ATVPT

Prepared by chef Michael Saunders

This recipe can be used for any larger game animal. I have tried it with venison and elk and it is excellent.

1 Large Flank Steak - Tenderized

1-Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2-Cup Sliced Chives

2 Tablespoon Minced Parsley

1/2 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

4 Slices White Bread

1/2-Cup Whole Milk

2 Cups Finely Chopped Fresh Greens

4 Tablespoon Grated Cheddar Cheese

6 Slices Bacon - Fried and Crumbled

4-Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans

1 Bay Leaf

Pepper and Thyme to Taste

Rub the steak with salt, pepper, and thyme. Place in a large dish or platter; add chives, parsley, and red wine vinegar. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, basting and turning a few times. Soak the bread in whole milk, drain and mash until smooth. Mix the bread with fresh greens, cheese, bacon, and nuts. Pull the steak out of the refrigerator and drain well. Spread the mixture on the steak and roll it up. Tie the roll with butchers twine. Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish. Lightly brown the roll, turning frequently so that all sides are browned. Cover the roll with boiling water and add a bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 3 hours, drain, chill, and slice thinly before serving.

Fresh beets, green salad, or corn on the cob, and hot rolls makes a complete meal fit for a king.

Prepared by chef Michael Saunders.

1 quart beef stock

½ cup chopped leeks

¼ cup each, chopped: shallots and carrot

1 tomato, chopped

½ bunch fresh parsley (leaves only)

½ cup port wine

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 rack of venison (8 ribs, about 2 pounds)

¼ cup olive oil

2 cups sliced mixed exotic mushrooms (such as oyster, shiitake, portobello)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)

Chopped parsley or watercress for garnish (optional)

In a very large saucepan, combine stock, leeks, shallots, carrot, tomato and parsley; whisk in port and tomato paste. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours, or until sauce is reduced to 3 cups. Strain and discard solids. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place venison on a rack in a roasting pan and roast 25 minutes, just to medium rare. Remove venison from oven and set aside. (To add an optional crust on the top, brush 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard over roasted venison. Pat on about ½ to ¾ cup dry seasoned bread crumbs. Return venison to oven until bread crumbs are browned.)

Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet and add mushrooms; sauté briefly, then season with salt and pepper. Pour about ¼ cup sauce on each of 8 plates. Place 2 slices venison on each plate, atop sauce. Garnish with mushrooms and chopped parsley. Makes 8 servings.

Prepared by chef Michael Saunders

12 (2-ounce) venison medallions, from the back strap if possible

4 egg whites, whipped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon honey

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½ cup each: vegetable oil and soft butter (1 stick)

Chili-Pepper Sauce (recipe below)

Pound venison medallions with a mallet; place in a ceramic or stainless steel dish. In a small bowl, combine egg whites, soy sauce, honey, garlic and cornstarch. Spoon mixture over venison, coating all pieces well, then refrigerate, covered, 24 hours.

Remove venison from marinade. Heat oil in medium-size skillet; add venison and sauté over high heat on both sides until nicely brown. Do not overcook; meat should be pink in the center. Add butter to give venison a delicious nutty taste. Lift venison out of butter, then place on a heated platter; set aside. Keep the skillet, with butter and pan drippings, on the stove to make the Chili-Pepper Sauce.

When sauce is made, place 3 venison medallions on each of 4 plates and ladle Chili-Pepper Sauce over top. Serve with wild rice or risotto and winter vegetables. Makes 4 servings.

Note: To reduce sodium, calories and fat, use low-sodium soy sauce and eliminate oil by sautéing venison in a nonstick skillet using vegetable oil spray. Reduce amount of butter to ¼ cup. Use salt-free, defatted beef stock and substitute half-and-half for whipping cream in the sauce.

Chili-Pepper Sauce

3 strips bacon, sliced

½ each, medium-size, diced: yellow onion, red and green bell peppers and jalapeño (seeded and minced)

2 cups sliced portobello mushrooms

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups beef stock or consommé

½ cup dark red wine (such as cabernet sauvignon)

¼ cup dry sherry

1 cup whipping cream

Salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste

Sauté bacon in venison pan drippings. Add onion, bell peppers, jalapeño and mushrooms; sauté until translucent. Sprinkle with chili powder, flour and cumin and stir well. Add stock, wine and sherry; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer a few minutes, then stir in cream. Heat, but do not boil. Season with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Use as directed above.

Prepared by chef Michael Saunders

5 pounds venison or other wild game meat

1 pound apple-smoked bacon

1½ large or 2 medium-size sweet white onions, diced

1 each, seeded and diced: red, yellow and green bell peppers

1 large garlic clove, minced

3 large tomatoes, seeded and cut into large dice

3 chipotle peppers (dried, smoked jalapeños), rehydrated

2 dried Anaheim chilies, rehydrated

2 jalapeños

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

¼ cup ground cumin (cominos)

½ cup chili powder

2 tablespoons each: salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup tomato paste

1½ quarts game or chicken stock, divided

½ bunch cilantro

3 sprigs rosemary

1 cup sun-dried cherries

3 cups shiitake mushrooms

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (dark, aged Italian vinegar)

3 ounces bourbon

6 corn tortillas, julienned and fried crisp

3 ounces goat cheese

Grind venison with bacon, then place in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until no longer pink, then drain fat. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, tomatoes, chipotles, anaheims, jalapeños, red pepper flakes, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, tomato paste and 4 cups stock. Simmer 1 hour.

Meanwhile, remove and discard stems from cilantro and rosemary; chop leaves. Stir chopped cilantro and rosemary into chili, along with cherries, mushrooms, vinegar and bourbon. Simmer 30 minutes more.

Add remaining 2 cups stock, and simmer 20 minutes, or until thick. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with tortilla strips; sprinkle goat cheese atop each serving. Makes 15 (1-cup) portions.

Prepared by chef Michael Saunders

2 squirrels
1 cup vinegar
1 onion, diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 season salt
leaves from 3 stalks celery
4 carrots, diced
4-12 red potatoes (depending on size)

Wash dressed squirrel thoroughly and cut into serving pieces. Combine vinegar, onion, salt, and pepper in deep plastic container. Add squirrel and enough water to cover. Let stand 3 hours. Remove squirrel and place in a roasting pan, brown in 375ºF oven. Add seasoned salt, celery leaves, carrots, and potatoes. Again cover with water. Cover pan and continue cooking until tender. Serves 2 to 3.

Prepared by chef Michael Saunders

When I dress out a bear I always have plenty of trimmings to save for this recipe. This is an excellent dish, everyone admits they can't even tell it has wild game for the meat.

2 lbs. bear meat, cubed to 1 inch

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon season salt

5 celery stalks, sliced

1 lb carrots, sliced

5 large potatoes, peeled & sliced in chunks

1 onion, sliced

1 can tomato soup condensed

Lightly season meat with salt and pepper, coat with flour. Heat olive oil in a skillet, add meat and brown. Place the meat in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Add season salt and bring to a boil, cover and simmer for two hours.

Add vegetables and more water if needed, simmer for one hour. Add Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, soup, salt, and pepper, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove heat and let it sit for 30 minutes. Ready to serve. Serve with toasted bread or hot rolls.

 This one is a departure from some the other excellent and elegant dishes in the recipe section.  I thought a good ol’ southern boy needed to get in here and ‘neck it up a little!

 The appeal of this CBATV crew favorite, is it’s uniqueness.  I feel a Forrest Gump quote coming on, but I will resist.  It truly is never the same twice.  This is to be made at the campsite, but before you get there, you must tell all your riding buddies to bring “something” for the goulash.  You might want to coordinate it a little, make sure everyone brings something different.  You don’t want fifteen people showing up, each with a bag of potatoes! The recipe always changes, with the exception of a few requirements:

1.      A large Dutch oven… the bigger the better for large crowds.

2.      something to get the lid off with, a long steel hooked rod, or trusty stick in a pinch

3.      Good campfire coals.

4.      a cutting board and good knife.

There does seem to be one common ingredient to the recipe, and that is a tomato base.  Fresh homegrown tomatoes are always preferred.  If none are available, then get homemade canned tomatoes.  Otherwise use large cans of diced, stewed, hole, peeled…whatever shows up, dump it in there.  Wait till all the ingredients are in there before adding water.  You may be surprised at how quickly the oven fills up. 

Suggested meats:

• Marinated deer tenderloin (my personal favorite)
• Any fresh kill – turkey, elk, alligator, squirrel, snipe
• Stew beef
• Sausage – Italian, country, kielbasa
• London broil
• Steak – any cut, large chunks or medallions whatever! It’s all good!
• Hamburger

Suggested veggies:

• Potatoes
• Onions
• Green pepper
• Okra
• Corn
• Cabbage
• Turnips
• Green beans
• Lima beans
• Kidney beans
• Black eyed peas
• Carrots
• Celery
• Mushrooms – portabella, or shitake’s work well.

Spices:

• Hot pepper – jalapeño, Crushed red, little bit of cayenne, stay away from hot-hots like habanera.
• Garlic – fresh minced or whole cloves, you might want to skip unless you are single, or plan on being celibate for the evening.

• Salt
• Black pepper

Before you dump all this stuff into your Dutch oven, make sure your fire is right.  This usually requires letting it burn for a while to get some coals ready.  If you are in a hurry, go ahead and eat a snack and drink a beer.  In fact, drink several beers.  This will take a while.  The whole idea of this dish is to prepare it, and let it cook while you go for a ride.  When you get back, it’s nice to have supper ready! 

Start with lots of smaller (1 to 2” diameter) wood to get some coals going faster.  Dig a hole a little bigger than your oven beside the fire.  Add coals to the bottom and sides of the hole.  Easy with the coals if you plan to cook it longer, more coals to cook quicker.  If you plan on doing a rush job, ( 1 to 2 hrs) It’s a good idea to cook the meat first.  I prefer to add raw meat to the concoction, and let it stew in the juices.  This takes longer though, 3 to 4 hours.  Drop the oven in it’s bed of coals let it heat up if you plan on sautéing any uncooked meat. Add the tomato base and any veggies that talk the longest to cook first.  If someone is available, it’s better to add the fragile stuff, like beans and celery later.  We usually just dump it all in and go for a ride.  Add water till you are within ½” of the top, put the lid on and add a few coals on top.  Make sure the fire is out or down low and well contained before you leave.

Poll the crew and see if they like it mild or wild.  If you are like me and like it hot, but the others are sissies, you might want to keep some crushed red handy to doctor yours up with.