Thisvenisonparmesan recipe came to me when I needed tofeed a crowdand wanted to have all the cooking done before everyone arrived. While most folks know this classic dish as a preparation for chicken or veal it works brilliantly with pretty much any big game animal as long as you select quality steaks from the loins or back legs andtenderizethem vigorously with a mallet.

You can use your own home-made tomato sauce or one from the store. I like this simple tomato sauce because it’s easy to make freezes well, and tastes great. This feeds 8-10 people and doubles nicely if you need to feed more.

Also works with

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Tomato SauceHeat a large skillet over medium-high heal. Add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1 red onion, chopped. Sauté over medium-high heat until the onion is translucent. Add 4 cloves of garlic, chopped, and sauté for 30 more seconds. Add one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes have the best flavor) and a little salt and pepper Simmer for 20 minutes. Taste, adjust seasoning, add a sprig of basil, and remove from the heat. Use immediately, cool and freeze, or cool and keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Fresh Bread CrumbsFresh bread crumbs are so much more delicious, they’re worth making every time you have a fresh loaf of bread in the house that’s gone a little stale. I like to use baguettes, but sour­dough works, too.

1. Remove the crusts, cut the bread into 1/2-inch pieces, throw them into your food processor, and pulse until you have bread crumbs.

It’s that simple. Store the bread crumbs in resealable bags in the freezer for when you need them.

How to Thinly Slice Basil

1. First pick the largest leaves.
2. Stack them up like dollar bills, then roll them like a cigar so you end up with a long roll of leaves.
3. Slice the long roll crosswise with a sharp knife into thin slices. When they unfurl you’ll have little thin slices of basil. Pretty cool.

Venison Parmesan

1. Taking one piece at a time lay a steak between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or a fist-sized rock to pound the hell out of it until it’s 1/4 inch thick. Seriously, smash it. You want it to be tender. Smash it to the point that when you lift the meat up, you can see light through it. Then repeat with the remaining steaks. If the plastic starts to shred on you, sprinkle a little water directly on the meat then cover it with plastic. This will keep the plastic moving instead of sticking to the meat. Set the meat aside.
2. Set up a breading station use three pie plates or rimmed plates. Fill one pie plate with flour.
3. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, add a little water, beat lightly with a fork and add this mixture to the second pie plate. Fill the third pie plate with 1 cup of the grated Parmigiana and the bread crumbs; toss with your fingers to combine.
4. Preheat a cast-iron skillet or another heavy skillet over medium heat. Add about 1/2 inch of oil.
5. Season the pounded steaks well with a good amount of salt and pepper on both sides.
6. One at a time, dredge each through the flour, the egg wash, and then the bread crumbs. After each step, make sure to shake off any excess breading materials.
7. Test the preheated oil by adding a small piece of bread to the oil. If it starts to sizzle, you know it’s hot.
8. Carefully lay a couple of the breaded steaks in the skillet (don’t overcrowd the pan) and sear them for about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.
9. Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Season each steak lightly with salt as it comes out of the oil. Repeat with the remaining steaks.
10. Preheat the oven to 375°.
11. Lightly oil the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Ladle about 3/4 cup of tomato sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish. Lay the steaks side by side in the baking dish, fitting them as tightly as you can.
12. Top the steaks with ½ cup tomato sauce, a third of the basil, and 1/4 cup grated Parmigiana. Begin again with another layer of steaks, the remaining 3/4 cup tomato sauce, and another third of the basil.
13. Top with the shredded mozzarella and the remaining grated Parmigiano.
14. Cover the dish with foil and bake 25 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown.
15. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
16. Garnish with the rest of the basil and serve immediately with extra grated Parmigiana at the table.