Venison Braciole (rolled and braised to perfection)
This is a nice recipe to prepare for a celebration dinner or just to change things up!
Venison Braciole
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs. venison back strap, chops or boneless steaks
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs,
- 1/2 tsp. dried Italian herbs
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup chopped spinach or kale or arugula (optional)
- dash of salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
- 3 cups good tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes
Directions:
- With a meat mallet, pound the pieces of venison flat until a bit less than 1/4″ thick (6mm).
- If time allows, brine the meat in 2 Tbsp. kosher salt to 1 qt. cold water, a few garlic cloves, and a few juniper berries for 30 minutes up to a few hours (place in refrigerator if brining for more than half an hour).
- Pat the meat dry and lay on a flat surface.
- Mix the cheese, bread crumbs, herbs, parsley, spinach, and a dash of salt and pepper together in a bow.
- Spread this cheese mixture evenly over the flattened meat, leaving a little room around the edges.
- Starting on a short side, roll the meat up and secure it like a roast with butcher twine to keep it neatly rolled.
these were rolled from direction shown in previous photo and rotated in this picture to show butcher twine - Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- On the stove, heat the olive oil in a braising pan, such as a Dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Brown the rolled meat on all sides.
- Add the chopped onion and sauté a bit.
- Mix in the tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes, scraping up any bits of browned meat off the pan with a wooden spoon (could do this with a bit of wine before adding the tomatoes). Spoon some sauce on top of the meat.
- Cover the pan and place in the heated oven. Cook for about an hour until the meat is tender.
- Remove the venison pieces and carefully remove the butcher string. You may need to insert a few toothpicks to keep the roll intact. Slice into 4 oz serving pieces. Serve with the sauce and veggies of your choice. You can add some cooked macaroni to the sauce and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. Serves about 4 people.
label created from Alaskan Sitka deer meat. White tailed information not available.
