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 I am nearing the end of the venison that was given to my husband and I from his friends in Delaware. Tonight I prepared venison backstrap, better known as the tenderloin. I researched the web and found a recipe for seared venison backstrap on cdkitchen.com. The venison recipe was easy to prepare, however, I did flub it a bit. I was to marinate the venison in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. However, I inadvertently used minced fresh garlic and added chopped fresh rosemary. The rosemary was to be added to the sauté of sliced onions, fresh garlic and brown sugar. However, my mistake paid off.
 I am still working through all the various cuts of venison a friend of my husband gave us. Over the weekend, I defrosted a roast and prepared that yesterday. I was able to find a recipe for a red wine braised venison roast that had simple ingredients that I felt would make for an appealing meal. The recipe called for red wine, garlic, thyme, onion, celery, carrots and beef stock. The recipe was for a 1 pound piece of meat and said to cut the roast into serving size pieces. I kept my roast whole. The roast was a little bit larger than a pound. I didn’t use 1-1/2 cups of red wine that the recipe called for. I used half that amount along with 1 cup of beef stock and vegetables. I was hoping that those ingredients would yield sufficient pan juices at the end. The recipe said to cook the meat for 2-3 hours or until tender. I cooked my for for 2-1/2 hours. When I went to turn the roast after an hour, the meat was starting to look almost done. I wished that I used my meat thermometer to get a reading as braising for as long as I did was too long. When I finally pulled the roast out, most of the liquid had cooked off. I wish now that I used the full amount of wine or add the difference in beef stock. The roast was a bit overcooked, but it was tender and flavorful. The vegetables were delicious and maintained a bit of chew. I have some bordelaise sauce in my freezer that I will defrost and serve over the leftover roast . Overall, a good meal despite the meat being overcooked.
I still have some backstrap in the freezer. Backstrap is the length of loin on the back of a deer. I’ll use my meat thermometer the next time so as to not over cook the venison.  Several weeks ago, my husband and I visited some friends of his in Delaware. Many years ago, my husband worked for this family when they had a potato and grain farm in Freehold, NJ. As housing developments began to encroach the farm and the third generation wanted to continue farming, the farm was sold and the operation moved to Townsend, Delaware.
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