Wild Cuisine of the Homestead: Venison Marsala Recipe
Philip and I married on the homestead on a cold, bluster day in February. After we returned to Florida from our honeymoon, we celebrated with our families in Florida. For our wedding reception, I searched through various venison recipes. We enjoy sharing wild game with our families, wanting to showcase our favorite meat in an elegant dish. I decided to serve Venison Marsala. While this venison marsala recipe seems fancy, it’s easier to make than you might think. Through trial and error, I came up with a recipe combination that was easy to make for a crowd but still delicious. Not a fan of deer meat? Use chicken instead in this delicious dinner. Chicken marsala is an excellent way to save money when cooking for a crowd.
Our Wedding at the Hitching Post
We traveled to Kentucky through an ice storm to be able to get married on the homestead for our Valentine’s Day wedding. The ice storm turned our intimate ceremony at the Hitching Post into a Winter Wonderland! However, the storm brought some challenges. The government offices shut down due to the storm, we weren’t sure we’d be able to get our marriage license before the ceremony. Thankfully they opened for half a day and we got it in time.
Our wedding officiant wouldn’t travel during the storm, so we opted to get married on Facetime instead. Our family members who had planned to make the trip, also had to graciously decline, as the travel was treacherous. You can read all about it here.
The Reception Menu
The advantage of having the reception after our return was we were able to prepare the meal ourselves. We started with appetizers: Hot Spinach and Artichoke dip, cheese and crackers, and shrimp cocktail. Venison Marsala was the main entrée. Served with garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls.
Preparing the Meal
Prior to the reception, I made a schedule of the food preparations. I wrote clear notes of when each dish needed to be cooked to ensure the food was ready at the same time. The schedule was my saving grace. When feeling a bit frazzled, I would refer to my schedule and trust the plan I made when I wasn’t under pressure.
I carefully prepped all my food early in the day. The mashed potatoes were prepared in the morning and kept warm in the slow cooker before the meal. I gave myself slack and purchased rolls.
Prepping the Entree
When cooking for a crowd, we first pounded the meat with a meat mallet to 1/4″ thickness. Then I cut the venison steak into bite-sized pieces on a cutting board. In most marsala recipes, you dredge meat in flour to make the sauce, however, to keep meat preparations simple, we seasoned the venison steaks liberally, skipping the dredging step.
The seasoning blend is simple. Oregano, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and thyme are mixed into a blend. To make it easy to season the meat, I multiplied the spices for a crowd, then filled a shaker bottle. This allowed me to sprinkle the seasonings liberally on the meat to ensure that every bit was properly seasoned.
When making such a large quantity, we simply grilled the seasoned venison on the flat grill. It’s a great way to cook large portions of meat all at once rather than in small batches.
When preparing this at home for the family, this recipe is flexible. The steaks can be left whole, or cut into strips. Regardless of your serving option, use a meat mallet to pound the steaks evenly for better results. Then brown the seasoned steaks in butter in a large skillet. Cast iron is my go-to frying pan of choice.
Marsala is All About the Sauce
For our reception, I prepared two versions of marsala wine sauce, one with mushrooms and one without. The wine reduction sauce does require some tending so plan in advance.
To prepare the mushroom sauce, melt butter and add fresh mushrooms, I prefer portabella. Butter can be substituted for 1-2 tsp of olive oil if you prefer. Saute the mushrooms until they soften.
Add finely chopped onion and sliced prosciutto. The prosciutto adds flavor to this marsala recipe without the benefit of the delicious brown bits that normally would remain in the pan after browning the meat in the same pan as the sauce. Cook the onions until soft.
Add the flour, blending well to make a roux. When well mixed, add the marsala cooking wine and chicken stock, whisk until well blended. Reduce the sauce at a simmer over medium heat until your desired thickness. We like the sauce more like a thick gravy, than a thin sauce.
While I opted to serve mashed potatoes, marsala is often served with pasta. When serving with pasta or egg noodles, cook to al dente. The meal can be garnished with parsley or sliced green onions
Venison Marsala
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. venison steaks
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- oil
- parsley for garnish
- Sauce
- 3 tbsp. butter unsalted
- 2 oz. prosciutto
- 3 tbsp. onion finely chopped
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cup marsala cooking wine
- 8 ounces portabella mushrooms cut into slices
- flour
Instructions
- Pound the venison steaks with a meat mallet to approximately 1/4 inch thick.
- Combine the spices: oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper and thyme. Season both sides of the meat. Since I was making enough to feed about 20 people, I mixed this is a large batch in a shaker bottle. Sprinkle liberally when cooking.
- Cook the meat until your desired doneness.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a cast iron skillet, add mushrooms and sauté until they begin to soften.
- Add 3 tablespoons of chopped onion and sliced prosciutto. Cook until the onion is soft.
- Add 1 tablespoon of flour to create a roux. Blend well.
- Add marsala cooking wine and chicken broth. Reduce heat and simmer. Reduce sauce to one cup of gravy.
Notes
Nutrition
The Wedding Cake
I made our wedding cake myself. The cake was an apple spice cake with caramel mousse filling and caramel buttercream. The cake recipe was a modified cake mix. I should have used my intuition when preparing, It had way too much liquid in the recipe and I knew it! It turned out ok, but rather dense. The mousse and the frosting are to die for, I could eat them both with a spoon (I did actually)! We froze the cake top for our one-year anniversary.
Not Just for Special Occasions
Venison marsala is too good to save for only special occasions, it’s tasty any night of the week. Add this tasty meal to your week night dinner plans soon!
Meal Planner for a Big Event
Preparing a big meal for a crowd does take some extra planning. My saving grace was my meal plan. Prior to the event, I sat down and determined the cooking times needed for each item. I considered the last-minute prep time. What’s in the oven, or on the stove? I’ve only got so much space, how can I manage it and have dinner ready to serve at the same time? I wrote down the exact time I needed to start each item. When I got frazzled, and you will get frazzled, I stuck to my plan.
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My gift to you is my Meal Planning printable available in the Subscriber’s Library. This is not your typical weekly menu plan, it’s a planning guide for a big event. Maybe you are planning a reception, a baby shower, or a large family dinner.
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About the Author: Barbra-Sue Kowalski grew up on a small hobby farm. She was always drawn to farm life, however, she was stuck in an urban life far from her roots. Barbra-Sue was a single mom for 13 years, raising her 3 children on her own. She met Philip in 2018 and they married in 2021. Between the two of them, they have 5 grown children and 7 grandchildren. These empty nesters are following their dreams! As they both turn 50, they are building their off-grid homestead to live the life that they dream about. Learn more about Philip and Barbra-Sue here. Contact them here. To leave a comment on this post, please scroll down.
Original Recipe Sources
This dish is all about the Marsala Sauce. I needed a recipe that could be prepared separately from the meat, not dependent on the drippings from the meat pan, as most sauces are made. This Marsala Sauce needed very little tweaking to make it perfect.
The meat seasoning came from this Venison Steak Marsala recipe. Due to the volume of food we were preparing, I skipped dredging the meat.
The venison marsala was delicious as was everything else on the table. I know the importance of lists, I should buy stock in postit notes as I’m sure I have sent at least one of the founders children to college!
This is fancy enough for a special event or simple enough for a weeknight dinner! Delicious way to let the meat really shine!