Venison Chili

Venison is a uniquely sweet meat, low in fat with lots of high quality protein.  It's always had a very special place on my menu.  Some of my earliest memories are running up to my father on a cold autumn evening as he comes home from a long day of deer hunting.  "Daddy, did you get one? Did you get one?!"  I would peer into the back of his old T100 pickup, gazing at the noble animal who would fill our freezer and our bellies, and anticipate the story of the hunt at the dinner table.

It takes a special talent to cook venison without messing it up- its low fat content makes it prone to drying out (as I have learned to my chagrin).  That's why my version of venison chili is an excellent introduction to cooking with deer; the other ingredients and the long, slow and low heat cooking keeps it moist.  When obtaining venison, it helps to either be or to know a hunter, but it is available in some stores and online.

Ingredients
2 lbs ground venison
1 lb canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned black beans (no salt added)
15 oz canned red kidney beans (no salt added)
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 medium sized onion, diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 tbsp vegetable oil
fresh chopped cilantro, to taste
4 large cloves of garlic, crushed
ground black pepper, to taste
chipotle chili powder, to taste
2 tbsp ground cumin

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.  In an oven safe pot large enough to hold all of the above ingredients, saute the pepper and onions in the vegetable oil over medium low heat until the onions begin to soften and become translucent.  Add everything else in no particular order and stir well together.  Cover and transfer to the oven.  Allow to cook for about 2.5-3 hours.  Serve hot with grated cheddar (or whatever cheese your heart desires and your palate deems appropriate).


 

Potato and Barley Stew in Turkey Broth

Don't throw away that turkey carcass from Thanksgiving!  Instead, use it to make a rich and satisfying broth.  I had a lot of potatoes and barley, so I decided to use my home-made turkey stock to make a thick stew.  This recipe does take a lot of time but minimal effort is required (other than if you were the one who cooked the Thanksgiving turkey).

To make the stock, I simply put the carcass in a pot large enough to hold it, covered it with water, added two bay leaves, quartered an unpeeled onion and tossed that in too.  I covered the pot and brought the whole mix to a simmer over very low heat for hours on end.  I was at home all day, so the total time simmering probably ended up being around four or five hours.  If you don't want to wait that long, keep in mind that the longer you can keep the bird in the water, the more flavorful your stock will be (although seriously, I think my five hours was a bit overkill).  I'd say no less than two hours simmering.

Remove all solid detritus from the broth.  This is easier said than done- even after spending five or ten minutes with a slotted spoon, a couple of small bones escaped my efforts.  If you don't mind making a larger mess, strain the broth through a fine sieve into another bowl or pot.  This should nearly eliminate all unwanted debris from your broth. 

From here, you have some options.  You could freeze the broth for future use in soups or gravy, or you could go right ahead and use it immediately.  This is what I did.  I decided not to salvage the bits of meat from the carcass, as I sampled some of it and found the texture wanting.  In any case, I had all the turkey flavor I could want in my broth.  I chopped about six potatoes into bite-sized pieces and added them to the broth, followed by roughly a cup and a half of pearl barley and a cup of frozen corn. 

For seasoning, I used black pepper, a bit of cayenne pepper, and cumin.  I stirred everything together and allowed it to continue simmering for about an hour and a half.  Both the potatoes and the barley thicken the soup tremendously, and they make for a filling meal.  The corn adds notes of sweetness to the palate.  I'll admit, I was dubious about how exactly this recipe would turn out, fearing a bland and mushy end result.   I was pleasantly surprised at the first mouthful.  The simpleness of the recipe brings out how lovely the texture and delicate flavor of barley really is.  The potatoes were a nice complement, adding substance and a contrasting mouth-feel.  My turkey broth lent richness and a holiday flavor over it all; cumin and cayenne added a touch of excitement.  Easy and flavorful, this one was a winner.

Homemade Vegetable Stock and Soup

 Inspired by some celery and carrots laying about in the fridge that I knew weren't going to be eaten otherwise, I decided to have a go at making homemade vegetable stock.  And then from stock, to soup.  I first brushed with vegetable oil and then roasted the vegetables (onion, garlic, celery, carrot) in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  It took just over half an hour for the skin on the carrots and celery to start bubbling; a bit of charring is fine too.  I used a whole garlic bulb; slice the top of it off to facilitate the later creation of garlic paste.  Roasting the vegetables really boosts their flavor in preparation for some long, slow simmering.  Once the vegetables are finished roasting, put all of them into a large enough pot (or in this case, saucepan).  Keep the skins on, as this will also enhance the broth's flavor.  Cover the vegetables with water and add a bundle of fresh herbs tied together with cooking twine.  I used thyme, basil, and sage, which grow in my little container garden.  Add one bay leaf, bring to a boil, and simmer for a nice long time. 

I decided to keep it all covered, instead of letting the water boil off, since I was planning on using it shortly thereafter and saw no sense in just having to add more water to the soup.  Two or three hours later, I removed all solids from the broth with a slotted spoon into a colander positioned over a large bowl.  The garlic I reserved on the side in a smaller bowl.  All other vegetables were pressed with a wooden spoon to extract the last of their juices into the large bowl, to be reunified with the broth in the saucepan.  These vegetables were then discarded.  The garlic was squeezed out of its skin (the skin discarded) and mashed into a paste with a fork.  This paste then went back into the broth.  I stored the broth in a tupperware container until I was ready to make vegetable soup.

Soup Ingredients

1 lb carrots, tops discarded and sliced
8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen corn
1 lb canned diced tomatoes
8 oz kale greens
4 cups homemade vegetable broth*
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth (optional: if omitted, this soup becomes vegan)
2 tbsp black ground pepper
1 tsp dried oregano flakes
1 squirt Sriracha sauce (optional)
water, to cover vegetables

*There are very good vegetable bouillon cubes available at the grocery store; I had some of my mother's excellent vegetable soup this past weekend and she had used bouillon.  I cannot speak for its sodium content, however.

To make the soup, place all of the above ingredients except for the kale into your pot, stir, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour or until carrots are soft, stirring occasionally.  Add kale and stir in, cooking for an additional 10 minutes.  Serve hot.

I was extremely pleased with the results of this soup, and I think you will be too, if you try to use this recipe!