Hunters offer best in venison recipes

I'm thinking that, collectively, deer hunters may be among the most generous people in the Lowcountry. In the middle of deer season every year, we typically field a request for venison recipes because someone has been given a load of meat by a hunter friend.

This fall, it was Charles Wilson of Moncks Corner. He's got a large amount of venison burger and cube steak and asked for cooking suggestions.

Deer folks seem to be magnanimous with their recipes as well.

Venison is very lean and added fat may be needed.

"I think you will find this receipt a knockout," Howard and Diane Judd of Summerton said in their e-mail.

Best Venison Cube Steaks Ever

4 servings

3 tablespoons fat-free milk

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 (4-ounce) venison cube steaks

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 2/3 cups powdered mashed potatoes

1 1/3 cups fat-free milk

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free low-salt beef broth

Combine 3 tablespoons milk and egg whites in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. In another shallow dish, combine 1/3 cup flour and the next four ingredients (through black pepper) in a shallow dish.

Working with one steak at a time, dip in egg mixture, dredge in flour mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining steaks, egg mixture and flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add steaks. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove steaks from pan and keep warm.

While steaks cook, prepare mashed potatoes according to package directions using 1 1/3 cups milk. Keep warm.

Add mushrooms to pan, saute 3 minutes. Combine the 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and broth, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Spoon over steaks and serve with mashed potatoes.

Serve with the vegetable of your choice.

Theresa Kendall of Goose Creek volunteers one of her recipes as her husband processes his own deer meat.

She prefers a cast-iron frying pan for these but says another type may be used.

"There is no reason to over-cook this meat," she adds. "You could make a gravy if preferred to put it back in and simmer; however, it is best as is with Texas Pete and gravy on the side."

Venison Cube Steak Fingers With Yellow Mustard Rub

Venison cube steak cut to 3-finger widths

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Salt

Pepper

Yellow mustard

Self-rising flour

Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Meanwhile, lightly season steaks with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Squirt yellow mustard on each side of the steaks (as if you're putting it on a slice of bread for a sandwich) and rub the mustard in with your hands. Lightly dust both sides of the steaks with self-rising flour. Place in the frying pan and brown until the meat juices come to the top and then flip to brown on the other side. Turn the steaks one more time on each side for a total cooking time of 10-15 minutes.

Jane Cole of Round O says this is a delicious way to cook venison. "Let some pink show when you slice it, just like a steak."

Grilled Venison Tenderloin

Serves 6

2 cups canola oil

1 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cups soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 garlic clove, mashed

2 (12-ounce) venison tenderloins, sinew removed

Black pepper to taste

Ground ginger to taste

Celery seeds to taste

Combine the canola oil, vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and garlic in a bowl and mix well. Sprinkle the venison with pepper, ginger and celery seeds. Pierce both sides of the venison with a fork at 1/4-inch intervals and place in a shallow bowl. Pour the marinade over the meat and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Grill over hot coals for 6 minutes, turning on all sides. Do not overcook.

Suzy Nelson of Yonge's Island offers several more pointers:

"Tell Charles Wilson that he can substitute ground venison for any ground beef recipes he likes. I use it for meat balls, meat loaf, stroganoff, sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce, pasties (a northern Michigan/Welsh individual stuffed pastry), etc. The only thing we don't use it for is hamburgers as we like ours very rare."

Other uses she's found for venison include chopping the cube steaks into chunks to make vegetable soup and using the roasts for sauerbraten and pot roast.

Or, "Make your own sausage. It's great. You can concoct your own seasoning or you can buy Leggs Old Plantation Pork Sausage Seasoning found in the meat department at grocery stores (we found at Doscher's). It comes in 8-ounce packages. Follow directions."

Suzy says she simply defrosts the ground venison, adds the seasoning, lets it sit a day in the refrigerator, and then packages it up. At her house, they do 6 ounces divided into two patties. If you need more fat, use pork, not beef, she stresses. The ground venison usually has enough fat for a lean mix.

Good food travels

Eileen Miller asked for the tomato pie recipe from the Lone Star Barbecue and Mercantile in Santee.

This tomato pie has numerous compliments on the Internet. I also heard from a couple of readers as well, such as Carroll Richard of Hampton, who has a clipping of the recipe.

Lone Star Tomato Pie

Makes 15 servings

1 3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon onion, grated or minced fine

Salt and pepper to taste

10 medium ripe tomatoes, washed, cored and sliced (freshest and ripest you can find)

15 slices day-old bread

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare cheese spread by combining mayonnaise, cheddar cheese and grated onion. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

Grease a 9x12-inch casserole dish with butter, olive oil or cooking spray. Layer bottom evenly with 7 slices of bread cut in medium-sized cubes.

Create a layer of tomatoes by overlapping them in shingle fashion the length of the casserole. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Trim crusts from remaining 8 slices of bread and arrange them on top so they cover the entire surface area of the tomatoes.

Spread the slices with the cheddar cheese spread. Cover well but don't use too much or the pie may become soggy.

Arrange the remaining tomatoes in the same manner as before. Season with salt and pepper.

Dollop the rest of the cheese mixture in rows across the top.

Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes, or until cheese mixture is golden brown.

Collard kraut

I had never heard of "collard kraut" until Gloria Kinsey of Edisto Beach asked for a recipe, remembering what her grandmother and mother used to make.

A few times a year, we get a craving for sauerkraut at my house, and make a pork chop and sauerkraut casserole.

I think collard kraut would make an excellent substitute.

The most complete, detailed recipe I found was on the Clemson Extension Service Web site. But thanks also to Katherine B. Herndon of Ruffin and Ann Bell of North Charleston.

Clemson says sauerkraut can be fermented in large stoneware crocks, large glass jars or food-grade plastic containers, but do not use aluminum, copper, brass, galvanized or iron containers.

Collard Kraut

5 gallons collards

1 cup canning or pickling salt

Rinse collards, chop or shred to desired consistency. Layer about 1 gallon of collards and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons salt in large glass jars, food-approved plastic containers or stoneware crocks. Then add more layers of collards and salt until container is full, leaving approximately 4 to 5 inches of space at the top of container. Add water until it covers the chopped collards. The collards should be completely submerged in the brine. Add plate and weights; cover container with a clean bath towel.

Store at 70 degrees for fermenting. At this temperature, it will take approximately 3 to 4 weeks to ferment. If any scum forms above the plate or weight, remove it about 2 to 3 times a week. Taste in about two weeks. Allow collards to ferment until desired flavor is reached.

Fully fermented kraut may be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for several months or it may be canned as follows:

Hot Pack: Bring kraut and liquid slowly to a boil in a large kettle, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and fill jars rather firmly with kraut and juices, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process pints for 10 minutes and quarts for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Raw Pack: Fill jars firmly with kraut and cover with juices, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Adjust lids and process 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts in a boiling water bath.

Postscript

A couple of callers questioned last week's recipe for Sesame Crunch Banana Muffins, rather, the lack of sugar in the batter. One said the crunchy topping — with sugar — wasn't enough to carry the muffin.

I checked with the sender and there wasn't a mistake. She suggested using very ripe bananas in the recipe. But a little sugar may be added to the batter, say 1/4 to 1/2 cup, if desired.

Who's got the recipe?

--Eileen Miller (same as above) would like information and recipes about cooking with tofu.

--From Peggy Vashina: "For years, our family's Christmas morning breakfast tradition was to have a breakfast casserole with red and green peppers for Christmas color. This was a make-ahead, pop in the oven dish to cook while presents were being opened. Now, our 2-year-old grandson has an egg allergy, which has mandated a change in our breakfast tradition. I am interested in recipes for any breakfast dishes that can be made ahead which do not contain eggs."

--Sylvia Smith writes, "A couple of years ago my daughter's family took me to a restaurant in Mount Pleasant on Shem Creek and I had shrimp and grits with a brown gravy that was absolutely wonderful. Since then I have ordered the item at a couple of 'Southern style' or 'Low Country' restaurants here in the Arlington and Alexandria, Va., area where I live. Nothing has come close. Most recently I ordered shrimp and grits with tasso gravy that was so spicy-hot the shrimp taste was obliterated and I had heartburn for hours. Can you help me?"

--Ronna Toombs of Summerville is curious if any readers have tried one or more of the cake recipes at the Web site, www.northpole.com. If so, she wants to know how well the cake turned out.

If you're looking for a recipe or have one to share, reach Teresa Taylor at 937-4886, food@postandcourier.com or write The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403. Include a daytime phone number.

---

Notice about comments:
The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Post and Courier does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our Web site.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.

---

Comments

This article has  0 comment(s)