Oh man, what a success. Well… Mostly a wing-it and hope for the best because this is what we are having success, but success nonetheless! Wow. I am already embarrassing myself. Shocking, I know.
This dinner really was a spur of the moment idea I had as I was running into Trader Joe’s to pick up a case of wine few groceries. With summer winding down and some of my favorite vegetables going out of season, I was craving something summer-y that would also satisfy a certain someone’s appetite and conviction that one must have protein at every meal. With corn on the cob, baby sweet peppers (remember these?), zucchini, and mushrooms in my basket – light bulb! Enter – kebabs. And an excuse to use some of that famous cube steak in the freezer begging to be eaten so I can make room for {hopefully} a few dozen more pounds of meat this fall/winter! But, honestly, I am getting dangerously close to empty-freezer freak-out mode… Perhaps a few days in the stand is just what the doctor I haven’t been to ordered. There. That’s my rant about wanting to deer hunt. Soon, friends. Very soon.
But, on to the recipe. This is so easy, and all you really need is time to marinate the meat and veggies. At least an hour for the meat, but you can get by with around 30 minutes for the vegetables. The slight sweetness of the venison marinade pairs so wonderfully with the tangy Greek marinade for the vegetables… It’s fantastic. And feeds 3-4 when served with corn and salad, depending on who those 3-4 people are. 😉
INGREDIENTS
VENISON:
1 lb venison cube steak, cut into palm-sized chunks
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
VEGETABLES:
6 baby sweet peppers – assorted colors, chunked
1 medium-sized zucchini, cut into 1/4″ rounds
5 button mushroom tops, halved
1/2 cup onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 cloves roasted garlic
2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup Greek dressing {I use the house-made from here alllll the time. Get some if you are in town!}
I threw some corn on the cob in the oven a little bit before I took the meat and veggies out of the fridge – just a little bit of butter, salt, and pepper, wrap in tin foil, and 350* for 30 minutes. Super easy side dish, and super delicious.
STEPS:
1. I actually had John go ahead and cut/marinate the venison before I got home so it would have time to do it’s thing, so I unfortunately don’t have “before” photos of that. Wah Wah. Sorry. I’m terrible. But, like I said – at least an hour in the fridge to marinate. You’ll know it’s ready when the meat has darkened in color from absorbing the marinade and is fairly easy to pull apart.
Do the same thing with the veggies. Chop them up, toss them in a bowl with the dressing and lemon juice, cover, and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. Remove venison and vegetables from the fridge, and begin assembling your kebabs. I made sure to pre-soak the skewers, but since I did these in the oven and not on the grill, I am not sure if that was such an important step looking back on it. Also, if some of your pieces of cube steak are much longer than others, like mine were… John…. it is actually really nice to wrap them around a veggie or two. Just for an extra layer of flavor. Or something like that… Isn’t that what they say on Food Network?
Place them on a baking sheet or wire rack that has been covered in tin foil – trust me on the tin foil part. Take a look back at the bowl your veggies were soaking in, and there will be some extra marinade left over. Pour that extra goodness in all of its garlicky glory over every last kebab. Don’t waste a drop!
3. Place into a 475* oven for 10-12 minutes.
This is actually the “after cooking” picture, but you really can’t tell that much of a difference since the meat was already such a great color from its soak in the hot tub. “But what about the vegetables?!” you ask? Where is their charred yet golden brown color? Ten minutes isn’t long enough for them to get where they need to be, I know. And I knew you were going to ask that, so I have your solution.
Did you notice that these are called “deconstructed” kebabs? I personally don’t have a great history with trying to eat kebab things off of the skewer. I always end up with some sort of puncture wound and then take the meat/veggies off and eat with my fingers a fork anyways. Which is actually perfect for this recipe.
4. Once out of the oven, remove everything from the skewers, and separate the meat from the vegetables. DON’T THROW AWAY THE TIN FOIL YET. Add the vegetables and all of the juices from the cooking process into a large skillet on medium-high heat. Saute for 5 minutes or so, or until they are at your desired hue of golden brown and slightly charred at the edges.
5. Plate it all together, yet separately – venison, vegetables, corn, and salad. My ranting made this seem like much more of a process than it really was, I am now realizing, but it is so simple.
