Venison ragout with cranberry pears

Step 1 of 7:

 

For the ragout: Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in warm water for approx. 20 minutes. Pat the meat dry, trim, and cut into approx. 3 cm cubes. Peel and coarsely chop the onions and carrots.

Step 2 of 7:

 

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Briefly sauté the juniper berries with the peppercorns, cloves, and allspice in the oil until the spices begin to release their aroma. Increase the heat and sear the meat in batches until browned on all sides, then remove. Sauté the onions and carrots one after another in the remaining fat. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for approx. 1 minute. Sprinkle everything with flour, deglaze with half the red wine, and let it evaporate completely. Pour in the remaining red wine and reduce by half again.

Step 3 of 7:

 

Roughly chop the soaked porcini mushrooms if necessary and add them. Pour in the game stock, return the meat to the pot, and add the bay leaf. Close the pressure cooker with the lid and set the cooking control to level 3. Heat the pot on the highest setting. As soon as the yellow ring (cooking indicator: 1st ring) appears, reduce the heat. If the green ring (cooking indicator: 2nd ring) becomes visible, the cooking time of 20–25 minutes begins.

Step 4 of 7:

 

For the pears: Meanwhile, peel the pears, halve them, and core them with a melon baller. Drizzle the halves with lemon juice, place them cut-side up in the unperforated insert, then add white wine and sugar. Remove the pressure cooker from the heat, let the steam escape, and open it. Place the insert on the tripod over the venison ragout, close the pot again, and cook everything on level 1 for another 6–8 minutes.

Step 5 of 7:

 

Finishing: Clean the mushrooms and halve or cut them into pieces depending on their size. Peel and finely dice the shallot. Melt 1 tsp butter in a pan and sauté the shallot until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until the released liquid has evaporated. Let the remaining butter foam in the pan, cook everything for another 3–4 minutes, and lightly brown. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and adjust the taste.

Step 6 of 7:

 

Remove the pressure cooker from the heat, let the steam escape, and open it. Remove the meat and set aside. Strain the sauce through a sieve. Stir in the juniper schnapps and let everything simmer down a bit more. Alternatively, mix the cornstarch with 2–3 tsp cold water until smooth, add it, and let everything simmer for another 1–2 minutes. Then return the meat to the sauce.

Step 7 of 7:

 

Mix half of the fried mushrooms into the ragout. Season the venison ragout and arrange it with the remaining mushrooms on preheated plates. Fill each pear half with 1 tbsp lingonberries and place them alongside. Sprinkle everything with some chopped parsley and serve the ragout. Schabeknödel or bread dumplings are a good side dish.