[Sca-cooks] Venison . . .

[Alexander Clark]

On Thu, 8 Mar 2012 13:59:51 -0500, James Davis <firedrake at earthlink.net> wrote:
> I have acquired 5 lbs of venison "pieces" that I wanted to saute' and
> serve over wild and brown rice. My fiancee didn't like my original
> plan for onions and mushrooms. I expect another 5 lbs. of tenderloin
> next week (my local butcher is a hunter, and can't sell the venison,
> even though he has it professionally butchered, so he gives it to
> loyal customers -- it's one of the things I DO like about small-town
> Kentucky).
>
> Any ideas for seasoning and/or sides?

For a roast, I like Peuorat for veel and venysoun. Take brede & fry it
in grece; drawe it vp with broth and vyneger. Take therto powdour of
peper & salt, and sette it on the fyre. Boile it and messe it forth.

In other words, fry a little bread in grease (lard, schmaltz, or
similar, on moderately high heat). Soak it in broth and vinegar and
strain it. Season it with pepper and a little salt. Boil briefly, and
serve with venison or (free-range) veal.

If you cut tenderloin steaks, then you could grill Stekys of venyson
from Harleian MS 279 and Austin:

.xxxj. To make Stekys of venson or bef.—Take Venyson or Bef, & leche &
gredyl it vp broun; þen take Vynegre & a litel verious, & a lytil
Wyne, & putte pouder perpir þer-on y-now, and pouder Gyngere; & atte
þe dressoure straw on pouder Canelle y-now, þat þe stekys be al
y-helid þer-wyth, & but a litel Sawce; & þan serue it forth.

Modern interpretation:
1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. red wine
1 tsp. verjuice (optional, if you've got it)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
dash pepper

dash ginger
1 lb. boneless steaks of period venison or wapiti (American elk)
dash cinnamon

Have a clean charcoal fire going in the grill. Mix all ingredients
except cinnamon and steaks. Optionally, add a bit of aromatic hardwood
to the fire and wait for the first flame to die down. Grill the steaks
medium or medium well (if you can't tell by feel, stick in an
instant-read thermometer as you take a steak from the grill; medium is
about 145°F. Plate them, sprinkle lightly all over with cinnamon, then
pour on the sauce and serve.

The second recipe is from Google's cache from Cunnan. I think it's
about the same as I posted there a while back, but I'm not getting any
content from Cunnan just now, so I can't check that.

As for sides, speaking as an English cook I would suggest some game
birds. :-) Or rabbits or pigeons. And a tart with small birds lying on
top of the filling. And a leche of wild boar. :-)

-- 
Henry/Alex