Prior to this weekend, I’ve never eaten, much less cooked with, venison. I’ve had the opportunity but have turned my cheek, with a curious unfounded distaste. Strange, because I am, after all, an omnivore, relishing my position on the food chain with moderated gusto.

I try to purchase meat consciously, mindful of how the animal was raised and nourished. As Michael Pollen noted in the “Omnivore’s Dilemma”, "...we are what we eat, eats."

I particularly enjoy other wild game and enjoy their lean attributes, borne of wild foraging and muscular girth. To my palate, there a great deal of flavor, texture and “chew” with wild game. Until now, wild boar, ostrich and elk held a certain caché - venison did not. It’s ironic, admittedly hypocritical, to have snubbed a local favorite.

This weekend we are visiting our friends Jack & Judy in Northem Michigan.*

Judy and I developed a combination of a classic Strogonoff and Paprikash and adapted it to the wild venison her husband, Jack, provided.

As I sliced the venison steaks, I marveled at the lean and beautiful meat, completely void of any fat marbling. This was an animal that foraged the Northern Michigan forest grazing on food sources such as wild apples and alfalfa.

You can bet there were no feed lots or growth hormones in this animal’s life, not to mention the shipping “carbon footprint” cost left on the land.

The venison was delicious in this recipe. The flavor and "chew" in contrast to meat dishes, where marbled fat provides a different flavor and texture.

After a day of skiing and snowshoeing in the Northern Michigan forests, we couldn’t have asked for a finer dinner. We served the venison with locally-made Al Dente Egg Pasta; it's easiest to slice the venison if it is partially frozen. Assemble all of your ingredients before cooking; the dinner will come together quickly.

*Some readers may remember Judy - she was the librarian at Burns Park School for close to 20 years. Jack was Head University of Michigan track coach for many years.

Yield: 6 servings
Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds venison steaks
4 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups pearl onions, blanched in boiling water 1 minute, then peeled
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups venison or beef stock
3 tablespoons Madeira (wine)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups sliced mushrooms, wild or domestic
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped dill, plus extra sprigs for garnish
Paprika

Directions

1. Remove all fat and silver skin from steaks. Cut into thin strips. Lightly season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge strips in 2 tablespoons flour.
2. In a large, heavy- bottomed skillet, heat butter over medium high heat. Cooking in batches, brown beef, about 1 minute on each side.
3. Remove meat with slotted spoon; reserve.
4. Add blanched onions, garlic and a pinch of salt to pan and sauté, stirring.
5. Slowly whisk or stir in remaining 1/4 cup flour. (You may want to remove pan from stove when whisking in flour; if too hot, lumps could form.) Stir or whisk in stock, Madeira and tomato paste.
6. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring continuously, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Return venison to pan. Stir in sour cream and dill and gently heat. Garnish with a dusting of paprika and dill sprigs.