Raw boneless chamois for stewing
Boneless raw chamois is cut into pieces for a slowly cooked Alpine civet, with wine, vegetables and juniper shaping the sauce.
- Animal
- Chamois, identified by the butcher.
- Preparation state
- Raw boneless stewing pieces.
- In the civet
- Wine, vegetables, juniper and slow cooking.
Even pieces for a gentle braise
Start with butcher-prepared boneless meat, removing any remaining unwanted tough pieces before weighing. Cut into roughly 3 cm pieces for the civet. Similar sizes make the pieces easier to brown and cook together.
Marinate in a covered food-safe container in the refrigerator. Drain and pat the meat dry before lightly flouring and browning it in batches. Continue with the wine, vegetables and aromatics at a gentle braise until the meat is tender. If the used marinade goes into the pan, bring it to a full boil before reducing the heat.
Chamois in a Valle d’Aosta civet
Civet di camoscio brings chamois together with wine, juniper, bay, sage and vegetables in Valle d’Aosta cooking. The meat is browned after marinating and then cooked slowly; the vegetables and cooking liquid become the sauce. Chamois is the animal identity, not a general name for deer or mixed game. Neither a bag labelled only venison nor a cured chamois salume establishes the raw boneless meat needed for this civet.
Meat and sauce over polenta
Keep the cooked pieces intact while passing the vegetables and cooking juices to make the sauce. Return the meat to heat through. Serve the civet with polenta, or with the potato accompaniment suited to the recipe.
Cook with it
Check the species and preparation state
Order boneless chamois suitable for stewing from a butcher or specialist game supplier, with the animal clearly identified. Check the stated origin rather than assuming that an Alpine recipe means the meat was sourced in Italy.
Ask whether the meat is fresh, frozen or previously thawed. Chamois can be sold in more than one of these states, and a supplier’s seasonal offering does not establish one condition for every pack. Avoid marinated ready meals or cured products when the recipe calls for raw plain meat.
Keep the meat and marinade cold
Refrigerate covered, away from ready-to-eat food, and respect the use-by date. Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator; keep the marinade refrigerated too.
Questions worth asking
Can any meat labelled venison stand in for chamois?
Not as the same ingredient identity. Check that the butcher identifies the meat as chamois, rather than deer or mixed game.
Must the meat be sold fresh?
No. Check whether the actual pack is fresh, frozen or previously thawed, and follow its handling directions.
Is the meat already cooked before marinating?
No. This ingredient is raw boneless meat; browning and slow cooking follow the refrigerated marinade.
