Venison Parmesan

This is one of my family’s favorite meals. It is prety �me consuming but worth the extra work. Individually pounding out the meat with a hand tenderizer takes up a lot of �me, so I only make this on special occasions. This past deer season I finally broke down and spent the money on a hand crank . Which was a good plan because the hubby brought home five does and I took one. The new tenderizer was so easy, one crank and the meat was through. I put the meat back in sideways and one more crank the meat was perfectly cubed! I ended up cubing the last couple of deer and freezing them. Now I have a freezer full of chicken fried , Swiss steak or for making this recipe in an instant. I am one happy cook now! Shorty running the tenderizer

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds venison steak pounded 2 cups Italian style bread crumbs or Panko or crushed Porkrinds if you’re following low-carb 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1 cup parmesan cheese 2 eggs beaten 1 large can tomato sauce 1 onion sliced 1 green pepper slices 1 can sliced mushrooms 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese Shortening ~ enough to cover botom when melted

Pound out venison steak; I usually start with pieces the size of my palm. Mix bread crumbs, parmesan and Italian seasoning. Dip in beaten egg and coat in breadcrumb mixture.

I have made this recipe in several types of pans/skillets so I will add instruc�ons for each. The steps are the same, but �mes and temperatures will vary. I typically cook most of my meals in cast iron or, if I am camping, a Dutch . I also love using an electric skillet.

Melt enough shortening to cover pan and brown meat on both sides. Flip over once meat starts to bleed through, lightly brown on the other side and remove from pan. You may have to add more shortening while browning.

Add onions, peppers, mushrooms and ¼ can of tomato sauce & sauté un�l heated through. Return meat to pan and place on top of vegetables. Cover with remaining tomato sauce and top with cheese.

Cast iron skillet Brown meat and sauté veggies on medium heat. Cover with cast iron lid and bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Electric skillet Brown meat and sauté veggies on medium heat. Cover with lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Dutch Oven (DO) Use a 12” DO with a flat lid with a lip and legs or you can use a trivet to keep it above the coals. Start coals before pounding out the meat. Brown meat and sauté veggies over hot coals, around 15-20. Start a second set of coals so they are ready to use once you have cooked meat and veggies. Coals should s�ll have some black on the edges or they will not hold enough heat. Place DO over a ring of 10 coals, one in the middle. Cover with lid and place a ring of 14 coals on the top of the oven, 2 in the middle. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

I made this recipe for guests when I took the photos. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the finished product! They devoured it before I could grab my camera! Trust me: It was as delicious as it was beau�ful!!

Serve hot with Alfredo noodles and garlic bread!!

Christy Christiansen is an Outdoor Education Specialist with the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission. She is an avid outdoors woman, bowhunter, kayaker, shooting sports enthusiasts, gardener and Dutch oven fanatic.

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