The Thrill of the Experiment

I'm getting ready to head into the kitchen and start experimenting. I was watching an old episode of "After Hours" the other day, and the chef prepared a nut and bacon encrusted venison saddle. It looked amazing. And it looked like something I could simulate.

So, Rick just so happened to get a deer and preserve the saddle for me (the backstrap area with bone in). I've got a selection of raw pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts, and sunflower seeds for the nut crust, some excellent bacon, and plenty of oil. We'll see how it goes.

I love experimenting like this. Sometimes I think I should go to cooking school and do this professionally!

I love irony... and bear

So, last weekend was Rick's hunt club's annual holiday party...always an interesting event. We decided to bring a venison roast crostini; meat and bread always goes over well with guys. I found a nice horseradish sauce recipe and cooked my little heart out.

The roast came out perfect. It was very rare, just this side of still raw. The way it should be. Rick sliced it thin and it was gorgeous. We tested the crostinis, and deemed them very yummy indeed.

Where is the irony you ask? Well, I had decided to assemble the little sandwiches at the party. So I laid everything out on the counter, where people were milling about. The roast was wrapped in paper, and I had unwrapped it to start assembling. Two men (brothers, I learned) where standing next to me and as I pulled out a piece of meat, one said to me: "aren't you going to cook that?" He was serious.

I said it was cooked, just rare. Both men were horrified. "Oh, we only eat well done meat. We don't like it live."

Okay, these are men who have been shooting deer for probably 40 years ~ more importantly, field dressing the deer. And they're grossed out by pink meat? Are you kidding?

It turned out there were several people who wouldn't touch the rare meat. I was astounded, especially since venison is best rare. Weird.

That may explain what the bear, mountain lion, antelope, carribou, and other venison roasts were all well, well done (although, apparently bear and mountain lion are like pork and chicken...they must be cooked through so you don't get sick).

For the record, bear remains my favorite game meat. The antelope and mountain lion were okay; I'd probably like them better prepared differently.

To Can or Not to Can

If you've been reading this blog, you may have noticed an exchange I've been been having with Sharon. Turns out Sharon cans a lot of food, and has convinced me that it is very easy to do and the meat is great.

I've never canned anything, and I've never had canned venison. But I'm game! I can see where it would be very handy, and I definitely have several recipes that would work well with canned meat. So, as soon as I get my hands on the right equipment, I'm going to give it a try.

I'll be following Sharon's guidance. She has a wonderful web site dedicated to canning, called SimplyCanning.com. Give it a visit if you have a hankering to can some of your meat.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm sitting here on my couch in my usual post-T-day stupor. We had a lovely day with Rick's cousins in Berryville. The amount of food was staggering! I guess that's what happens in a family of wonderful cooks.

Being completely off the hook for any of the dinner food items, we decided to contribute an appetizer. And what says "Thanksgiving" like queso? Yes, queso doesn't really say Thanksgiving, but I wanted to try the recipe and I knew this crowd would enjoy it. It was so easy, and so good. Sure, we didn't need the additional cream and cheese. But we didn't mind it either!

By the way, venison was on the menu at the first Thanksgiving feast. I doubt it was in queso form, but at least we contributed something traditional!

Venison con Queso

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground venison, browned
oil,
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 poblano chile
2 serrano peppers
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, minced
2 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 cups shredded Monterey jack
3/4 cup cream
Salt, to taste
Corn chips or flour tortillas

Directions:
Brown the venison in some oil and the chili powder. Set aside. Roast the poblano and Serrano peppers, then peel and remove stem and seeds. Slice peppers into thin strips. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and saute just until the onion is transparent. Add the poblano strips, cheese and half-and-half and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cheese is creamy, about 5 minutes. Add browned venison. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to a heated chafing dish or slow cooker heating bowl and serve immediately, along with chips or tortillas.

The Rut is On

Watch out folks...the rut is on!

Yesterday in Maryland (Waldorf I think), a Buck jumped through the window at an elementary school. He then proceeded to run into the bathroom, where he caused much mayhem. After finally finding his way out of the school, he got hit by a school bus.

What caused this rampage?

Hormones.

The buck saw his reflection in the window and didn't like the reflection's bad attitude. So he attacked. Imagine his surprise when he was suddenly faced with a bunch of very small humans instead of his foe. So he ran to the bathroom, where he noticed the foe again in the mirrors. So he charged. And left a huge bloody mess behind. Dazed and confused, he ran out into the road.

That poor boy had a very rough day.

And the rut has only just begun. Be careful...the boys seem a little more feisty this year than usual. That may just be because I'm more attuned to the behavior of deer than I used to be. Nevertheless...hormones are running wild right now.

Hunting Season

It's hard to believe we're already almost two months into hunting season here (urban bow season in our area). Although, looking in my freezer it's easy to believe. I've got a lot or recipes to find for the winter. I'm very excited.

This year has been a little different. Rick has spent almost as much time taking the dog out to help retrieve as he has actually in the tree himself. The other day, she got two calls in one morning. That was one tired pooch (and hubby).

I hope all of you hunting widows enjoy the game this year too!

No Venison in the Freezer!

I can't believe I'm saying this, but we're almost out of venison. I can actually see the bottom of the freezer. I'm feeling a little panicked about this, although I know it's just a matter of days before the freezer is full again. After all, Rick got 20 deer last year. 20. That's a lot of meat. We probably gave half of it away. I'm sure he'll do the same this year and soon my freezer will be full. I hope so...I have a lot of recipes to test!

Enter a Recipe and Win a Cookbook!

I'm so excited to be working on the Hunting Widow's Guide to Great Venison Cooking. I want this cookbook to be valuable and have tons of recipes. However, if I wait until I cook all of them, this book will never get published. so I'm hoping my venison loving readers will submit recipes on the web site. As an enticement, I will randomly draw ten names of people who submit recipes and give them each a copy of the cookbook.

If you don't have venison recipes, any good beef or lamb recipe will work too!
Thanks.

Great Venison Cooking is live!

Over the past year, I've made a lot of venison. I'm having such a blast that I decided to build out an entire Venison Cooking web site. From now on, I'll be posting recipes on GreatVenisonCooking.com. The site also has cooking tips and a section for hunters on processing meat. You can also access this blog directly from the site!

This blog is going to become a catch all for whatever doesn't fit elsewhere on the site. As always, I welcome your comments. I really want my venison cooking site to be a great resource for you.

Wahoo for Wahoo!

Okay, so Wahoo isn't venison, but 1) a friend caught one while fishing for Marlin and 2) saying Wahoo is fun, and eating it is funner!

I had actually never heard of Wahoo before, but it is quite a delicacy. Since they're solitary swimmers, they're kind of hard to catch. Our fisherman friend told us people usually catch them by accident. But then they keep them because they are GOOD! Think fresh halibut...it's the same kind of mild steak. He was very gracious to give us four huge steaks.

I found a Wahoo recipe on e-zine articles. It was delicious! This would work with halibut, cod, or any mild deep sea fish.

Wahoo for Wahoo with Cuumber Salad
4 Wahoo steaks
2 tbs olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
juice of 2 limes
1.5 tbs paprika
1.5 tsp crushed red pepper

Trim the skin and dark red area at the top of the bone (I'm sure it has a name, but I don't know what it is...but it can taste gamey). Mix the oil, juices and spices together. Pour over fish and let marinate for 1/2 hour. Grill fish at medium heat...time depends one how big and thick the steaks are. Ours took about 5 minutes per side.

Serve with cucumber salad, which compliments the hot of the paprika.

Cucumber salad
2 cucumbers
1 tomato
2 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

peel cucumbers and slice thinly. Cut tomato in half and slice thinly. Put both in bowl and mix with oil, vinegar and spice. Let marinade for at least 2 hours before serving.

Easy Citrus Kabobs

Last night I had a pound of kabobs to cook and no energy to go to the grocery store and buy specific ingredients for a marinade. I did, however, have a lemon.

I've been on a kick to find light, summer recipes for the venison. When it's 90 degrees, a stew just doesn't work. This citrus marinade was very refreshing...the perfect taste for a hot summer night!

Venison Citrus Kabobs
1 lb venison, cubed for skewers
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice (I only had one lemon, so I used lime juice)
1 lemon, sliced
1 small sweet onion, sliced

Put all ingredients in a baggie, mix, and marinade in refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours. Put meat on skewers and grill for about 2-3 minutes per side (cook to medium or medium rare, which doesn't take long with venison).

Yum. Very light and refreshing. I sauteed the onion slices in olive oil, which was a nice side to the meat, and served it all with rice.

Venison cooking web site coming soon

Exciting news...I will soon be moving this blog over to a new web site. The site is in development, but hopefully it will make finding recipes easier, and make it easier for people to submit recipes. It will also have other useful information. That's been taking up most of my time, which is why I haven't posted anything here in a while. But don't worry...I've still been cooking! I'm hoping to launch the site in early September...just in time for the start of hunting season.

Middle Eastern Stuffed Peppers

I love stuffed peppers...I've realized I don't really care what they're stuffed with!
I got this recipe from the May 2009 issue of Women's Health (a great magazine by the way), page 123.

Middle Eastern Stuffed Peppers
4 medium sweet bell peppers
1/2 lb ground venison
1 tsp olive oil (I used Spanish)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup sliced stuffed green olives
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
1 c precooked brown rice, heated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the tops off peppers, removing seeds and white membranes. Place in a baking pan.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet and brown the venison with the garlic, cinnamon, and cumin using medium heat. Add raisins and tomato sauce and cook until mixture is hot (about 3 minutes).

Remove skillet from heat and mix in rice and olives. Place equal amounts of mixture into each pepper and replace tops. Cover pan tightly with foil.

Bake until peppers are soft (about 15 minutes).

Makes 4 servings. 275 calories per serving.

Afghan Kabobs with Venison

I love Afghan food...there is something about the spices that just works for me. No surprise, then, that the traditional Afghan kabob recipe works beautifully with venison. I served the kabobs with brown basmati rice, and arugula salad, and nan bread, which Trader Joes sells in the frozen section. It was simple and delicious.

I found the recipe the recipe with a good old internet search, and modified it a little. The original recipe came http://www.afghan-network.net/Cooking/: "Sephardic Cooking" by Copeland Mark -- 600 Recipes Created in Exotic Sephardic Kitchens from Morocco to India -- Copyright 1992 Published by Donald I. Fine, Inc., New York, N.Y. D. Pileggi

Afghan Kabobs with Venison
Serves 6

2 lb boneless venison steak, cut into 1-in cubes
3 medium onions, quartered
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup cognac, arak, or dry red wine (I used wine)
water as needed


Mix spices and wine together and pour over venison and onion in bowl. Add enough water to cover meat. Marinate for 1 to 1-1/2 hrs. This distributes flavors & tenderizes meat. Put 4 pieces of lamb alternating w/onion quarters on each metal skewers. Grill for 5 to 7 mins, or to taste: rare, medium, or well-done. These can also be broiled.

Gingered Venison with Carrots and Surgar Snap Peas

I've been so busy with work, I haven't been able to cook much lately (or, rather, try new recipes). My honey took pity on my poor stressed-out soul last night and made this delicious stew I found in Fitness Magazine. We actually doubled the recipe to share it with his family. I'm happy to report that they all loved it, and that's a huge compliment because he's got some very picky eaters in the clan. It was a hit!

Gingered Venison with Carrots and Surgar Snap Peas
From Fitness Magazine, April 2009, p128

Serves 6

1 ½ pounds boneless venison steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 medium carrots, cut into ½-inch slices (or use about 2 cups of baby carrots)
½ cup sliced scallions
2 garlic cloves
1 ½ cups water
2 tbs soy sauce (reduced sodium, preferred)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 ½ tsp instant beef bouillon granules
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
3 tbs cornstarch
3 tbs cold water
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
2 cups sugar snap peas (if frozen, let thaw first)

Pull out the slow cooker. Combine venison, carrots, scallions, and garlic and put in cooker. In a medium bowl, combine the 1 ½ cups water, soy sauce, ginger, bouillon, and crushed red pepper; pour over mixture in cooker.

Cover, cook on low setting 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours.

If using low heat, turn to high setting. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and the 3 tbs cold water; stir into meat mixture along with the bell pepper. Cover, cook 20 to 30 minutes, or until thickened (stirring once). Stir in sugar snap peas. Serve when peas are tender (about five minutes). Serve over rice.

Checking In

I can't believe my last recipe was March 1. Wow, it's amazing how quickly cooking takes a back seat when my life gets busy. Busy life is, though, and I'm not sure when I'm going to have a chance to try something new. But I will. In the meantime, if I have time, I'll find some recipes that I know will work with venison and post them.

If you have a great recipe, please share it!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I've missed cooking these last few weeks. But sometimes life gets nuts, and we live on frozen leftovers. This has been one of those times.

But today I found some time to make this stuffed squash, which my friend clipped from Rachel Ray's magazine for me. I'm glad I did...it was absolutely delicious and very easy to make. And, of course, I substituted beef with venison.

Stuffed Acorn Squash (with venison)

Makes 4 servings. From rachelraymag.com $10 spot by Charles Pierce

Ingredients
2 acorn squash
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup couscous
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 lb venison, ground
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400. Cut the squash in half crosswise and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Trim the ends so each half will stand upright. Place both halves in a baking pan, flesh side up, and pour hot water into the pan to reach about halfway up the squash. Add 1/2 tbs butter to the center of each squash and season with salt and pepper. Bake the squash until tender when pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Prepare the couscous according to the package directions and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes.

4. Push the onion aside and add the meat and cook through about 5 minutes. Stir in the walnuts, cranberries and couscous, and season with salt and pepper.

5. Remove the squash from the oven, and using a spatula, carefully transfer each half to a plate. Pour out any excess liquid from the centers. Divide the couscous among the squash.

Scrumptious Chops

My honey had to work this Valentine's Day, so I wanted to make him an extra nice meal. I found a recipe for chops, picked up some asparagus and key lime pie. I was very excited to be preparing so many of his favorites. Little did I know he hates asparagus, and the onions in the chop recipe left him cold. Oops. His exact quote was "who is this dinner for?" Despite my bad menu choices, he loved the venison (he just didn't eat the onions, but did like the flavor the sauce added to the meat).

Once again, I have Suzanne Somers to thank for the meal. I think my grandmother used to do something similar, though...the taste was very familiar and comforting to me.

Scrumptious Chops (based on Pork Chops with Creamy Shallot Sauce from "Eat, Cheat, and Melt the Fat Away)
4 boneless center cut venison chops, 1 inch thick
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tbs butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 200. Season chops with slat and pepper. Heat skillet on medium high. Melt 2 tbs of the butter in the pan. Pan sear the chops for about 5 minutes, until the outside is golden brown, then turn over and continue cooking for another five minutes. Remove chops from pan and put in warm oven.

Add the onion to the skillet (and more butter if pan looks too dry) and cook until browned. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for another minute. Pour red wine into pan and bring to boil. Turn the heat down to simmer, and cook until wine is reduced by half (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the remaining butter, stirring to melt. Whisk in the cream. Season with additional salt and pepper.

Return the chops to the pan and heat for 2 minutes.

Honey Mustard Rack of Venison

For Christmas, Rick got a guide to butchering. The result is we're getting more gourmet cuts of meat, like racks. I've always loved rack of lamb, so I've been pretty excited to try rack of venison. Last night was the perfect opportunity...our friends Rebekah and George were coming over and they're always up for trying new things.

I found the rack recipe on Cook's.com. Today I'm adding a bonus recipe (the sprouts) because they went so well with the meat and Rebekah loved them. The whole meal was very easy and delicious.

Honey Mustard Rack of Venison
2 tbsp. whole grain mustard
2 tbsp. honey
Juice of 1 lemon
3-4 lb. rack of lamb
Salt and pepper to taste
12 shallots, peeled
12 cloves elephant garlic, peeled (more if desired, wonderful when
roasted)
1 tbsp. olive oil

Whisk together mustard, honey and lemon juice until well blended. Pierce lamb all over with tip of small knife or sharp fork. Rub lamb with generous amount of salt and pepper. Spoon mustard mix over lamb. Set in pan, cover and refrigerate for several hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place lamb, meat side up, on rack in roasting pan. Surround with shallots and garlic and drizzle them with the olive oil. Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting every 10 minutes. Check with meat thermometer, 135 for rare; 145 for medium.

Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Carve into chops, 2 per person. Spoon shallots and garlic over each plate. Serves 4.

Cooks.com Recipe "Rack Of Lamb With Shallots And Elephant Garlic"

Brussels Sprouts with Lime
This recipe comes from Suzanne Sommers, and like all her recipes, is amazing.

1 bag Brussels sprouts
1 tbs butter
Juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Chop the Brussels sprouts lengthwise into strips. Melt butter in pan over medium heat and add sprouts. Saute on medium low for about 9 minutes (until tender and browning), stirring every few minutes. Add lime juice and salt.

Southwestern Chipolte Salad

I love my salads. I love my southwestern food too. I really love when the two are combined. This salad is hearty and yummy.

Southwestern Chipotle Salad
Makes 1 main course salad.

3 cups greens (mesclun, romaine...your choice)
3 oz grilled venison, chopped
1 oz Monterrey jack cheese, grated
2 tbs black beans
2 tbs corn
2 tbs red onion, sliced
1 small tomato, chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
1 tbs fresh cilantro
2 tbs chipolte ranch dressing (address below)
1 wedge of lime

Mix all ingredients together, and squeeze lime juice from wedge over salad. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chipotle Ranch Dressing
(Recipe from the Food Network)

2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs buttermilk
1 tbs chipotle hot sauce
3 tbs minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 scallion (white and green parts), very thinly sliced
1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest

Smash the garlic cloves, sprinkle with the salt, and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture to a coarse paste. Scrape the paste into a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and whisk well to make a creamy dressing.