Ginger Venison Stir Fry

Last Saturday we had a gathering of family and celebrated Chinese New Year.  It was a great time made even more special with the return of our daughter, Nicole, and her husband, Pierre, who just moved back to Michigan from Florida.  This was the first family gathering in a long time that included them at the table.

We had wonderful food, good conversation and lots of laughter.  Nothing makes my heart sing more than having a table full of people I love gathered together.  I love entertaining and I love trying to make events special.  Sometimes I will make up reasons to have a party.  Luckily, Frank loves to entertain too and is always agreeable to my crazy ideas.

I sat to plan my menu using many of our tried and true favorites but I also wanted to try some new recipes and utilize some of my cookbooks.  If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that I am trying to cook at least one recipe from each cookbook in my vast collection this year.  This party gave me a reason to use a couple of them.  The cookbook I am sharing with you today is an oldie but I love it and it brings back many happy memories of lunches with my Amy  when she was a child.  

Hudson's was a very popular department store here in Michigan, many other States called them by different names but it was the same store and nearly all of them had a wonderful, fancy restaurant upstairs with linens and china.  The food was always good but mostly we went for the experience. When Amy and I would go shopping and spend the day together we more often than not would end up at Hudson's for lunch.  It was "our" time and it was special.

Ah....but I wax sentimental as you are patiently waiting for me to post the recipe.  Hudson's did not serve venison that I am aware of but they did serve a delicious Ginger Beef Stir Fry from which this recipe is adapted.  Feel free to use beef but if you are lucky enough to have venison in your freezer and you have folks in your family that say they don't eat venison, make this dish and tell them it's beef....I guarantee they will never know and they will LOVE it.  

Ginger Venison Stir Fry

adapted from Ginger Beef Stir Fry as written in Someone's in the Kitchen with Hudson's

2 T. cornstarch

3 T. Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry

3 T. soy sauce

1 1/2 T. sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c. cooking oil (I used peanut)

1 T. ginger, minced (I used Gourmet Garden)

1 lb. venison or beef tenderloin, cut into strips

1 small onion, sliced

1 c. sliced carrots

1 head broccoli flowerettes

1 pkg. snow peas

1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

If using venison make sure that it is trimmed of all fat and silverskin.  This is what makes venison taste gamy.  No fat or silverskin means no gamy taste.

Combine first set of ingredients.  If using venison or a less expensive cut of beef, add to the marinade and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  If using beef tenderloin just set the marinade aside.

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over high heat.  Add the ginger and stir a few seconds until fragrant.  Add the vegetables and stir fry until crisp tender. Remove venison from marinade and add to the vegetables, stirring and frying just until no longer pink.  Add marinade and cook until heated through and thickened.  Print Recipe