Venison Steak with Wild Rice Pilaf
This is a free-form pilaf if you think about it. The general idea is to have a mix of savory things, like mushrooms, something crunchy, as in hazelnuts, something tart (the cranberries) and something fruity, which is where the persimmon comes in. No persimmons around? Use a firm apple or pear, just toss the pieces with a little lemon juice so they don't get brown. I do this with a length of venison backstrap, but you could use any sort of venison steak. Just make sure it's free of connective tissue and silverskin. To drink? A big malty beer like a Scottish ale or a German dunkelweiss, a good red wine or even a rich white, like a white Burgundy or Cotes du Rhone.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds venison steaks
- salt
- 1 cup wild rice
- 3 cups venison or beef stock
- 1/2 pound mushrooms (maitake, hen of the woods if you can find them)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup Chopped hazelnuts
- 1 cup cranberries or 1/4 cup craisins
- 1 fuyu persimmon, peeled and dived (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- black pepper
- Squash seed oil, for finishing (optional)
Instructions
- Take the venison out of the fridge and salt it well. Let it sit on the cutting board while you make the rice and such.
- Cook the wild rice in the beef broth. You might need to add a cup of water or so, depending on how old your rice it. Also, real, traditional wild rice cooks in half the time as typical store-bought, and it requires less water. If you have the real stuff, use 2 cups broth and 1 cup water. Cook the rice until tender and drain.
- Put the mushrooms in a large frying pan or saute pan and turn the heat to high. Dry saute the mushrooms, shaking them frequently, until they sizzle and begin to give up their water. When they do, boil off this water. When it's almost gone, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and saute until the mushrooms begin to brown. Salt them as they cook. Remove and set aside.
- Add the chopped onions to the pan as well as another 2 tablespoons of butter. Saute on medium-high heat until browned on the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the onions and put them with the mushrooms.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Dry the venison with paper towels and add it to the pan. Sear the venison medium-rare. How long this will take depends on how thick the venison is. Use the finger test for doneness to determine how done you want your meat. Take the meat out and let it rest.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and add back the mushrooms and onions to the pan. Add the remaining ingredients except for the squash seed oil (if using) and toss to combine. Heat this just until everything is warm, then divide it onto people's plates. Grind some black pepper over everything. Slice the venison thickly and serve, drizzled with the squash seed oil.
Notes
- For a slightly different pilaf, try this one I made with roast duck.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 656
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 656kcal | 33% |
| Carbohydrates | 41g | 14% |
| Protein | 64g | 128% |
| Fat | 27g | 42% |
| Saturated Fat | 13g | 65% |
| Cholesterol | 180mg | 60% |
| Sodium | 465mg | 19% |
| Potassium | 1494mg | 32% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 856IU | 17% |
| Vitamin C | 12mg | 13% |
| Calcium | 58mg | 6% |
| Iron | 9mg | 50% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.