Wild Game Wednesday: Venison Quesadillas

Check out this week’s recipe from Gourmet Gone Wild for some yummy venison quesadillas! For anyone who might not be ready to try venison all by itself, this is a great introductory dish. With an intensely-flavored marinade, grilled venison makes a perfect rich component to great quesadillas. Be careful not to overcook the venison and allow it to rest before slicing to bring out the best flavor possible.

 

Venison Quesadillas

Time: 10-15 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS: FILLING 

1     Pound venison backstraps or back leg meat

1     OZ red wine

1     OZ red wine vinegar

1     TBSP soy sauce
2-3  Shakes of hot sauce

2     Cloves garlic, minced

¼    TSP brown sugar

2     TSP olive oil

INGREDIENTS: QUESADILLAS

5     Large flour tortillas

½    CUP cheddar cheese, grated

2½  TSP butter

1     Jalapeño, finally diced

 

DIRECTIONS: PREPARING THE VENISON

1. Clean the venison well and be sure that any connective tissue or silverskin is removed.
2. Cut the venison down to ½ inch thickness for grilling. Any size pieces will work, as long as they are not too thick.
3. Combine the venison with all other ingredients and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours in a Ziploc bag.
4. Remove the venison pieces from the bag and shake off any excess marinade.
5. Grill over a very hot fire for roughly one minute per side just until it is well seared on the outside, but still medium rare in the middle.
6. Pull the meat from the grill and allow it to rest for 8-10 minutes before cutting into medium-sized dice.

DIRECTIONS: QUESADILLAS

1. Using ½ teaspoon of butter per tortilla, add a little butter to a preheated flat-top surface, then top with a flour tortilla and sprinkle on some of the cheese.
2. As soon as the cheese begins to melt, add in several of the venison pieces, a little jalapeño then fold the tortilla in half.
3. Continue to cook until the tortillas have nicely browned on each side, then remove.

 

TO SERVE:

Cut quesadillas into triangles, garnish with our choice of sour cream, guacamole, salsa and chopped fresh jalapeño. This meal pairs well with red wines, including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, Rhone blend or zinfandel.

 

Check back every Wednesday for a new Wild Game Dish recipe, proudly used by MUCC’s Gourmet Gone Wild program! If you’re looking for more wild game and fish recipes check out the MUCC online store and purchase a copy of Wild Gourmet! GGW is proudly funded through the Cabela’s Outdoor Fund.