New York State Venison Oriental Style*

Serves 4 to 6

3 C chicken broth
3 T soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 T hoisin sauce (Peking sauce)
2 T sake
1-1/2 lb venison (loin cut or tenderloin) steaks, 1/2-inch cut
1 tsp oil (corn or safflower)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and julienned
2 red bell peppers, seeded and julienned
1 jalapeño (optional, but it adds a nice zing)
4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces on the bias
2 T arrowroot or cornstarch mixed with 4 T water
1 crisp apple, peeled, seeded, and small diced

Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, hoisin sauce, and sake in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Turn on the broiler and have all ingredients ready. Season venison steaks generously with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large sauté pan. Sauté the
garlic until golden brown, without burning, and discard. Add as many steaks to the pan as you can without overcrowding; quickly sear both sides and transfer the meat to an oven-proof platter. Continue this until all steaks are seared.

Add the mushrooms, peppers, jalapeño, and scallions and quickly sauté for another minute (use cooking spray if necessary). Add the heated broth, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, hoisin sauce, and sake and boil for about 1 minute. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture while stirring. This should thicken and give it a nice glazed look. Cook for another minute. Stir in the apples. Season with pepper to taste if desired.

Finish cooking the steaks under a hot broiler. Be careful not to overcook; since venison is naturally low in fat, it will become dry if cooked too long. Slice the steaks on the bias and arrange nicely on a platter or plate over white rice or noodles.

Spoon sauce over the meat.

Suggestions:

• Button mushrooms can be substituted for the shiitake mushrooms.
• Dry sherry may be substituted for the sake.