Sobaheg (Venison Stew)
A hearty, earthy stew with lots of interesting textures and very tender venison. Extremely customizable to suit your tastes
City/Region: Wampanoag Nation
Time Period: 1621
The First Thanksgiving in 1621 was attended by 53 pilgrims from England and nearly 100 men from the Wampanoag Nation, who brought five deer with them for the feast. Seeing as how the Wampanoags brought the deer, I’m going to assume that they had some say in how they were prepared. One traditional way would be to make a stew, what would come to be called sobaheg. The main ingredients include North American staples beans, squash, and corn, and they combine with the venison to create a hearty stew with a subtle, earthy complexity and wonderful textures. Don’t like game meat? Substitute with turkey for a still-authentic dish, and feel free to change the quantities of the other ingredients to suit your tastes.
Unfortunately, there is no historical recipe for sobaheg, so this recipe is inspired by modern versions and what would ahve been available in the area at the time.
Check out the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project to learn all about how, after 150 years of dormancy, the Wampanoag language is being brought back to life. It’s a really great cause that is so important to US history. After all, it was one of the languages spoken at that First Thanksgiving!
Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 lbs (1/2 kg) venison
- Fat or oil to grease a pan, I used duck fat
- 3 quarts (2.8 liters) water
- 1/2 lb (225 g) dried beans, a mix of what you like, I used pinto, kidney, and navy
- 1/2 lb (225 g) polenta
- 1 lb (450 g) winter squash, I used butternut
- A handful of fresh herbs, whole or torn in half, I used sage and mint but use what you like
- 2 to 3 green onions, white and light green parts, chopped. Wild onion or wild garlic will be more authentic if you can find them
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) clam juice
For all of the above, add more or less to your taste
Instructions:
- Chop the venison into 1” pieces and sear them in a lightly greased pan over high heat. You just want a light sear on these.
- Rinse the beans and add them to a large pot with 3 quarts of water in it. Add the polenta, venison, green onion, herbs, and clam juice. Give it a good stir and set it over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Stir frequently so that the polenta doesn’t settle to the bottom and burn.
- Once it simmers, reduce heat to medium to keep it at a gentle simmer. Stir often and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Cook for 2 1/2 hours or until the beans are soft, stirring often and adding more hot water if it becomes too thick. It should be nice and hearty thick, not burn to the bottom of the pot thick.
- After 2 1/2 hours, taste and add more clam juice, chopped herbs, or some salt if you’d like.
- Cut the squash into 1/2” pieces and add them to the pot and simmer for another 30 minutes, or until a knife pierces the squash easily.
- Taste and adjust seasonings again if you like, and serve it forth.