Venison 50,000 Years of Good Eating
Four recipes that will turn your winter meat into a gourmet meal.
By Cheri Eby--Author of Cooking on Location
There was a time when the word venison could be uttered without someone thinking "exotic." In fact, long before chicken, beef, pork and lamb came to define meat, venison was the most readily available source of protein around. And for 50,000 years we've been dining on it in one form or another.
It hasn't always been easy to come by. In the Middle Ages, only the nobility of Europe could partake of it legally. Deer hunting parks were established and run exclusively for royal hunts, and any commoner found poaching was severely punished.
In England, you could lose a body part for trying to dip into the king's wild pantry. Some historians mention free access to game meat as one of the many reasons people left to colonize America.
While we're a little more even-handed about our venison these days, we still take the pursuit of our winter meat ration quite seriously. And when you consider that venison is naturally lean, low in cholesterol and amenable to many delicious recipes, the least we can do is learn to care for it as we would a fine wine.
Venison can be cooked in many of the same ways you prepare beef, but because of its leanness it is best suited to moist-cooking methods. But no matter how well you prepare it, if your meat hasn't been properly cleaned, cooled and processed, no amount of doctoring will remove that gamey flavor.
Roasts should be covered in liquid when cooked in the oven or in a crock pot. If you prefer dry roasting, top it with bacon to help keep it moist.
Steaks and tenderloins can be grilled, but it's easy to dry them out, so guard against overcooking. Tougher cuts are good in braises and stews. Ground venison can be used in dishes that call for ground beef or made into sausage. And of course you can always jerk it.
Rosemary, juniper berries and gin, sweet spices and pepper, red currants and blackberries are all good matches for venison. Red wine or port used in marinades also works very well.
Stuffed Meatloaves
serves 4
For the stuffing:
6 thick slices of white bread
1 tsp. dried thyme
6 oz. lean pork sausage
1 small stalk of celery, chopped
1/4 c. chopped onion
canned beef broth
salt and pepper
1 tbls. butter
For the meatloaves:
1 1/2 lbs. ground venison
4 oz. lean pork sausage
3/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 eggs, beaten together
1 can tomato soup
To make the stuffing: Cut the bread into small cubes then let the cubes dry for about a half an hour. Sprinkle thyme over the bread cubes. Crumble the sausage into a small frying pan and cook until done. Add sausage to the bread crumbs. Heat butter in the same frying pan and sauté the celery and onion for 2 to 3 minutes. Add celery and onions to the bread mixture, season with desired amount of salt and pepper. Mix well adding enough beef broth to moisten the mixture and hold it together.
Serve With
Steamed baby carrots, zucchini and dinner rolls
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To make the loaves: Mix together the ground venison and pork sausage. Add in the seasoned bread crumbs, black pepper, garlic powder and eggs. Mix well. Shape meat into eight balls. Using your hands, flatten and shape one of the meatballs into a round patty about 1/4-inch thick. Spoon one-quarter of the stuffing into the middle of the patty. Flatten a second meatball and shape it over the first one, making sure you seal the edges well. Continue this sequence until you have four small meatloaves. Place them in a baking dish and spoon one-quarter of a can of tomato soup over each meatloaf. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes.
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