Recipe for Cooking Tasty Venison and Gremolata

Deer Recipe with Healthy Cooking Condiment for Savory Flavor

Dec 6, 2008

A game cooking chef secret for delicious venison meat adds bright counterpoints to venison recipes from chops and steaks to roasts.

For all its earthy, savory character venison can actually be bland without a flavorful accompaniment. Rich hot gravy, chutney sauce and other cooking techniques are often used as complementary flavors to deer meat. Another approach uses an old-world gourmet cooking practice to add diverse elements that usually aren’t paired with venison, and it’s delicious.

Gremolata Venison Recipe

Gremolata is a classic finishing touch for the traditional Italian osso bucco, a braise that tenderizes veal shank. Sometimes spelled gremolada, this condiment marries the fresh vegetal elements of parsley and the pungency of garlic with the citric brilliance of lemon zest.

Minced and tossed together with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper, a gremolata is typically sprinkled on a finished dish just before it goes to the table. Many diners who appreciate its role in the dish like to add another spoonful to their serving before tucking in.

In addition to its bright tastes, gremolata provides significant visual appeal and by itself makes a pleasant presentation to what may otherwise be a rather uniformly uninteresting shade of brown. Another element is its fragrant aroma, perfuming the dish with the surprisingly delicate scent of the freshly blended melange.

Variations for Venison Sauce

Depending on the finishing sauce, gremolata can be modified to complement the finished dish. Sauces that tend towards the sweeter side of venison recipes may benefit from the addition of minced black olives. A judiciously small amount of chopped preserved green peppercorn routinely harmonizes with venison. If preserved lemon is available, it will add a salty component that can also balance a sweet sauce.

Purists may argue that these variations depart from the true gremolata. Innovative cooks, on the other hand, understand that the nature of the dish being assembled presents opportunities for creative enhancements. If in doubt, try a pinch with a small sliver of venison to determine if the flavors meld before sending it to the table. If the improvement is discordant, little is lost but the short time it takes to prepare the original version instead.

Enhance Venison as a Match with Wine

The herbal and citric elements of a gremolata lend a robust flavor to the naturally earthy venison, making it a more vigorous counterpart for a full-bodied wine to accompany a game dinner. A venison roast, chop, steak or braise paired with a gremolata pleads for a young zinfandel or Shiraz. A Rhone, particularly an Hermitage, will lift the meal to gourmet status. A Burgundy would be superb.

Use in Other Gourmet Cooking

Gremolata makes a sensational complement for a wide variety of dishes, including other wild game, both fur and fowl. It is equally delicious with elk or with grouse. Try it as a way to add a new twist to old favorites from red meats to poultry to seafood. Its basic components meld well with most savory dishes and brighten up a favorite meal with new and brilliant flavors.

Gremolata Recipe

Vary the recipe according to taste. Some cooks prefer more garlic, more lemon zest, or both. Consider doubling the recipe and reserving half for passing at the table.

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