antelope guisado

once a year

hubster indulges 

in a good ol' fashioned

boys on the hunt, Hunt

the kind where they

pack in meals

stoke a fire for warmth

group lug fresh kill

and

walk for hours, in wet woods

apparently

it is a bonding experience

i am happy my husband hunts

what makes me more happy?

he doesn't care to have me by his side

we have a deal

he field dresses whatever he takes down

i will

butcher

&

cook 

it

i find antelope to be mild

extremely lean

and 

quite delicious
perfect
for this spicy
chili-esque
stew

antelope guisado

(printable recipe)

1 Tbs olive oil

2lbs antelope meat--in 1" cubes

1 small white onion--chopped

1 red jalapeno--finely chopped

1 green jalapeno--finely chopped

1 pasilla chile--chopped

3 cloves garlic--coarsely chopped

1 tsp ground chipotle pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 bottle lager (or your favorite beer)

14oz can whole peeled tomatoes

preheat oven to 350F.  heat dutch oven over medium heat. add olive oil and onions.  cook onions until they begin to brown on the edges.  add the meat and saute until beginning to brown.  toss in the green jalapeno, red jalapeno, pasilla, and garlic. give it a good stir.  add the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes more.  add the beer and tomatoes, give another good stir.  cover, remove from heat and place in the oven for about 2 hours.  take a look at about 1 1/2 hours to make sure all the liquid has not evaporated. if it has, add a bit of water.  you want the guisado to be a bit loose, but not soupy

serve with tortillas, a bit of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro
*this would be equally good with lamb, beef or pork

deer camp soup {tuesday night supper club}

During the 3 minutes of fall weather that we had this past week, I started thinking about soup.

I heart soup

And then it warmed up

...but my taste buds don't know anything about atmospheric temperature

So I was still craving soup

I married a hunter.

Have I mentioned that about 100 times already?

Well..it is relevant to the story.

When he was a kid his father used to make what they called deer camp soup.

It was what they ate at deer camp.

Now mind you...I grew up in Los Angeles.  For me camp was where city kids went in the summer to sing songs and earn leathers.  The first time I heard deer camp I was slightly confused.  I thought perhaps it was DEAR camp...like a place that he really longed for or that was expensive. But then I thought...that is not how my husband talks.

So I asked...

...in a sort of way that made me feel like a complete and total Chrissy....

me: So...what goes on at this camp for deer?

him: Huh?

him: camp for deer?

him: city girl

me: nevermind

I caught on...eventually....after writing letters to his family in Camp Douglas.  What is it with the liberal use of the word-slash-action camp?

Anyway

Mike had very fond memories of this soup and wanted me to recreate it.  Here is the direction I received. It's tomatoey and I know it has tomato juice in it....and chunks of tomato...and meat..and some sort of beans....but it is very tomatoey.

Well...that's a start

Then one summer in Alaska we were going camping (notice the proper use of the word) and king salmon fishing.  And we set up camp, along side Willow Creek. And it was a bit cold, even for July. And I thought, this would be a great day for soup.  So I started concocting. By the time the guys arrived with their prizes in hand...

...I had something pretty good. And very welcomed.

I have played with the recipe a bit since then...making it a bit more spicy. But you can fine tune it to whatever you like.  It is basic and simple...and a whole meal in one bowl.

Deer Camp Soup
(printable recipe)

slug of olive oil

1/2 large onion--diced in small pieces

2 cloves garlic--finely chopped

1 lb lean ground beef 

(i used ground venison for this particular batch)

3 cups Mr and Mrs T's bloody mary mix

4 1/2 cups tomato juice

1 tsp lemon pepper (optional)

1-15oz can kidney beans--drained

1-28 oz can diced tomatoes

2-3 dashes worcestershire sauce

pinch cayenne (optional)

hot sauce to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Pour enough olive oil in the bottom of a heated pot, to coat in a thin layer.  Drop in onions and cook until translucent and starting to brown.  Drop in the garlic and cook for about a minute.  Add beef or venison and cook, breaking up pieces, until no longer pink. Drain if there is fat at the bottom of the pan. If you use venison, you can skip this part.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes allowing all the flavors to meld.  Taste for spice, salt and pepper.

If it is too thick for your liking add chicken stock or water.

I served mine with a cheesy crouton, but that is totally optional. It is great with saltines or oyster crackers crumbled on top.

Eat up!

Tuesday Night Supper Club

It's no secret that I am married to a hunter.  Well, my hunter came home last week with a cooler full of deer meat. We butchered it down, packaged it up and filled the freezer.

Venison does not taste like beef.  It has a more intense flavor, more earthy. I have heard it called gamey, but gamey makes me want to gag.  Venison doesn't want to make me gag.
It is very lean and can be gussied up or dressed down.

Tonight I am dressing it down.

My hubster likes pizza and we are always on the hunt for a great pie with a thin crust. I thought I would try and make a dough with minimal yeast and low gluten to minimize the lift and chewiness of the dough...in an attempt to get a thin crispy crust.
I figured I would give it a try for Tuesday Night Supper Club.
The results were fairly successful.  The pizza tasted much better than it looked. It looked homemade and scrumpy (scrappy and frumpy at the same time)....but my toppings rocked!

At Mike's request I made him a half and half pizza...half pepperoni and half ground venison.

"veneroni" pizza

Dough

2 1/4 cup tipo 00 or cake flour

1/8 cup olive oil 

1 cup tepid water

1 tsp active dry yeast

pinch sugar

1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, place the flour and salt.  Make a well in the center.  Drop a pinch of sugar in the water, then add yeast.  Let sit a few minutes making sure the yeast is alive.  Add olive oil to liquid.  Pour liquid in the well and mix to incorporate.  Remove dough from bowl and knead incorporating more flour if needed.  You should knead for about 10 minutes. You want your dough to be smooth, but it won't be completely springy.  Place in an oiled bowl.  At this point you can place in the fridge overnight---or for the afternoon and bring out about an hour before you want to make the pizza.  You can also buy pizza dough...but I think it will be more bread-y than this recipe.

Toppings

You can buy pizza sauce but I like to use marinara sauce. I always have some in the freezer.  

 1/2 lb ground venison or other meat--cooked well and in small crumble.

pepperoni slices

grated parmesan cheese

grated mozzerella

fresh basil leaves

mushrooms--thinly sliced

dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

very good olive oil

cornmeal

Roll out the dough to your desired thickness. I like it thin and crispy, so I go very thin.  I immediately put it on the pizza peel that I have dusted with cornmeal.  Trying to get the dough off the counter is a challenge otherwise.  Spread sauce on top, sprinkle with oregano and sprinkling of parmesan.  Top with meat.  Place mushrooms on top, along with basil.  Put as much mozzerella as you can stand. I like to dot with a bit more marinara--top with salt and pepper and drop on a pizza stone in a very hot oven. When it comes out of the oven, drizzle a bit of olive oil on top. Place the pizza stone in the lowest rack and turn the oven to the highest temp. Allow the stone to heat with the oven.  I usually get the oven going about an hour before I start to put the pizza together.  

I was craving a cheese pizza, so I made this for myself

cheese pizza

Topping

marinara sauce

parmesan cheese

pinch dried oregano

fresh mozzerella--sliced

grated mozzerella 

arugula leaves tossed in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper

Roll out dough, top with marinara.  Sprinkle parmesan and oregano.  Arrange sliced fresh mozzerella on top--add basil and top with some grated mozzerella. 

 I don't like gooey-gooey, so was a bit sparing on the cheese.  Once the pizza comes out of the oven, top with the arugula.  It will sort of melt into the pizza and make a lovely warm salad.

So there you have it.  Homemade pizza.  The good news is, you can make the dough in advance or you can buy it.  The rest is really easy.  I still maintain that it is less expensive than delivery pizza...especially if you are a generous tipper.  Tip yourself instead!

Eat up!

You Are What You Eat

My husband is a hunter. Not in the men are from mars context...trying to explain away why relationships are complex. He is a real hunter...the kind whose closet contains as many camo garments as it does dress shirts (or perhaps more in his case). The thing is, Mike doesn't kill anything he doesn't intend on eating. Fine when it comes to odd turkey hunt, or pig posse...but what do you do when on his shoulders is a big bear.
Can it, of course.
Before you go saying...hmmm interesting....
Let me stop you...
it is awful. Salt it, spice it, add potatoes and onions...
still gross
slice it, dice it, deep fry it
intolerable...
not even edible dipped in chocolate...trust me
it tastes just like you would imagine bear to taste...bearey...
Moose Manwich, tasty..
Venison and eggs...respectable breakfast
I even will eat Dall sheep stew without much of a fuss.
but bear...not unless the only other option is person.

I grew up in Los Angeles, where rabbit is considered wild game. Nevermind that every shop in Chinatown has a stockade of little bunnies to choose from. Reminds me of that scene in "Roger and Me"...pets or meat. I laughed and laughed at that poor woman's expense. In reality the joke was on me. People eat rabbit and people keep rabbits as pets. Pets or meat is a legitimate question.

I've cooked rabbit...I've eaten rabbit. It's quite tasty actually.

We have a freezer full of "exotics". Did I mention my husband is a hunter? Funny thing, hunters are friends with hunters...and so if we don't catch, lure, shoot, spear it ourselves, there is always someone else who has more than they can eat and wives who insist that they share.

I was at a cancer seminar recently and the inevitable talk about nutrition began. We've been hearing more and more about eating a Mediterranean diet. I really wanted to raise my hand and ask...where does wild game fall on that list? But because I was in a room full of women who obviously didn't eat, let alone eat game, I lowered my hand.
And then it came to me.
The meat is great for you...the preparation and accompaniments are what will kill ya. Venison.. lean meat...great for you...creamy gooey mac n' cheese, not so much.

Remember when I said, hunters are friends with other hunters? Well, a few weeks ago, one such friend dropped by the house...with a cooler full of pheasant and chukar. Huh?
I mean, who ever heard of chukar outside of over hearing it in reference to getting rid of someone..."yeah, she's a nice girl, but she's harshing my mellow, so I think I will chuck her."

Bottom line...most game needs to be marinated, slow-cooked, or both. I adapted an Indian recipe I love, for the birds. This sauce is delicious...but even it can't make bear taste good. It's a little spicy, a little sweet and a lot tasty.

If you can't find chukar in your local field or parking lot, try lamb, beef, pork or turkey. Serve with rice to help sop up the juices.

Chukar Vindaloo

4-6 servings

1 medium onion peeled and quartered

1 inch fresh ginger--peeled and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic—crushed

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 ½ Tbs coriander seed—toasted and ground

1 ½ Tbs cumin seed--toasted and ground

1 Tbs ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

pinch cinnamon

pinch red pepper flakes

¼ tsp or more cayenne pepper

1/4-1/2 cup water

4-6 chucker--skinned removed (if using other meat, use about 3lbs--cut into pieces)

1/2 small onion--thinly sliced

1 cup chicken broth

handful of raisins

1-3 tsp dijon mustard (optional)

Finely process the onion, ginger and garlic. Add the vinegar, coriander, cumin, turmeric, sugar, cinnamon, salt and cayenne pepper. Process until if forms a smooth paste. Add water to resemble a thick soup. Pour into a ziploc type bag. Add chucker and marinate 4 hours or overnight. Too cook. Heat a medium to large dutch oven with a bit of olive oil Saute onions until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the chucker and all the marinade to the dish. Add the chicken broth and raisins. Lower heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes. The meat should be falling off the bone, but not actually off the bone. Do not let the sauce get too thick. Add more chicken broth if necessary. Do not let sauce boil. If desired you may add a bit of dijon mustard to make the flavor "pop".