BEAR STEW

Steps:

• 1. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, oregano, salt and pepper. Place bear meat in the bowl a little at a time and coat well.
• 2. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Fry the bear meat until browned. Let drain on paper towels.
• 3. Fill a large Dutch oven with 2 to 3 quarts water. Add bear meat, onions, beef broth, bay leaves, potatoes, mushrooms carrots and turnips. Cook on medium-high heat for 2 to 3 hours. Add more water as needed.
• My Note: I have been making this receipe for over 55 years -- when I was first introduced to bear meat! It is fantastic! I have also altered the water ingrediant and used a can of cream of mushroom so that there is some "gravy" to pour all over. On occassion, I have seen some people wrinkle their nose at the thought of eating bear meat but when I serve this, they change their minds! Many times, they can't even tell the difference! A stomach doesn't care as long as it's good and this is one of the best. Add/subtract you favorite veggies and enjoy!
• I also added 3 stalks celery, sliced, and sometime a can of cream of mushroom soup.
• Or I added Guinness beer to the slow cooker with out one quarts water.
• I fried the meat in a pot, so when I added water, it would get all the brown bits stuck in the pan. Since we were given this meat, not harvested by us, I was unsure how old it was and how it was prepared, so I added 1 T of vinegar to the water. This tenderizes the meat while cooking and does not leave a vinegary taste. Also added the salt at the end.
• If you didn't have any bear, but beef stew meat. And needed a recipe for turnips and this is very good. I also added some whole allspice and parsnip, as well as whole pepper kernels instead of ground. I'd only suggest to add the turnips and mushrooms about 1/2hr before the end as they got rather soft. Otherwise it's very tasty, even my 15mo old enjoyed it!