32: Venison Sausage Rolls / Savory Mushroom Sauce / Sauteed Red Cabbage

What an incredible meal! Moved my girlfriend into my house today, and we worked up quite the appetite. Venison, or deer meat, is the pride and joy of this meal. Venison is leaner than beef, slightly finer in texture and richer tasting. It’s a little gamey as well, and only gets gamier tasting the longer you cook it. This dinner is similar to beef wellington because of the mushroom sauce, but it packs much more flavor. The phyllo dough, or puff pastry, adds some crunchy texture, while the savory mushroom sauce is divine. I rounded out the meal with sautéed red cabbage, an often overlooked vegetable. The cabbage is sautéed in apple cider vinegar with sugar to give it a delicately balanced sweet tart profile. This dinner is hands on, but we sat down to eat in an hour from the time we started the prep.  I decided to blog this dinner before the Oscars come on tonight. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients and Directions:

For the meat-

1 lb ground venison

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs each of rosemary, sage, and parsley – minced (for the whole meal)

2 eggs beaten, 1 for egg wash and 1 for adding to meat mixture

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 leek, finely chopped

1 sheet of phyllo dough, thawed and separated into two wraps

Olive oil

For the sauce-

4 oz of baby bella mushrooms, coarsely chopped (half of a package commonly found in stores)

1 cup of whole milk (half and half or heavy cream can be substituted)

Good pinch of herbs above

1 tbs butter

1 tbs flour

1 tbs leeks, taken from leeks above

1 tbs onion, taken from below

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

For the cabbage-

1/2 a head of cabbage, cored and chopped lengthwise

1/3 onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 spoonful of sugar

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients under the meat list in a large bowl. Be sure to save some herbs and leeks for the sauce as listed in the ingredients section of the sauce. Work the meat mixture petty good with your hands. Separate into two patties on the thick side in a circular form. Heat some oil in a large pan. Brown venison patties for 2-3 minutes per side, including the sides of each patty. This will help lock in the flavor and moisture as well as keep your mixture from crumbling when slicing the phyllo dough later. Coat the phyllo dough with egg wash, and roll up the venison in the dough in a crisscross fashion. Fold corners over, using egg wash to help seal the dough. Lightly brush egg wash on the outside of each roll now -- I didn't do this, so that's why mine look white in the picture. Add to a lightly oiled baking pan, and cook until golden brown – about 20 minutes.Cook longer if you need to. Nobody likes eating undercooked puff pastry.

Meanwhile, heat a decent amount of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage and sauté for another 4-5 minutes, or until wilted. Add the vinegar, sugar, and seasoning. Turn the mixture a couple times real nicely to coat cabbage in vinegar and sugar. Lower the heat until to medium and cook for 10 minutes.

In a sauce pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Now add the onions, leeks, and mushrooms, and sauté mixture for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add milk, flour, seasoning, and whisk together really well. Return to heat and cook until it thickens, whisking occasionally – about 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove venison rolls from oven, and slice the venison rolls to whatever thickness you prefer. I cook each into four pieces. Arrange on a plate, spoon sauce over the top, and add cabbage to the side. Garnish with herbs.

Enjoy!!

31: Swordfish Salad / Arugula / Tomatoes / Bacon / Olive Oil & Balsamic Dressing

I made this salad after a workout last week, and I decided to make it again today because it was just that good. This is a simple and hearty salad. It’s also versatile as you could swap any number of ingredients in/out, and it would probably still be good.

I chose swordfish because I like meatier white fishes with flavor, and the price couldn’t be beat at the market. You probably see a lot of salmon and tuna salads for the same reason I like swordfish on mine. Light fishes don’t work as well, in my opinion. I added crispy bacon bits because I just ran five miles, and I thought I would treat myself. It’s good to do that every once in a while. Plus, I think pork makes everything better. The fresh tomatoes provide a nice contrast to the cooked fish, and the crumbled pita chips provide a little texture. You could also sub any kind of nut for the pita chips for the same effect. Get creative with it!

Ingredients and Directions:

¼ lb swordfish, cubed (I bought a pound and cut 4 portions)

2 good handfuls of arugula

1 tomato, cut in eighths

1 strip of bacon (optional)

3 wholegrain pita chips, crumbled

Olive oil

¼ of a lemon

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Cut a piece of bacon in half, and cook over medium heat until crispy (about 5 minutes) in an eight inch pan. Wrap bacon in a paper towel, and use another paper towel to wipe the grease and pan clean. Break bacon into small pieces when cooled off.

Season swordfish with salt and pepper, and pat the seasoning into the skin. Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat in the same pan the bacon was cooked in. The pan should still be hot, so the oil will only need about 30 seconds to warm up. Cook swordfish for 2-3 minutes per side.

Place arugula in a bowl, add fish to the center, arrange tomatoes around the fish, and add the pita chips and bacon bits now. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to salad, drizzle olive oil and balsamic over the top, and squeeze the lemon over the whole dish.

Enjoy!

30: Light & Creamy Fish Chowder / Toasted Baguette

Here is another recipe from the Cooking for Two cook book my friend gave me for my birthday. You can read about the book here in the intro paragraph of my last recipe. This dish is light and creamy, and the saffron gives it a nice twist. Saffron is considered the world’s most expensive spice because of the labor that goes into producing a packet you can buy at the store. It can be purchased at any grocery store in the spice section. It’s not cheap (around $20), but it goes a long way.

The recipe, which is the 30^th recipe I’ve shared with you, is ready to eat in under an hour, including prep. The recipe calls for a firm white fish, and I just happened to have some swordfish chunks on hand. You could use halibut or cod as well. Swordfish is a meaty and full flavored, yet not fishy, piece of fish. This is a good time to try it if you haven’t before – try shark, too, if you haven’t yet. In Italian cooking, the “Holy Trinity” is carrots, celery, and onion. The “Holy Trinity” is the base for many soups and sauces. My “Holy Trinity” is carrots, fennel, and leeks, and, wow, this comes out incredibly delectable. Toast a baguette to go nicely with this chowder.

Ingredients and Directions:

¾ lb swordfish, ½ inch cubes

2 slices thick bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium fennel bulb – halved, cored, and diced

1 medium carrot, minced

1 leek, cleaned well and coarsely chopped

¼ cup heavy cream

3 cups fish stock

Saffron

Baguette, sliced in half, lightly covered in olive oil

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Parsley, minced for garnish

Cook bacon until crispy over medium heat in a large sauce pan. Transfer bacon to paper towel to drain. Pour off the bacon grease, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. The oil won’t take long to heat because the pan will be warm already. Add my Holy Trinity to the pan, with decent pinches of salt and pepper, and cook for about 8 minutes. Add fish stock and saffron threads. Preheat your broiler for the baguette. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Now stir in the cream and bacon, and simmer for a few minutes. Add fish to the pan, season with salt and pepper once more, and cook for another 10 minutes. Toast your baguette in the broiler for a few minutes per side. Ladle chowder into bowls and garnish.

Enjoy!

29: Braised Veal Chops / Root Vegetables

My friend, Carlin, bought me a cookbook for my birthday last week. It’s called Cooking for Two: Perfect Meals for Pairs by Jessica Strand, and the theory behind the book is that two people cook together for each other in one meal. The author continues that this is a good book for those that regularly cook for two people because now the difficulty of adjusting recipes, which are normally meant for 4-6 people, is made simple. Some will argue that adjusting a recipe for two is a no brainer, something I agree with, but the book makes it easy. Plus, it was a sweet gift since I regularly cook for two, and I love braising meats  this time of year.

In my typical fashion, I do things a little different than what the recipe says should be done. The recipe calls for lamb shanks, and I had veal chops in the fridge. Marjoram, a wonderfully minty and citrus-y herb in the oregano family, is the spice in the recipe, but I used oregano (and thyme) since fresh marjoram was not available. I also add some veal stock during the cooking process, omit the bay leaf, and dice my own tomatoes instead of using the canned variety.

The braised veal chops came out magnificent. The veal was so tender a knife was not required – how you know, without a doubt, that you have braised your meat correctly. The broth was exquisite, bursting with flavor, and the seasonal vegetables were a nice touch.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 veal chops

1 ½ cups of a hearty red wine

½ cup veal stock (optional)

8 baby carrots

6 cippolini onions (or really small onions), peeled

8-10 fingerling potatoes, washed

1 ½ cups of diced tomatoes

Zest of an orange

Oregano (or marjoram if you got it)

1 garlic clove, minced

2 sprigs thyme

Olive oil

Parsley, minced for garnish

Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Season veal with salt and pepper, and be sure to pat the seasoning into the chops.

Heat some oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown your veal chops for a few minutes per side, per inch, and set the chops aside. Add some olive oil to browned bits in the pot, and turn heat down to medium. Sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes after oil is heated. Add the chops, tomatoes, zest, oregano, thyme, and ¾ cup of the wine. Bring to a simmer, and let the flavors meld for 10 minutes.

Cover the pot, and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Now add the onions, carrots, potatoes, and veal stock if you’re using it. Cook for another 30 minutes. Flip the chops in the broth, and add the remaining ¾ cup of red wine. Cook for another 30 minutes. Remove pot from oven, and season with salt and pepper.

Place the chops in the center of a plate, spoon broth over chops with a slotted spoon, and garnish.

Enjoy!

28: Filet Mignon / Swiss Chard / Roasted Beet Puree / Rosemary Balsamic Sauce

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m not one to celebrate Hallmark Holidays, but I did cook this nice steak dinner for my valentine. This is a beautiful dish, with the steak being the bold centerpiece of the meal. I must admit that this dish is on the lighter side. You could easily include a starch here, like roasted potatoes, to make it more filling, especially if you don’t have fancy chocolate to eat after it like we did. Swiss chard has been a regular vegetable in my refrigerator for the past month, and I had a bunch of red beets that needed to be cooked. Truth be told, I wasn’t thrilled with the beet puree, but adding water to the food processor helps bring out some sweetness in them. This would be a perfect warm weather meal. Swiss chard not your thing? You could substitute spinach or arugula. I also made a rosemary olive oil/balsamic sauce to complement the meat.

Get a good cut of beef from a butcher if you can. It will make all the difference. I used filet mignon and ribeye would probably go well with this recipe. A nice hearty red wine would go well with this dinner.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 lb filet mignon

4 swiss chard leaves, roughly chopped and stems discarded

1 lb of beets

1 large clove of garlic, minced

¼ cup chopped rosemary

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets, unpeeled, in aluminum foil, and roast them in the oven for an hour. You know they are done when a knife easily pierces the skin. Open up the foil and let them cool for 10 minutes when they are done. Don’t turn off the oven because you will need it for the steak. Peel them, and puree to desired consistency in a food processor. Keep warm.

While your beets are roasting in the oven, you can make the rosemary sauce. Heat ½ cup of oil with ¼ cup chopped rosemary (save a pinch or two for garnish) over medium heat. The oil will simmer with the rosemary in it after a few minutes. Turn off heat and let the oil cool for 10 minutes. Strain oil through a sieve into a bowl, discarding rosemary. Let the oil completely cool now. Add in a couple tablespoons of balsamic when the oil is cool, whisk, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Heat a little oil over high heat on a cast iron skillet or some other oven proof dish. Sear the steak on one side only for 3 minutes. Flip over steak, and add to the oven for 7-8 minutes. Let meat rest for 5 minutes afterward. While meat is resting, wilt your leafy greens in a pan. Slice steak crosswise in thin pieces. Assemble the dish, drizzle sauce over meat, and garnish with rosemary.

Enjoy!

27: Curry Goat Stew

I love goat meat. I picked up some goat meat cut for stews from my farm club, Arganica. Goat meat is very popular in Africa, Jamaica, and the Caribbean. It’s similar to lamb, and it’s a little stringier in texture. Goat is also lower in fat than chicken and higher in protein than beef. In other words, start eating more goat!

This recipe draws on some West African influence in my quest to cook more outside my box of New American cuisine. I served it over rice, but you could probably find some nice roti bread to go with this. Ask your butcher to cut the goat meat into cubes for a stew.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 lb goat meat

1 lemon

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

1 medium onion, diced

Curry powder

Cayenne pepper (or paprika)

Allspice

1.5 cups beef stock (I used a bouillon cube)

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Rice

Season the meat with a healthy amount of curry powder, juice of one lemon, and salt and pepper. Let it marinade for at least one hour. In a sauce pot, lightly brown the meat with olive oil. Now add in the carrots and onions, and cook until onions are wilted. Pour in the stock, more curry powder, and a healthy pinch of cayenne pepper and allspice. How much curry powder you add to the sauce will determine how spicy you want the dish to be. Bring dish to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer for 90 minutes. Cook rice according to package.

Serve and enjoy!

26: Blueberry & Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin / Turnip Mash / Red Cabbage

I’ve been shying away from making stuffed pork tenderloin because, well, it requires some work. I felt some motivation to tackle the task this past Friday. I’m glad I did it because this dish is a winner all around. Blueberries and mushrooms were made to go together, and I also add some swiss chard to the stuffing mixture. A delectable sage butter sauce really makes the pork pop on the palette. Side note: I’m really impressed that my sage has lasted through the winter weather. Ok, back to my notes on this dish. The red cabbage didn’t really add much, so feel free to leave that off. I blanched the leaves in case you decide to make it. I think I used it more for color on the plate. I’ve been getting bored with the white background of a plate. The meal is made complete with a turnip mash, prepared much like mashed potatoes, except healthier.

Head to a butcher shop to get your pork tenderloin if you can, or buy one at the store if they have a whole pork tenderloin. You could also buy thick pork chops and slice a pocket in them to stuff. I used the whole pork tenderloin because it makes for a pretty presentation.

Ingredients and Directions:

For the pork-

2 lb pork tenderloin

Olive oil

2 leaves of swiss chard, roughly chopped, stems discarded

1 cup baby bellas, sliced

Half a medium onion, finely chopped

Veal stock (can use chicken stock if you prefer)

1 cup blueberries, chopped

2 tbs butter

8 sage leaves, roughly chopped

Salt & pepper

Butcher’s twine

For turnip mash-

1 lb of turnips, peeled and chopped in near equal sized pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs butter

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a sauce pan, heat some oil over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms (save about ¼ cup of them for the sauce later) and sauté for a few minutes. Add the swiss chard, ¼ cup veal stock, and blueberries (again, saving some for the sauce later) to the pan. Turn up the heat and reduce mixture until all the stock has burned off or been absorbed, about 8-10minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Time to prep the meat. In the trimming process, you will lose some pork, but it’s a good thing because you’re trimming the fat off. Start by slicing 1/3 of the tenderloin open (but not off), and then slice another third from the larger part. Now pound the meat flat. I don’t have a meat mallet, so I covered the pork with plastic wrap and used the side of a hammer. Evenly spread the stuffing mixture when the reduction is done. Don’t wash the pan because you’ll use it to make the sauce later. Have your butcher’s twine ready. Roll up the tenderloin now, and tie the twine around it in four places. Add to a covered pan with ½ cup of stock to baste the pork occasionally while it’s cooking. Roast for one hour.

Boil the turnips until tender, 30-40 minutes. Drain the water when it’s done, and start breaking down the turnips with a fork. Add the butter, garlic, and some salt and pepper now. I used a hand blender to mash them, and you could also do it in a food processor. Mash to desired consistency and keep warm.

When the meat is done, remove it from the pan, and place it on a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes. Strain the fat out of the stock in the pan, and pour stock into the same pan you made the stuffing mixture in. Over medium heat, cook the stock with the remaining mushrooms and blueberries. Add butter and sage to this mixture and reduce it by half.

Blanch red cabbage leaves while you wait for the sauce to reduce and the meat to rest. Remove twine from the tenderloin, slice the pork, and assemble your dish on the place. Ladle the sauce over the pork slices.

Enjoy!

25: Shrimp and Scallop Paella

Ok, I’m on a roll tonight when it comes to posting past meals to the blog. This is the fourth recipe going up tonight, and the third that has kept with showing off different influences on my cooking than American/French/Italian.

This is such an easy paella recipe you’d be crazy not to give it a whirl. Here I reach to my Spanish blood to make seafood paella for a dinner party I hosted. You’ll recall this bolognese is what I made the last time I hosted a dinner party. This is one of those versatile recipes where you can use whatever combination of protein and veggies to make a great dish sure to impress your friends. This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients and Directions:

¾ pound of bay scallops

¾ pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/8 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs of thyme

Saffron

2 cups long grain white rice

3/4 cup white wine

3 cups seafood stock

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

Chopped parsley for garnish

2 lemons, quartered

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add a couple good pinches of saffron, and then include the rice, wine, and seafood stock. Bring to a soft boil and remove from heat. Stir in the tomatoes, cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 20 minutes. Now add the shrimp and scallops, and give it a good stir. The rice should be yellow at this point. Cook for another 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley, olive oil, and lemons.

Enjoy!

24: Seared Pork / Fennel & Leeks / Carrot Puree

I cook pork a lot because I find pork itself to be more flavorful than chicken. Here’s another pork chop recipe with a little fall inspiration. I’ve made a lot of soups and purees this past fall/winter season. This dish is well-balanced, incredibly healthy, and pretty quick.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 boneless pork chops, 4 ounces each

2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

Half a fennel bulb, sliced

1 leek, sliced

2 cloves minced garlic

Half & Half (or milk)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Chopped parsley for garnish

Prep your veggies while boiling carrots until they are soft, not mushy. Drain well, reserving the liquid. Using a food processor or immersion blender, puree carrots with half & half and reserved liquid to desired consistency. Transfer puree back to pan and keep warm.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add pork chops to the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Now surround the pork with the fennel, leeks, and garlic. Season everything with salt and pepper to taste. Pork and veggies should be done in 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

23: Soy Ginger-Glazed Ahi Tuna / Spicy Asian Slaw / Roasted Potatoes

Ah, yes, a little Asian flair for you. Few things are as good as perfectly seared Ahi tuna. This is quick, simple, and really delicious. This is a nice balanced meal. Don’t go overboard on the seasoning. The longest part of this meal is roasting the potatoes, aside from marinating the fish of course.

(I’ve noticed that my description of the food gets somewhat uninspiring when there’s been some time between the actual cooking and posting. I made this week’s ago, and I’m just now getting caught up with a lot of posting.  My bad.)

Ingredients and Directions:

4 Ahi tuna steaks (equaling one pound)

Broccoli, chopped small-ish

Carrots, sliced lengthwise

Potatoes, sliced thin

Olive oil

Chili Sesame Oil

Chopped mint for garnish

Marinade 

¼ cup soy sauce (ponzu sauce if you have it)

Tablespoon of orange juice (omit if you use ponzu sauce)

1 clove minced garlic

Few slivers of fresh ginger (or good pinch of ground ginger)

Good pinch of brown sugar

Salt and pepper

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in the smallest bowl possible. Mix with a fork really well. Taste it, and adjust seasoning as needed. It should be a savory-sweet-citrus balance. Poke holes all over the fish with a fork to help the marinade get inside. Marinade fish in something flat, and preferably with a lid. Shake well. Chill for 1-3 hours, turning once halfway through.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice your potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and add to a lightly oiled baking dish. Roast in oven for 30 minutes max. Potatoes could be done before that, depending on how much you use, so keep an eye on it.

In two separate pans, heat a small amount of olive oil in one on medium heat and twice the amount of spicy sesame oil in the other, also on medium heat. Sauté the veggies for the length of time you cook the tuna. Sear each piece of tuna for 2-3 minutes, flip over, and repeat for 2-3 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

22: Lamb Stuffed Cabbage Rolls / Green Pepper-Tomato Sauce

I’ve realized a lot of the food I cook is predominantly new American with heavy French/Italian influence, so I’ve decided to do some different things. I reached deep into my Irish blood for this stuffed cabbage recipe. It’s a nice change of pace, and it goes well with a lighter style beer. We enjoyed it Troeg’s Pale Ale from Pennsylvania.

I didn’t measure out the spices on this one, so please feel free to play around with the amounts.  The prep is quick, and I had half of this left over to serve as post workout snacks. Be careful not to tweek the spices too much, or it won’t be Irish anymore.

Ingredients and Directions:

Cabbage Rolls

1 lb ground lamb (make not sure it’s not too fatty)
1/4 cup cooked instant rice
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves minced garlic
mustard seeds
minced sage
coriander
allspice (nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon for the most part)
8 large cabbage leaves, blanched
salt and pepper

Sauce
2 cups diced tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar

salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Blanch your cabbage in hot water, drain, and set aside. Combine all the cabbage roll ingredients in a bowl. Get liberal with the seasoning because what and how you flavor the meat with will stand out in the dish. I made 8 meat rolls, about 3 inches long, each out of the meat. You could easily do less with larger pieces.  Place a roll in the center of each leaf, and roll them up. Arrange the rolls in a baking dish.

Combine all the sauce parts together in a bowl. Be sure to taste for adding salt and pepper to this. Pour the mixture over the cabbage rolls. Cover and bake for 60 minutes.

Enoy!