This was the first meal I made using my antelope from this year, and both Joe & I agree that this recipe is one of the best ways to eat antelope! It was incredibly tender, and had NO game taste. Although it requires a few steps, it is a fairly simple recipe, but does take some planning–you need to give yourself 2-3 days to marinade the meat before you make this meal.

Creamy Italian Antelope & Artichoke Casserole

Serves 2

• 1 lb. antelope steaks (backstrap)
• 1/2 c. Italian dressing
• 3/4 c. (6 oz.) rotini pasta
• 1 T. butter
• 1/2 c. diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c. quartered and drained artichoke hearts
• 1/3 c. diced yellow onion
• 1 green onion
• 1/4 c Half & Half ( I use fat free)
• 1  c. AP flour + dash black pepper
• Vegetable oil (enough to cover bottom of frying pan)
• 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese, divided
• 1/2 C Italian Blend Cheese or mozzerela, shredded
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic salt
• Garlic pepper

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1. Marinade the meat in Italian dressing in a ziplock bag for 2-3 days.
2. Boil water to cook pasta in a saucepan. While pasta is cooking, sautee the onions, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts in 1 T. butter in a medium frying pan for 4-5 minutes on medium-low heat. Season with Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and garlic pepper.
3. Turn heat to low and add in 1/4 c half and half. Simmer and reduce for another 10 minutes on low.
4. Drain pasta and add vegetable mixture to it into the same saucepan you used to cook the pasta. Sprinkle with 1/4 c parmesan cheese (or more!).
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
6. Rinse out the frying pan with water. Pour enough vegetable oil into the frying pan to cover the bottom completely and begin to heat the oil to fry the meat. It is ready when it bubbles steadily.
7. Pour 1/2 cup to 1 cup of flour into a ziplock bag and add in a few dashes of black pepper.
8. Remove the antelope from the marinade and onto a cutting board. Cut the antelope steaks into thin strips (1/2 inch) and place directly into the ziplock bag with flour to coat each piece of meat entirely.
9. Fry meat for about 3 minutes in oil and lay out on a paper towel. It took me two batches to fry the meat. Watch carefully and do not overcook!
10. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray (8 x 8 inch worked for me) and dump in the pasta and vegetable mixture. Layer the streak strips on top. (NOTE- I had about 10 extra strips of meat leftover that I did not use in this dish.)
11. 
12. Sprinkle another 1/4 c parmesan cheese and 1/2 c of Italian Blend cheese onto the casseole.
13. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 15 minutes at 350.

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