Venison Stew

Venison is beautiful meat when raw.  It is dark and lean and looks amazing.  Friends gave us a couple cuts from this year's hunting season and I couldn't wait to cook with it - it's not something you can just buy at the store so it's something special.  This recipe was made from the hams - the upper leg.  The other cut we have yet to try is the tenderloin.  I figured the best thing to do with a leg was to stew it.  It's winter after all, and a warming stew is appealing.  We got a bottle of red wine (for the stew) and some stewing vegetables and followed an Italian recipe from the Silver Spoon.  This we served on a bed of egg noodles.   The stew was tasty - but it took on the taste of the wine and the vegetables and seemed to dull the taste of the meat.   With the tenderloin I think I'll try a lighter touch that will let the meat come through a bit more.