Venison Fajita Tostadas
The folks at Cakebread Cellars are long time friends and culinary partners. This recipe was developed to pair with their excellent Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The cinnamon and cocoa rub on the meat play well with the wine's dark fruit notes and the crema sauce adds some fat to compliment the wine's acid. Fire up the grill, open a bottle and enjoy!
Venison Fajita Tostadas
Broken Arrow Ranch
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Entrée, Wild Game
Cuisine
Southwestern, Mexican
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
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1 cup cilantro, lightly packed
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1 Tbsp Lime juice (about ½ lime)
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½ tsp cumin
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¼ tsp kosher salt
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1 cup Mexican crema (or crème fraiche)
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1 tsp + 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
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1 lb Broken Arrow Ranch South Texas Antelope Leg Filet Steak
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(Also works with South Texas Antelope Boneless Loin)
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¾ tsp kosher salt
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¼ tsp black pepper
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½ tsp ground cinnamon
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½ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
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½ tsp chili powder
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1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, mashed
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1 onion, halved and sliced
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1 green pepper, cored and sliced
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1 red pepper, cored and sliced
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4 tostada shells
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4 lime wedges
Cilantro Cream Sauce
Venison Tostadas
Directions
Sauce
Prepare the sauce by adding cilantro and lime juice to a food processor. Pulse until cilantro is finely chopped. Add cumin, salt and crema to the processor then blend until well mixed, a couple seconds.
Transfer sauce to a bowl or bottle until ready to use. Sauce can be made in advance and will keep up to one week in the refrigerator.
Tostadas
Rub antelope with 1 tsp oil then season with salt, black pepper, cocoa powder, cinnamon and chili powder. Antelope is very lean so salt it just a bit more than you think you should to help carry the meat’s flavors. Allow the meat to rest at least 1 hour and up to overnight (covered) in the refrigerator. If you do not have time to let the meat rest then proceed to the next steps and season meat just before putting it on the grill.
Heat beans in a small pot over medium heat. Once heated mash the beans to create a rough paste. Continue to cook the beans while stirring to remove some of the moisture until thickened. Keep beans warm until ready to assemble the tostadas.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and allow to cook in the pan undisturbed until they are nicely browned on the bottom, about 3-4 minutes. Stir the onions and continue to cook until translucent and starting to caramelize, about 8-10 more minutes. Add peppers to the skillet and cook until peppers are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Keep vegetable mix warm until ready to assemble the tostadas.
Prepare a grill with one area receiving direct high heat and another area with indirect heat. Place seasoned antelope on the grill over high heat. Cook for 3-5 minutes until nicely browned then flip to cook the other side for about 3-5 minutes. Once browned on all sides move the antelope to the indirectly heated area of the grill. Continue to roast over indirect heat until medium-rare (125°F internal temperature) about 10-15 more minutes. Allow the antelope to rest at least 10 minutes then slice into ¼” medallions.
Assemble the tostadas: Spread a layer of the mashed beans on a tostada shell. Top the beans with a spoonful of the onion and pepper mixture. Fan three pieces of antelope loin on top. Finish by drizzling the cilantro crema sauce over the tostada. Serve with lime wedges. Enjoy with a glass of Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
