Recipe: Venison Parmigiana

You all know I am always looking for new and different ways to prepare venison-after all we have a couple of deer worth in the freezer!  This recipe is simply a takeoff on a classic Chicken Parmigiana (or Parmesan).  The combination of Venison with spaghetti sauce is always a winner, the flavors balance each other out, especially if the meat is a bit more gamey.

Venison Parmigiana

(Parmesan)

4 boneless venison steaks
1/2C Flour
Salt & Pepper
3 TBS Parmesan cheese
1 TBS Italian Seasoning
1 c breadcrumbs
2 eggs
olive oil
spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese

Note: This recipe uses a dredging technique. You will need to set up 3 dredging stations-one with flour, one with the egg and one with the breadcrumbs-and a “receiving plate” to put the finished meat on. Each station should be large enough to lay a piece of meat out flat in. Dinner plates or pie pans work well.

-Pound steaks with a meat mallet into cutlets approx 1/2 inch thick.
-Season flour with salt & pepper to taste & place on a plate or shallow dish. This is station 1.
-Lightly beat the 2 eggs & place in a shallow plate or dish. This is station 2.
-Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and Italian Seasoning & place on a shallow plate or dish. This is station 3.
-Dredge cutlets in each station-making sure all surfaces get completely covered in each step.
-Leave completed meat on a plate for a few minutes to “set”
-Heat oil in a large frying pan.
-Fry each cutlet-about 5 min per side.
-Place fried cutlets on in a lightly oiled baking dish. Spoon spaghetti sauce over each cutlet. I like about 2-3 TBS each.
-Bake for 20 minutes at 325-adding the mozzarella cheese to the top for the last 5 minutes.
-Serve over a bed of pasta.

Variations:
This recipe could be made with any type of meat-chicken, turkey, pork or beef.
Instead of Spaghetti sauce you could use crushed tomatoes with some extra Italian Seasoning added in.
You could make a pizza version by adding a layer of pepperoni under the sauce.

Recipe: Roasted Green Beans

Sometimes I just SWEAR that I’ve posted a recipe before.  I mean I’m so certain that when a real life friend asks me about it I tell them to just search on my blog to find it.

So when Karen, Yankee Bill’s “Work Wife” ( Hi Karen!), said she couldn’t find the Roasted Green Bean recipe that he had been raving about. . . well I had to do something!

So here it is.  I actually feel a bit ashamed to call this a recipe-it’s so basic that I am almost more inclined to call it a cooking technique.  Whatever you call it, they are delicious!

Roasted Green Beans

Fresh Green Beans
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

-Toss fresh green beans in a bowl with just enough olive oil to give them just a sheen.
-Place oiled beans on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
-Sprinkle beans with salt & pepper.
-Roast in a 425 oven for 25-35 min, or until beans start to wither and turn a bit brown.
-Serve.

Note: This same technique can be used for any veggie-I love broccoli this way. Just make sure the pieces are somewhat uniform in size so that they will cook in the same amount of time.

Reader’s Question: Cooking Venison

Dear Jenn,

I have a Venison question.  Can you tell me how to cook it? My husband keeps getting it from his friend so we have an entire shelf of it in the freezer but I have no idea what to do with it.

Lara

Well Lara, one of the great things about venison is that you can use it in any recipe that calls for beef!   There are a couple of differences that you do need to keep in mind when choosing how to prepare venison.

#1-Venison has more of a “wild” or “gamey” flavor than beef.  I like the flavor myself, but some people are turned off by it.  The amount of “gaminess” you taste varies from deer to deer and depends on the age and eating habits of the animal as well as how quickly it was field dressed.  Until you try the meat you won’t have any way to tell how gamey it is.  If the stronger flavor is unpleasant to you, counteract it by cooking it in something equally as strong, such as a tomato based sauce.  I’ve also heard recommendations to soak the meat in milk overnight-but haven’t tried that method myself.

#2-Venison is extremely lean.  For any type of “dry” cooking method (grilling, roasting, sauteeing) you will need to avoid overcooking and drying it out.  Cook the venison until it is just done or add additional fat such as butter.  For wet methods of cooking (stews, chili’s, braising, etc) this isn’t an issue.

Now on to the cooking itself.  For a “newbie” with venison I’d suggest first getting your family used to the idea of eating it in a dish where the flavor won’t be as noticeable-such as chili.

Next try a very simple preparation that lets the natural flavor shine through-that way you’ll know if your family likes the taste.  Simply sauteeing thin cut steaks in butter and serving with sauteed onions, mushrooms and perhaps brown gravy (I used packaged!) is easy and tasty.

If everyone likes the taste you are golden. If not, then reserve the venison for use in strong sauces & marinades.

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