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

Mmmm...Muffaletta

Ever since my trip to New Orleans I have loved this sandwich. For those who have never had it, it is a most delectable concoction of what is know as Olive Salad on a special Italian bread with Capicola ham, salami, mortadella (I will explain later), provolone and mozzarella. Central Grocery in New Orleans (the best muffaletta) serves theirs cold, which I prefer. But you can eat it hot.

Your first step is to prepare the olive salad a week in advance. I use the recipe from one of my favorite food blogs new orleans cuisine here it is:

Muffuletta Olive Salad

1 1/2 Cups Green Olives, Pitted
1/2 Cup Calamatta Olives (or Black) Pitted
1 Cup Gardiniera (Pickled Cauliflower, carrots, celery, Pepperoncini)
1 Tbsp. Capers
3 each Fresh Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/8 Cup Celery, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. Italian Parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Fresh oregano (When I have it in my garden) or 2 tsp. dried
1 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Pimientos (Roasted red peppers) Recipe follows
1 Tbsp. Green Onions, thinly sliced
Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground pepper To Taste (salt may not be necessary)

Crush each olive on a cutting board with your hand. Combine all ingredients. Cover with:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 1 - 1 1/2 Cups

Put into a bowl or jar, cover and let the flavors marry for about a week.

Next you'll make your own bread. My mom was able to make some Italian bread that was very close to the muffaletta bread I remember so well. I was slightly less successful, but here is the recipe I used and it was very good.

Italian bread:

2 cups bread flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 scant Tablespoon "no-proof" yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Add yeast to flour and mix gently, wait 30 seconds and then add the rest of the ingredients in order. I use a Kitchen Aid mixer and knead on low for about 5 minutes. Pour a little more Olive oil over dough, turn to coat and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Flour a work space and turn out dough, knead till compact again and divide into 6 equal blobs and let rest for 15 minutes. Shape each blob into an 6-8 inch flat round, set onto a corn meal dusted cookie sheet and pierce all over with a fork. Let rise another 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from sheet and cool on a wire rack.

And lastly you'll need to go to a respectable deli and purchase meat and cheese. While a traditional muffaletta calls for Capicola ham and Mortadella, I bypass both of these and just get regular ham. Capicola is very hard to eat-it does not bite and you will end up pulling out pieces from your sandwich and making a mess. And Mortadella, as I promised I would explain, is essentially ground up ham and pressed with additional fat, originating from Bologna it is the original form of what is now known as Bologna (think Oscar Meyer). So here is your purchase list and don't skimp, get a good quality. I mean you've already gone through the trouble of making olive salad and your own bread.

1 lb of thinly sliced Ham
1 lb of thinly sliced Salami
1 lb of sliced Mozzarella
1 lb of sliced Provolone

To construct:

Slice each round of bread in half, I like to gently toast mine. Top each half with olive salad (1/4-1/3 cup on each side). Layer with the 4 deli items to your liking. Put the sides together. Mangia!

P.S. the olive salad on some toasted bread (think bruschetta) is amazingly good. See above picture.

Vegan Recipes

A friend of mine recently went vegan in an effort to improve his health, just like President Clinton. Here are, in order as they appear most recently in my blog, vegan recipes. Often when I attend a pot latch I try to take something vegan and gluten free for all those out there with food allergies, sensitivities, special diets, etc.

Moroccan Lentils and Rice

Quinoa Tabbouleh or regular Tabbouleh

Raw and Grain free Date and Nut Bars

Garbanzo Bean or Black Bean Hummus

Lentil Goulash

Stewed Okra and Tomatoes

Bean Salad (my most favorite)

Many of my non-vegan recipes can be modified by simply leaving out the meat and substituting tomato juice or vegetable broth for chicken broth. For the vegan baker, coconut oil is a great alternative to butter, ground flax seed flour is a good substitute for eggs, and in many cases I use water instead of milk.

Corn Bread

There are so many corn bread recipes out there and I finally tried one that was moist and delicious. I have altered the recipe so that it includes Buttermilk which of course means substituting some baking soda for baking powder, and I have reduced the amount of sugar so it wasn't like corn cake.

1 cup corn meal
1 cup all purpose flour (gluten free flour blend, if it is bean flour free will do)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of buttermilk
1/3 cup (5-1/3 Tablespoons) melted butter
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Combine dry ingredients. Pour in butter, milk, and lightly beaten eggs. Stir to combine. Spread into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. Makes 12 good pieces.