Easy Deer Stew

It's hunting season, and it's cold outside. There's nothing like hot stew, served in a bread bowl even, to warm you up. This recipe is not only easy and quick, but delicious. I keep some cheap red wine in the fridge just for this, but you could substitute *beer or even tomato juice.

Fresh or Frozen deer meat, cleaned of tendons and membrane, cubed, approximately 2 cups
1 large onion, diced
16 oz. of mushrooms (your choice), sliced
2 Tablespoons of fat
1 cup of dry red wine
3 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt, at least
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Rosemary
1-2 large potatoes, cubed
4 large carrots, sliced
4 ribs of celery, chopped
2 Tablespoons of corn starch
1/2 cup of cold water

Make sure the meat is squeezed of excess liquid. In an 8 quart pot, saute the meat over high heat in the fat for about 2 minutes, add the onions and continue to stir for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms. When it starts to get watery, add the wine and the water, herbs and spices and reduce heat to medium. Add the vegetables, when it comes to a boil put on the lid and reduce to low heat, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Prior to eating add the corn starch dissolved in the cold water, stir until thickened and taste for seasoning. Enjoy!

*Do not use Beer if you are gluten free.  Bread bowl pictured not gluten free.

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

This has long been my sister's favorite breakfast and happens to also be my husband's favorite. It was never my thing, being gluten free for years (prior to my pregnancy) I never needed to make it. However, I plan to enjoy these next couple of months of eating gluten to the full extent. Both recipes are easy to double, triple, or more for large crowds.

For the Biscuits: I used this recipe for the first time today and I am very happy.

1 cup white all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 Tablespoons Oil
1/3 cup of milk

Combine dry ingredients, add oil and milk and combine. Divide into 6 equal pieces and flatten into biscuit rounds. Bake at 400-425 for 12-14 minutes.

For the Gravy:
1/2 lb pork sausage (MSG and nitrite free)
0-4 Tablespoons of Oil
4 Tablespoons of white flour
2 cups of hot milk
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Brown the sausage. If there is 4 Tablespoons of fat from the sausage use that for the roux, otherwise add oil. The sausage Tom and I purchase from local farmers is so lean we have to add the whole 4 Tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle the 4 Tablespoons of flour over the fat and using a flat whisk keep stirring for at least one minute to cook the flour. Then slowly, whisking all the time, add the hot milk. Turn the heat down or off (depending on your stove) and stir the gravy for a few minutes till thick and bubbly. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 3

Egg Rolls at Home

I personally feel egg rolls or any other delicious fried thing you can order on a Chinese restaurant menu to be the highlight of the meal. So why not make a meal out of it? Tom and I also love, love, love Crab Rangoon, but I haven't found a filling recipe really worth posting. The version I made last night was o.k.

This is best for a group of people because there is only so much fried food you can eat, but if you've gone through the trouble of heating up some oil you might as well make a lot. Or make some, then half fry the rest, cool and freeze for later eating.

Egg Rolls: Makes approx. 10 rolls

For the Filling:

2 Tbs. Canola oil
1/2 lb Sausage
1/2 large Onion diced
1/4 large head of Green Cabbage, finely chopped
2 Carrots finely diced
2 Tbs. minced Ginger root
1 Tbs. minced Garlic
1/2 Tbs. Chili paste
1 Tbs. Soy sauce
1 Tbs. Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Eggs

Start by sauteing, over high heat, the onions and sausage till sausage is cooked, then add the cabbage and carrots and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 2 minutes before adding the paste, soy sauce, and vinegar. Scoot everything to the edges of the pan and crack the eggs in and scramble. Then stir to incorporate and set aside.

Next fill your pot 2 inches deep with frying oil and heat to 350 degrees, medium heat works well on my stove. Alternatively you can preheat your oven to 350 and bake your rolls till brown after brushing them with oil. Next get out your:

Egg Roll Wrappers, you can buy these at any Asian market in the frozen section

Depending on the size of the wrapper place about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of filling diagonally to one corner and 1 inch from the 2 sides. Roll over once, tuck in corners and continue rolling till a neat little bundle. Place in fryer and fry till golden. Remove with tongs and let the oil drain. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Cool and eat.

Remember, add rolls and won tons one at a time and wait a minute. This will help them from sticking together and from lowering the heat of the oil too greatly. You want to maintain 350 degrees. Adjust your setting on the stove if necessary.

Chicken Stuffing (Dressing) with Gravy

Tom was so excited about this dinner he didn't hesitate to 'come and get it' when he heard the serving dishes clanking.

The hard part about dressing and gravy is that you need chicken stock, which you cannot make until the chicken is roasted and the meat is off the bones. Unfortunately the chicken is never as good as it is hot out of the oven. Day One I roasted chicken rubbed with salt, pepper, and rosemary on a bed of sweet potatoes and onions like I do, then I reserved the juices separately, and pulled the meat off the bones and began boiling stock (takes about 3-4 hours). You get 1 quart for a 3 lb chicken, luckily that is what I had because that is what I needed.

Day Two: Dressing

1 loaf of RiverSong Farm Stuffing Bread, wt. 3/4 lb, cubed and dried
1/4 cup of butter
1 large onion, diced
2 cups of chopped celery
2 cups of chicken stock
2 eggs
leftover dark chicken meat (I had 2-3 cups)

Preheat oven to 350. I dumped the dried bread cubes into a small lasagna pan and stirred the chicken pieces into it. Meanwhile I sauteed over medium high heat the onion in the butter for 5 minutes before adding the celery and sauteing another 1-2 minutes. Then I turned off the heat and added the chicken stock just till it was liquid again (because real chicken stock has gelatin which makes it gel up in the fridge. I dumped the whole skillet over the cubes and tossed. Then I beat the 2 eggs in a separate bowl, poured over the cubes and tossed again. I did not need to add herbs because they are baked into the bread. Tent with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15. Serve.

During that last 15 minutes make the gravy.

1/4 cup chicken fat (reserved from roasting)
1/4 cup of flour
Pan drippings + enough stock to equal 2 cups
salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium high heat melt chicken fat and fry the flour for at least 1-2 minutes. You are making a roux. The longer you cook the flour in the fat, the more brown (and flavorful) it gets, but the less thickening power it will have. Using a flat wisk, slowly pour in the hot drippings and stock stirring to incorporate into flour mixture. Let the gravy boil for a couple of minutes, salt and pepper to taste.

I had enough of the sweet potatoes from the day before leftover to serve with the meal, and as a precursor Tom had sauteed mixed greens (swiss chard, cabbage leaves, kale) and I had a salad.

Serves 4-6