Receta Roast Venison Steak; Christmas past
Did I mention that I bought some venison a few weeks ago?
It’s farmed venison. I can see the woods where the deer live from my balcony.
Every fall they cull the herd and sell the venison…. Or, I should say they sell what they don’t want for themselves to a few people who know about it.
My neighbor knows.
I bought 2 kilos of ‘casserole’, which is large, very well-trimmed pieces. (I made a Venison in Red Wine last week that was wonderful, but more about that later.) I also bought a 16oz (480gr) ‘steak’.
Since it was all wrapped and frozen I had no idea what I was really getting.
We decided to have the steak for Christmas Eve.
After it was thawed we discovered it was one, large piece that almost looked like part of the tenderloin. A discussion ensued and a decision made: We (that’s the Royal ‘We’) would roast it.
We made an excellent decision. Often simple is best….
Roast Venison Steak
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- whole or piece of venison tenderloin, about 16oz (480gr)
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp za’atar
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- generous amount of fresh pepper
Instructions:
Rub venison with oil
Sprinkle with salt, pepper and za’atar.
Roast in 400F (200C) oven for 15 – 25 minutes, until meat thermometer registers 130F (54C) for medium.
Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
It was so tender and flavorful…. We were most pleased.
Za’atar is a mixture of lemon thyme, sumac and sesame.
My Moroccan cook book says za’atar is the Arabic word for thyme, specifically a wild thyme that is more pungent than the cultivated varieties. A substitute would be dried Greek thyme or fresh lemon thyme. It goes on to say not to confuse it with the Lebanese herb and spice mix used to sprinkle on bread.
The next day, Christmas Day, I made my 30 dollar, 8 lb turkey…..
Everyone agreed that it was a truly excellent turkey (ahem….)
Now we are working on les restes (French for leftovers).
And because I know you’re curious, and I have the photos…. Here is our Christmas table.
Our neighbors joined us for dinner… And brought the traditional Christmas Pudding.
No, I didn’t take anymore food photos…..
Once we start the dinner food and wine and talking take precedence over photos.
I hope you all had a lovely holiday.
Last update on December 27, 2014
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