Naan vension casserole

Try this great way to use ground venison

If you haven’t noticed, this winter has been different than the past few. We’ve had a couple of cold snaps, but for the most part, most days have been rather mild. There has also been a lot of rain and some flooding, but there haven’t been severe snow or ice storms.

We’re easing into March, a sort of in-between time for hunters and saltwater fishermen, as most hunting seasons have closed and saltwater fishing is just cranking up. Freshwater fishermen are out this time of year chasing crappie, bass and stripers, and with Daylight Savings Time beginning on March 8, everyone will have a little more daylight for various pursuits. One thing many sportsmen like to do is to share the bounty of their hunts and fishing trips with family and friends. They may not be much on preparing regular meals, but many like to prepare game and fish, and March is a good time, between seasons, for many of them to do it.

To those sportsmen who like to cook, this is a recipe I recommend everyone should try. It isn’t spicy like many of my favorites, but it’s still a favorite. I believe this recipe turns out far better than merely the sum of its parts. It’s really good, and I’m pleased to share it with readers.

There are some things that are considered standard dishes for fish and game, while some are not. This is definitely a recipe that can’t be placed in the standard venison recipe file by any means. Many cooks mix ground venison with some spices and cheese, but I’m pretty sure no one else has used naan bread and asparagus in their venison recipes.

This recipe was sent to me by Bob Szyzmakowski of Winston-Salem, N.C., and he is someone I don’t consider standard, either. Regular readers may recognize that Bob has provided several recipes over the years, and all have involved crock pots. I believe Bob is one of the best crock-pot cooks in the Carolinas, and I was initially caught slightly off-guard when this recipe didn’t involve a crock pot.

However, I have learned over the years that Bob enjoys his food, and everything he has ever sent has been tasty. I would never turn down an opportunity to taste one of his crock-pot creations, so I went with my instincts and made this. I like it enough that when I am low on venison, I occasionally make it with lean ground beef. I’m glad I trusted my instincts when Bob first sent this, and I believe you’ll enjoy it also.

Bob’s naan venison casserole

I don’t know where Bob Sysmakowski came up with the idea for this recipe, but it is a pleasant change from many of the things I do with ground venison. This combines ingredients that aren’t often used in a venison recipe, and it works. This has a nice, pleasant taste, with just an ever-so-slight garlic hint around the edges. I believe if you make it once, you’ll make it again.

This recipe is mild, filling and healthy and should be appreciated by even your friends and family members with the mildest palates. I usually like to spice things up a little, but so far I’ve left this alone except that I often accentuate the garlic flavor by making it with garlic naan bread rather than unflavored and use garlic and onion marinara.

At the risk of being considered a southern redneck, I’ll admit that I hadn’t heard of naan bread until Bob mentioned it in this recipe. A quick Google search showed that naan is a Persian word for bread. Naan, sometimes also called nan or khamiri, is a flat bread native to west, central and southern Asia. True naan is baked in a clay oven, called a tandoor, rather than over a flame. I hadn’t noticed it in stores before, but I found it readily available on the shelf with pitas and other flat breads.

Even though this is Bob’s recipe, you know I had to tinker with it just a little. My aforementioned use of garlic naan bread and flavored marinara sauce are the biggest tweaks I made. The other is to lightly spray the casserole dish with a buttery flavored, non-stick cooking spray. It may give just a touch of flavor to the naan, but it makes it much easier to scoop out of the pan and makes cleanup much easier, too.

Don’t let the multiple steps of preparation fool you into thinking this is a complex or difficult recipe. It isn’t. It’s really pretty simple. The preparation begins in a cast-iron frying pan and finishes in a casserole dish, and there are several oven temperature and function changes. I made extra steps to be sure the layering of the ingredients and the oven changes were well spelled out.

This is a mild flavored dish that tastes excellent. I believe most people will enjoy it. Thank you to Bob Szyzmakowski for sharing it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground venison

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/4 cup white wine

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 naan

1 jar marinara sauce

1 can asparagus (drained)

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Buttery flavor non-stick cooking spray

PREPARATION:

Mix oregano and basil into venison. Place venison, wine and garlic in cast-iron frying pan, with garlic separated to one side. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake venison and garlic at 400 for 10 minutes. Stir garlic into venison. Switch oven to broil and broil venison for 5 minutes. Remove venison from oven. Lightly spray a deep casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Put a naan into the casserole dish, forming a bottom. Spoon venison into the naan. Pour marinara sauce over venison. If you have a large jar, stop about an inch from top of casserole dish. Spread asparagus evenly over marinara sauce. Mix cheeses and spread evenly across asparagus. Switch oven back to bake at 400 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let settle for 5 minutes before serving.

A fresh green salad or lettuce wedge is a great way to begin this meal, and homemade mashed potatoes is an excellent side dish.