Venison Stroganoff

On Sunday, I was greeted home by Dusty with this....

OVER 20 LBS OF VENISON MEAT!

Oh Lordy, what the heck am I going to do with all of this???
I've never cooked with Venison before! I've never tried Venison before!
I'm scared!

I now am the proud owner of over 20 lbs of ground venison, sirloin, roasts, and venison loin!
Let's not forget the 100 venison pepperoni sticks I have as well!

I really hope I like venison....Lord, please let me like venison!!!

If you recall, this meat was provided to me by my boyfriend on our "hunting" trip during Halloween weekend. Read about my experience....HERE!

So needless to say, I have been doing some serious research to find good venison recipes!
I found this recipe on Food Network and changed it up a bit to fit what I had in my fridge.

This is what you are going to need for 2 people:

-7 oz of White Rice or 1 "Boil in Bag Rice"
-2 tbsp Olive Oil
-1 medium Yellow Onion-minced
-1 clove of Garlic-minced
-8 oz of Portabella Mushrooms-sliced
-Salt & Pepper
-1 tbsp Paprika
-About 1/2 to 3/4 lb of Venison Loin- cut into strips
-1/8 cup dried Parsley
-1 tbsp Butter
-1/2 tbsp Brandy or Blackberry Brandy
-Zest from 1 Lemon
-2/3 cup + 2 tbsp Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream

Let me tell you what.....when I unwrapped that venison meat, I was not a happy camper! It was a dark red/purple color, bloody and smelled of dead animal. Beef does not smell like this! I miss beef! Beef would never do this to me! Waaaah!

Anyways, moving on from my freak out moment....might I suggest rinsing the venison meat and then drying it with a paper towel. It will look more presentable. Besides, Julia Child always says to dry the meat before browning. So I highly recommend this step! Then season the venison with plenty of salt, pepper and the 1 tbsp of Paprika. Make sure the massage the season into the venison so the seasoning gets into every nook and cranny.

Prepare your rice however you need to. For me, boiling water and then adding the bag of rice. I need my mom to teach me how to make real rice. It is the one thing I am terrified of making! Therefore, I will use "boil in bag rice" until I can be a big girl and make real rice!

Heat your large saucepan over medium heat with 1 tbsp of Olive Oil. Once it is nice and hot add the minced Onion and garlic.

Cook the onions and garlic for about 10 minutes until they are softened and golden brown. Remove from the pan and into a bowl for now. You will need them soon, but not now.

Then add 1 more tbsp of Olive Oil and saute the mushrooms for a couple minutes until they start to brown.

Then add the seasoned Venison and fry for 1 to 2 minutes while constantly stirring.

Add the dried parsley and stir around.

Then add the onions/garlic, tbsp of Butter and 1/2 tbsp of Brandy to the pan. Stir until the butter has melted.

Stir in the lemon zest.

Add in the creme fraiche (or sour cream) and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Let the sauce and meat simmer in the pan for a couple of minutes, but not too long because you don't want the meat to be tough and chewy. I read that this is a common problem with cooking venison. I'd say simmering for 2 to 3 minutes would be good.

To serve this dish, place the rice on the bottom of the plate and then top it with the venison and mushroom sauce. Add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with dried parsley flakes.

The Conclusion:
Venison is good! I cooked it for the perfect amount of time and the meat was tender and not chewy. I also didn't sense the "gamey" taste that everyone talks about. I really enjoyed it!
Thank God!

Get excited....there is going to be more Venison recipes to come!