My First Time Cooking Game Meat

My palate was opened up to a whole new world of foods and flavors when I finally gave in to my picky eating and started simply giving more foods a try. This really started when I was living abroad in Spain during spring semester of my sophomore year of college and has continued ever since. Now (with the exception of pork) I will try almost anything at least once. Russ is the same way and since we have been married I have exposed him to some fruits and vegetables that he either hadn’t tried before or didn’t think he liked. He now loves butternut squash, pumpkin, and mangos and while he still isn’t a huge fan of zucchini if I make it with enough cheese he likes it. I on the other hand have been opened up to a new array of meats – game meats. While my Dad and brother have always eaten game meat (especially quail and dove) the females in my family have always taken a pass with them. Russ orders them at restaurants sometimes and I have found that I love elk and while I am not a big fan of quail or dove I’ll still give them a try if they are prepared in a new way. I have also been introduced to venison and currently have a freezer full of venison. It is true that it tastes similar to beef, but is leaner which is I think why I am not totally sold on it yet… I miss the fat… Since we have lots of venison right now I decided to give cooking game meat a try for the first time. So, here goes….

If you read this blog at all then you will know that Russ and I love Jamie Oliver and his new show Jamie at Home. He did a mushroom episode a while back and one of the dishes he made was a Wild Mushroom and Venison Stroganoff. At the time we didn’t have a freezer full of venison, but we both made a mental note that when we did this would be a good recipe to try. To start you sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until they are soft and golden. Once they are done set them aside. Next season the meat with salt, pepper, and paprika. Then add a little more olive oil to the pan and add the mushrooms. Now Jamie went out in the woods and found these amazing Chicken of Wood wild mushrooms. They looked fabulous, but not to my surprise Publix didn’t have them. So, I used a mix of baby Portobello and shitake mushrooms. Once the mushrooms have started to brown add the meat. Next add the parsley stalks and add the cooked onions and garlic back to the pan. Then add the butter and brandy. Now Russ actually added the brandy for me and while he tried to get it to flambé it just didn’t work (I think it was more the pan than Russ’ flambé skills). This was a concern in our home considering how frequently I set of the smoke alarm and the still infamous burnt popcorn… that is why Russ handled the brandy. After it has simmered for a few minutes add the lemon zest and crème fraiche and season to taste. I added a little more salt and pepper at this point. Finally serve over rice and top with parsley leaves, more crème fraiche, and sliced gherkins (yes, really gherkins… I was surprised too, but they really go well with it).

This turned out really well with one major exception… I overcooked the venison. In hindsight I should have just seared the pieces of venison on each side and then let them finish cooking while I finished the dish. I didn’t cook them all the way through when I sautéed them, but I did let them cook longer than needed. Since venison is so lean (I still miss the fat…) it is really important to not over cook it. Aside from my error with the meat the dish was delicious. I was a little concerned about serving what I consider to be a more Fall / Winter dish in June, but the sauce is really on the lighter side since it only has a little bit of crème fraiche in it. It is not a typical heavy, cream based stroganoff sauce, but it still has a smooth, . I have to say that the highlight for me was the sliced gherkins. I am really not a huge fan of gherkins and I came so close to leaving them out, but I decided to bite the bullet and give them a try. I can’t explain it, but the slightly sweet, little green gherkins go so well with this dish that you just have to include them (and if anyone in Birmingham does just this I have a rather large jar of gherkins hanging out in my fridge that I am happy to share). All in all this was a very good. Russ rates it a 9.