Scallops of Venison with Mustard Sauce
18 slices very thin, lean venison (or 6 venison steaks)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons flour
¼ cup clarified butter (or equal parts vegetable oil and melted butter)
4 finely chopped shallots
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Season venison to taste with salt and pepper. Lightly dust with flour.
Place a skillet over medium-high heat. Add clarified butter (or butter and oil). Cook venison pieces 1 to 2 minutes on each side, just until edges are golden.
If using thicker steaks, cook on both sides until medium rare. Juices should still be slightly pink.
Transfer venison to a platter and keep warm. Pour grease from pan. Add shallots, then vinegar, scraping up any browned bits that may be stuck to the bottom. Cook over medium heat until vinegar is reduced by half.
Add heavy cream and cook to thicken slightly. Remove from heat and stir in mustard. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time. Spoon sauce over venison. Makes 6 servings.
Venison Chili
This is the universally favorite way to prepare venison. Venison is quite lean yet very flavorful. It makes a wonderful chili that doesn't have a fatty flavor. The slow cooking, chiles, and seasonings tremove any wild taste the meat might have. It freezes beautifully, so double the recipe and freeze a batch for another evening meal. Substitute elk if you wish.
· 1/4 cup olive oil
· 1 ½ pounds coarsely ground venison
· 1 cup coarsely chopped onions
· 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
· ½ cup cooked, coarsely chopped bacon
· 3 small jalapeño chiles, seeds and stems removed, finely chopped
· 2 tablespoons ground New Mexican red chile
· ½ teaspoon ground cumin
· ½ teaspoon dried oregano
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 1 12-ounce can beer, dark preferred
· 1 12-ounce can tomato paste
· 1 16-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
In a large pot, heat the olive oil and brown the venison. Add the onions, garlic, and cooked bacon. Stir in the peppers, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt.
Add the beer, tomato paste, and stir in the drained beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to prevent burning and to combine flavors. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer the mixture for 20 to 30 minutes.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Heat Scale: Medium-Hot