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60 NEBRASKAland • NOVEMBER 2015 O ccasionally, people send recipes to me to try, and typically, they come from hunters residing within the United States. But a few years ago, a recipe for oryx, a species of African antelope, popped up in my inbox. To my pleasant surprise, the correspondence came from Martenique Scott, a hunt guide at the Omuwiwe Hunting Lodge in Namibia. Martenique said that it was one of her favorite recipes, one that the lodge often serves to guests out of its kitchen. Looking at the list of ingredients, I knew it was a good one. This is an adaptation of Omuwiwe's "Sweet Curry Oryx Sosatie;" sosatie is basically kebab in South Africa. I used white-tailed deer, but any kind of venison or red-meat game would work – even waterfowl. You may omit the beef fat, but I wouldn't. The fat basted the surrounding venison, keeping it moist. And once slightly charred, it also added a sweet, rich flavor to every bite. Servings: 4 Prep Time: at least 4 hours Cooking Time: about 10 minutes Ingredients: Marinade • 1 tablespoon of oil • 1 large onion, chopped • 1 cup of white wine vinegar • 1 cup of water • 2 tablespoons of sugar • 2 tablespoons of mild yellow curry powder • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt • 4 tablespoons of apricot preserves • ½ tablespoon of turmeric • 1 tablespoon of corn starch • 1-2 tablespoons of water Kebab • 1½ to 2 pounds of venison roast • 1 large onion, cut into large chunks • ¼ pound of beef fat trimmings, cubed small • about 12 wooden skewers, presoaked 1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tbs. of oil. Fry chopped onion until softened and slightly golden. Then add all other marinade ingredients, except the corn starch and water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk 1 tbs. of corn starch into 1-2 tbs. of water, making sure there are no lumps. Add the slurry to marinade and mix well. Simmer marinade for another 5 minutes, or until thickened. Allow to cool completely. 2. Clean venison roast of all silver skin and fat. Cut into 1½-inch cubes. In a medium size bowl, combine cubed venison and beef fat. Add ¾ of the cooled marinade and mix well with your hands. Reserve the rest of the marinade for basting. Marinate for 4 hours, covered in the refrigerator. 3. Remove meat from the fridge 1 hour prior to grilling to allow the meat to come to room temperature. Place onion, meat and fat onto skewers. Arrange on a hot grill and cook about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until about medium-rare to medium. Baste kebabs with remaining marinade. ■ This recipe and photograph originally appeared on Jenny's Food for Hunters blog at Foodforhunters.com. By Jenny Nguyen Apricot and Curry Venison Kebabs A slight alternative from a Namibian recipe. PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN