Venison "Veal" Cutlets

It is that time of year to clean out the freezer and look ahead to (hopefully) filling it back up with the bounty of the fall hunting season. Venison steaks and chops are excellent when marinated and grilled (stick to medium or medium rare for tenderness sake), but for a change of pace, you could also make venison "veal" cutlets. These tender morsels can be eaten simply or interchanged with any veal recipe, such as venison veal parmesan, venison veal marsala, venison veal piccata, etc)

VENISON VEAL CUTLETS

1 pound venison steak or chops

1/2 c. onion, sliced

1/2 c. fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, thyme or 2 T. dried Italian seasoning

1 qt water

2-4 T. salt

1 egg, stirred

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs

1-2 T. olive oil

Starting in the morning, cut the venison into pieces about the size of a deck of cards (chop size). Then pound the venison until they are about 1/4 inch thick, using a meat mallet (tenderizer). In a glass baking dish mix 2 cups of cold water with 1 T. of salt, a shake of black pepper, the onion and herbs. Place the pounded venison cutlets in the water and place in the refrigerator. Drain and change the salted water at least every hour (every half hour for the first 2 hours is even better). The venison will start to lose it's red color and become pale and tender like veal. It is best to have all day for this process, but it can be achieved in 3-4 hours. Once the venison has transformed into veal-like qualities, you can cook it cutlet style...place milk in one bowl, the mixed egg in another, and the seasoned bread crumbs in a third bowl or plate (no need for more salt because of the salted water brine). Heat 1-2 T. of olive oil in a fry pan. Place each cutlet first in the milk, then egg, and then coat with bread crumbs. Fry in the olive oil 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. These are delicious hot out of the pan with just a squirt of lemon and parsley or you can proceed from here to make venison parmesan, etc. Venison meat tends to have far fewer calories and fat than veal. Enjoy!