21: Venison Stew Slow Cooked for 8 Hours / Rice

Yes, you want to make this recipe. Simple and delicious. This was the perfect recipe for today. I got up, prepped the ingredients, and then tossed everything in the crock pot on the low setting. You don't have to brown the meat or saute the veggies ahead of time. I then went on to have a very productive day, cleaning my room top to bottom, and going through all my random clutter in the living room and dining room. Needless to say, I was ready to eat.

Venison is a lean meat, low in fat, and incredibly tasty. Normally, I would make a venison steak with a five spice rub, seared to rare perfection, but I have this undying penchant for slow cooking meats during the winter. The subtle black licorice flavor of fennel, mild taste of leeks, and rich taste of portobello mushroom make this dish complete.

We paired this wine with a blend we made at a Winemaker for a Day Event at Sunset Hills Vineyard in Virginia. I must admit I am not the biggest fan of Virginia wines, but this was a really cool and enjoyable event. The vineyard brought us their 2009 grapes in bottles, although unfinished, so we could experiment with blending wine for a finished product much like they do at vineyards. After trying a few different combinations, we settled on this classic bordeaux mix: 65% cab franc, 10% merlot, 10% cab sauv, 10% petite verdot, and finished the wine out with 5% tannat. In other words, a perfect medium-bodied wine to complement a stew with complex and subtle flavors. Even the vineyard's owner was impressed with our blend.

Ingredients and Directions:

-1 lb ground venison

-4 to 6 small red potatoes, diced

-1 medium fennel bulb, sliced

-1 large portobello cap, destemmed, gills removed, and diced

-2 large leeks, sliced

-3 medium garlic cloves, sliced

-bouquet garni

-1 can creamy portobello mushroom soup (Yes, I cheated here.)

-1 cup water

-rice

-salt and pepper to taste

-minced parsley for garnish

Combine all ingredients, except bouquet garni, in a large bowl. Be sure to break down the meat because you do not want large chunks. You will have to break the meat down once or twice while it's cooking as well. Once ingredients are combined, add to crock pot with soup, water, bouquet garni, and salt and pepper. Set the crock pot to low, stirring every couple hours, and find something to do for eight hours. Cook rice as suggested on package to be completed at the same time as the 8 hour slow cooked stew.

Serve, garnish, and enjoy!

20: Braised Elk Meatballs in Red Wine Sauce / Thyme-Laced Potato & Carrot Torte / Steamed Broccoli

What a meal! I went to the gym, ran three miles, did some abs, and then biked another three miles from the gym to go shopping for jeans and a shirt. All I had to eat beforehand was a bowl of granola, so, needless to say, I was starving. I grabbed a smoothie from Robek’s, and I finally returned home a few hours after my intense workout. I was ready to eat, but I knew I had some serious prep work ahead of me as well as 90 minutes for the meatballs to cook.

I have to be honest here: I made a couple mistakes that would improve this dish. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but a couple tweaks to the recipe would have made it even better. I’ll italicize what I should have done below.

Anyways, elk is a heartier meat, low in fat and cholesterol, with a distinct rich flavor. I paired it with a potato and carrot torte as the starch, and steamed veggies to round out the meal. We drank HJ Fabre Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina – a luscious plum- and currant-rich red with smoky undertones.

In my famished state, the prep was intense for about 90 minutes. You could prep everything before starting to cook anything, but it would probably take longer than 2 hours and 15 minutes it took from start to finish the way I did it. Be sure to read through this a few times before deciding your plan of action.

Ingredients and Directions:

-1 lb ground elk

-2 large red potatoes, thinly sliced

-1 carrot, thinly sliced

-half a large onion, diced

-2 large tomatoes diced

-3 cloves of garlic, minced

-2 eggs, beaten and separated

-1 cup hearty red wine

-minced sage, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley (mix together but keep thyme separate)

-fresh grated cheese, optional (parmesan or grana padano)

-1/3 cup bread crumbs

-olive oil

-salt and pepper

To make the meatballs, combine elk, one beaten egg, salt, pepper, splash of olive oil, and bread crumbs in a large bowl. Mix well and use your hands to make meatballs. I was able to make 14 meatballs out of one pound of ground elk meat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a Dutch oven, or at least 4 quart sauce pan, heat olive oil on medium heat in preparation of browning the elk meatballs. It should take about 10 minutes to brown the meat. Then transfer meatballs to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving behind all the oil in the pan.

Add onion and garlic to pan and sauté for a few minutes. Begin getting an 8 inch baking dish ready for the torte by coating the dish with a thin layer of olive oil. Arrange half the potatoes in a layer, slightly overlapping.  Add layer of egg wash. Add salt, pepper, and a pinch of thyme to the bottom layer.

Add wine to onions and garlic, and cook wine for one minute. Add tomatoes and herbs, saving a couple pinches worth for garnish, to wine mixture now, and then add the meatballs back to the sauce. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 90 minutes.

Now add the carrots to the torte and repeat with seasoning and egg wash. Repeat with top layer of potatoes, minus adding egg wash. Cover with foil. Cook the torte covered for about 30-40 minutes. Here’s where I could have tweaked the recipe the first time. Remove foil and use a spatula to flatten torte. My torte came out a little fluffy because I didn't flatten it. Cook for another 25 minutes.

I thought the meatballs could have been braised longer than 90 minutes, but the torte was definitely done, so I couldn’t cook the meatballs longer. I would recommend another 30-60 minutes to the meatballs before serving.

In the waning minutes of your torte cooking, start water for steaming broccoli. Add broccoli to pot as you begin to plate the torte and meatballs.

Serve everything, garnish with cheese (I didn't think the cheese made much of a difference because the sauce was already so flavorful.), a pinch of herbs, and enjoy!!

19: Breakfast Mode: Omelette with Smoked Sausage, Swiss Chard & PepperJack Cheese / Garlic Roasted Potatoes

I think this may only be the third breakfast recipe I’ve posted on this blog. I think chocolate chip pancakes are in order next weekend, but enjoy this meal in the meantime.

I prefer omelettes to scrambled eggs because the omelette allows for more creativity. The smoked sausage and pepper jack cheese provide a nice against the slightly bitter, slightly salty nature of swiss chard. Swiss chard is an amazing vegetable, a super vegetable because of its health benefits, and its flavor profile is similar to beets and spinach. In fact, try substituting swiss chard next time you plan to use cooked spinach.

I made this for two people, and you could easily make this for yourself by reducing the ingredients by half.

Ingredients and Directions:

-4 eggs, beaten

-1 large red potato, halved and then quartered

-1 smoked sausage, diced

-1 leaf swiss chard, chopped (discard stem)

-pepper jack cheese

-garlic powder

-salt and pepper

-olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and start all your prep while the oven warms up. Coat the potatoes in olive oil and salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roast in oven for 30 minutes.

When the potatoes are 15 minutes from being done, heat olive oil for 2 minutes on medium heat. Add sausage and cook for 5 minutes.  Add eggs to the pan now, and let the eggs and sausage cook until the top of the eggs seems to be cooking, probably 3-4 minutes. Add swiss chard, cheese, salt, pepper, and let cook open faced for 1 minute. Fold over eggs gently to form the omelette. Cook long enough to soften swiss chard and melt cheese, flipping the omelette at least once in the process.  Omelette should be ready at the same time as the potatoes.

Serve and enjoy!!

18: Steamed Mussels / Herbed-Champagne Broth with Smoked Sausage & Fennel / Squid Ink Linguine

You might recognize this recipe as similar to the mussels dinner last night, but the flavor profiles of the broth are completely different. Tonight’s broth was champagne-based, which makes for a lighter sauce. I substitute smoked sausage and mushrooms for the tomatoes and saffron, creating a less acidic and more savory sauce. Additionally, the bread is replaced with fresh squid ink linguine I bought from a local farmer through my Arganica Farm Club membership. Squid ink gives the pasta a subtle sea flavor. I think you’ll like both styles, and, really, it’s just a matter of preference. You could always make both, even on the same night, and let me know which style you like better.

Ingredients and Directions:

-1/3 cup diced onion

-3 minced cloves of garlic

-1 cup champagne

-1 cup seafood/fish stock

-half of a medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced

-mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded (important - google it!)

-1 smoked sausage, diced

-3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

-1 big handful of pasta

-olive oil

-parsley and basil, chopped

You'll want to de-beard your mussels before you do anything else, if necessary.

You’re going to need a pan deep enough to hold two cups of liquid, plus veggies. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Sauté the onions on medium heat until soft, just a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute or so. It should start smelling really good now. Now add the fennel, and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Start pasta water while fennel cooks (You may need to start the water sooner if you’re cooking dry pasta). Add the mushrooms and sausage, and cook for two minutes more. Turn the heat to high, add the champagne, fish stock, and herbs. Bring to a boil, and then bring heat to low to simmer for 10 minutes.

Turn the heat back to high on the sauce, and add the mussels. Cover the pan, bring the heat down to medium, and cook for about five minutes. Drop fresh pasta in water for two minutes, drain. Throw away any mussels that haven’t opened.

Serve in a bowl with the broth and all and enjoy!

17: Steamed Mussels / Saffron Tomato Broth with Fennel / Toasted Whole Grain Baguette

Amber got me a membership to Arganica Farm Club for Christmas, and fresh mussels from Rhode Island were one of the options to choose from. This is a delicate dinner, and we chose to have it with a toasted whole grain baguette. You could easily have this with pasta as well.

We paired this dinner with J Vineyards Chardonnay from California, but I found it to be a little too full bodied for this meal. A sauvignon blanc or lighter chardonnay would go well here. Please enjoy this treat from Southern France.

Ingredients and Directions:

-1 diced shallot

-2 minced cloves of garlic

-1 large diced tomato

-1 pinch of saffron

-1 cup white wine

-1 cup seafood/fish stock

-1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced

-mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded (important - google it!)

-1 baguette cut into four pieces

-olive oil

-parsley for garnish

You'll want to de-beard your mussels before you do anything else, if necessary.

You’re going to need a pan deep enough to hold two cups of liquid, plus tomatoes and mussels. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Sauté the shallots on medium-high heat until soft, just a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute or so. It should start smelling really good now. Turn the heat to high, and add the tomatoes, wine, fish stock, and saffron. Bring to a boil, and then bring heat to low to simmer for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while the sauce comes to a boil to simmer. Brush the baguette with olive oil on both sides with a pinch of salt over each piece. Add the bread to the oven until golden brown, probably 8-10 minutes.

Turn the heat back to high on the sauce after the bread has been in the oven for a couple minutes, and add the fennel and the mussels. Cover the pan, bring the heat down to medium, and cook. The mussels should be done in about five minutes. Turn off the heat, and leave the pan covered if the bread isn’t ready yet.  Throw away any mussels that haven’t opened.

Serve in a bowl with the broth and all, garnish, and enjoy!

16: Filet Mignon / Mushroom Provencal / Fennel & Leek Puree

This recipe speaks for itself. There is something wrong with your taste buds if this doesn’t look or sound delicious. Many moving parts to this recipe, but it’s mightily delicious!

Ingredients and Directions:

-2 filet mignon steaks (don’t use a substitute!)

-1 package mushrooms, sliced

-3 minced garlic cloves, separated

-handful of bread crumbs

-grated parmesan

-parsley

-juice of half a small lemon

-half a fennel bulb, diced

-one stalk leeks, sliced

-half and half

-salt and pepper to taste

The key here is to make sure everything done at the same time. The directions will be separated for each part of the dish, and you can get creative on how you time everything.

Rub steaks with a generous amount of salt and pepper on each side. Cook your meat to desired doneness over olive oil. Generally, per one inch of steak, 4-5 minutes on each side is rare-to-medium rare on medium heat.

For the puree, sauté your fennel and leeks over medium heat until they are soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes.  In a blender or food processor, add mixture, half and half, half of the garlic, salt, and pepper, and puree until smooth. Set aside.

For the provencal, roast mushrooms in olive oil and remaining garlic. Add the lemon juice and let cook for about, oh, about 7 minutes or so.  When cooked, sprinkle with bread crumbs, cheese, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Serve it all, garnish and enjoy!!

15: Balsamic/Thyme-Glazed Pork Chop / Olive Oil-coated Whole Wheat Pasta / Broccoli / Mushrooms / Tomatoes

Ahh, yes, a savory and sauce-less pasta accompaniment to slightly sweetened pork chop. Not much hype here, but I should warn you that I didn’t use exact measurements on anything.

We paired this light and lovely dish with Fabbioli Cellars Chambourcin 2006 from Virginia. The chambourchin is a lighter style red with good red berry and currant flavor, nicely set against soft tannins and a lush mouth feel.

Ingredients and Directions:

-2 pork chops

-2 cloves minced garlic

-2 tbs chopped thyme

-balsamic vinegar

-whole wheat pasta

-small diced tomatoes

-sliced broccoli florets

-sliced baby bellas

-olive oil

-butter (optional)

-chopped sage and parsley

-salt and pepper to taste

First you’ll need to marinade the pork chops. In a bowl, combine the balsamic (enough to coat pork but not soak), garlic, and thyme. Be sure to use a flat surface container to refrigerate the marinade-covered pork chops. I refrigerated the pork for four hours, turning once midway through.

The key here is to cook the veggies to be done a couple minutes after the pasta is drained, all the while sautéing the pork. Everything should be done at the same time.

Boil your pasta water while you prep the veggies and herbs (sage and parsley). Cook your pasta while you sauté the veggies and herbs. Heat pan on medium heat with olive oil and butter. Add half the sage and rosemary to the heated butter and oil – let cook for one minute. Add the broccoli and mushrooms and sauté for 5-6 minutes with salt and pepper.  You should be cooking the pork chops at the same time on medium heat, using minimal salt and pepper. Add the drained pasta, tomatoes, and remaining sage and parsley to the veggie mixture. Cook for a couple minutes to warm the tomatoes and pasta.

Serve the pasta with a little olive oil drizzled over the mixture. Add the pork chop to the plate.

Enjoy!