat with sour plums, tarragon, and lots of other herbs. It’s considered a springtime dish, but we thought it would be the perfect late-summer meal, when autumn is in the air but the days are hot and the garden still overflowing. The process reminded us of pozole verde, a straightforward recipe of tenderizing meat and smothering it with bright green flavors. 

We opted to use a boned out sika deer neck- special recipes call for special ingredients. We haven’t had the fortune to stumble across any wild plums, so we used tomatillos, which had just enough tartness to complement the richness of the neck roast. The amount of tarragon gives this stew a distinct, green, anise-y aroma and taste that we have not had in any other stew. Yet the comfort and soothing feeling of eating a light stew with so much flavor was very familiar. This stew reminded us of pozole and pho. Completely different in so many ways, but so similar in so many others. It turned out incredible, even better the second day.

This stew strikes us as the kind of recipe that every household makes differently, where nothing is measured, nor should it be. This is a recipe we will continue to make, change, and adapt. It’s a lovely dish, we recommend you make it your own.

Sika Easter Stew (Chakapuli)

If you can find wild plums, use the sour, unripe ones for this recipe. Otherwise, tomatillos or even green tomatoes will do. Depending on what cut of meat you use, you may want to adjust your cook time- shanks and necks will take longer than cubed stew meat. We also recommend cooking in stock if you are using the cubed stew meat. If you’re using shank or neck, use water- the rich collagen and connective tissue will break down into a lovely rich broth while cooking.

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook time: 4-5 hours, inactive

Ingredients:

2 lbs venison neck roast, shank or stew, boned, cubed, approximate

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 large onion, diced

2 cups sour plums, tomatillo or green tomatoes, halved or quartered

½ cup scallions, cut ~¼”

¼ cup tarragon leaves, packed

½ cup cilantro, cut ~¼” (include small stems)

1 tbsp fenugreek

3 cloves garlic

2 dried chilies

½ cup dry white wine

Method

Using a heavy bottomed pan with high sides (such as a dutch oven), cover the bottom with oil, and heat to medium. Add in onion and turmeric. Cook until tender, around 5 minutes. Stir often. 

Season meat with salt, add to the pan and lightly brown all sides. Add water or stock to cover the meat, bring to a simmer and put a lid on it. Cook at a low simmer until the meat is almost fork tender, 3-4 hours if using neck or shank meat, 40-90 minutes if using cubed stew meat. Add water or stock as needed to keep meat covered while it cooks.

Once the meat is fork tender but not quite done, add in plums or tomatillos and dried chili peppers. Stir, partially cover and continue to simmer until the meat is tender. 

Just before serving, add in scallions, tarragon, cilantro, fenugreek, garlic, and wine. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve with bread or potatoes.

This stew is delicious right away, but gets even better the second day as the flavors meld.