Venison Pot Roast with Dried Chiles and Winter Squash — The meal that brought everyone back to the table

Caleb is home. He has been in his apartment for one week and the apartment is the same apartment it was but it has a different quality now, which is the quality of a space that belongs to a person who is present in it. He set up a small altar in the corner — not a religious thing, more of a cultural thing, a piece of cloth with some items his counselor gave him from the residential program, a feather, a small river stone. He said the sweat lodge had changed something. He did not explain further and I did not ask further. Some things you receive as given and do not interrogate.

He came to Sunday dinner at Terry's. Danny was having a bad week — more bad weeks than good now, the ratio shifting — but he was at the table when Caleb came in and he looked up and he held his arms open, which is not something Danny does, he is not an open-armed man, but he held them open and Caleb went to him and they held each other for a while. I looked at Terry. Terry was looking at the floor.

I made a full dinner: venison pot roast braised with dried chiles and corn and winter squash from the last of the garden, bean bread, a pot of tea brewed from dried sumac berries that Hannah had learned about from the nutrition program — a traditional beverage, tangy and slightly sweet, the sumac making a drink that tastes like fall in Oklahoma in a single cup. Caleb ate everything. Danny ate more than he had in two weeks. Some meals work on people the way medicine works on people, which is to say in ways that are not entirely explainable and should not be required to be.

When Caleb sat down at that table and Danny opened his arms, I knew the meal had to hold everything the moment was holding. This is the recipe I made that Sunday — the venison pot roast braised low and slow with dried chiles and the last of the garden squash, the bean bread on the side, the sumac tea Hannah taught us about. I’m sharing it here because some meals you make not from a recipe but from a need, and I want you to have it for the next time you need it too.

Venison Pot Roast with Dried Chiles and Winter Squash

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours 55 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds venison chuck roast or shoulder roast
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or lard
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into thick wedges
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 cups beef or venison bone broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 cups frozen or dried hominy corn
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano if available)

For the Bean Bread

• 2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
• 1 cup cooked pinto beans, drained and lightly mashed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup bean cooking liquid or warm water
• Corn husks or foil for wrapping (optional)

For the Sumac Berry Tea

• 1/2 cup dried sumac berries (staghorn sumac)
• 6 cups cool or room-temperature water
• Honey to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Toast the chiles. In a dry Dutch oven over medium heat, toast the guajillo and ancho chiles for about 1 minute per side until fragrant and slightly darkened. Transfer to a bowl, cover with 1 cup of hot water, and let soak for 15 minutes. Blend the chiles and their soaking liquid into a smooth paste and set aside.
2. Sear the venison. Pat the roast dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the sunflower oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides until deeply browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
3. Build the braising liquid. Lower heat to medium. Add the onion wedges and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chile paste, broth, water, vinegar, and oregano. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
4. Braise the roast. Return the venison to the pot. The liquid should come about halfway up the roast. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to a 300°F oven. Braise for 2 hours.
5. Add the squash and corn. After 2 hours, add the butternut squash chunks and hominy around the roast. Replace the lid and return to the oven for 1 to 1-1/2 hours more, until the venison is fork-tender and the squash is soft.
6. Make the bean bread. While the roast braises, combine the cornmeal, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Fold in the mashed pinto beans. Add the bean liquid or warm water gradually, stirring until you have a thick, scoopable dough. Shape into small rounds about 3 inches across and 1 inch thick. Wrap in dampened corn husks or foil, or place directly in a greased baking dish. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes until firm and cooked through.
7. Make the sumac tea. Place the dried sumac berries in a pitcher with the cool water. Let steep for 2 to 4 hours at room temperature, gently crushing the berries with a wooden spoon a few times. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds and fine hairs. Sweeten with honey if desired. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
8. Serve. Transfer the venison to a cutting board and pull or slice into large pieces. Arrange on a platter with the squash and hominy. Spoon the braising liquid over everything. Serve with bean bread and sumac tea alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 435 | Protein: 42g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 520mg