Pan-Fried Venison Roast

I love venison. Despite passing the hunter safety course many years ago I will not kill a deer. Like I told my children's father and his brother "If I shot a deer you would find me draped over it, sobbing." This does not stop me from eating this delicious meat. A few weeks ago that husband had a health scare and sent all of his venison home with our youngest. This is not the first time he's sent us home with a large amount of venison. To him I send a gracious - Thank you so much! (Take care of yourself. The kids need you.)

I know people like to bar-be-que venison but I am one of those who would rather contain all of that precious juice, so I use a cast iron skillet. On the stove or over the grill, it doesn't matter as long as the juice doesn't get wasted. 

Pan-Friend Venison Roast

Ingredients:

Okay. This is where I am not going to be very helpful. I didn't measure the seasonings. Just use your own tastebuds to figure out how much you need.

        3 lbs Venison Roast
        Montreal Steak Seasoning (I love this stuff!)
        Garlic Powder
        3 Tbs Olive Oil
        2 Tbs Butter
        2 Cloves Garlic, smashed


Directions:

1. Season the meat generously.
2. Refrigerate in a Ziploc bag over night.
3. Remove the venison from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to cooking so it can come to room temp and cook more evenly.
4. Pat dry.
5. Heat the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. You can also do this on your grill.
6. Add olive oil to skillet.
7. When it's hot add the meat to the skillet.
8. When you have a nice sear on one side (anywhere from 2-5 minutes) flip the meat.
9. Then, add butter and garlic cloves.
10. Tilt the pan to the side and baste the meat by spooning the butter and aromatics over the chops.
11. Once the internal temperature reaches about 115-125F, remove the meat from the pan. Personally, I'm partial to rare, but do not cook venison over medium-rare (trust me on this one).
12. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.

  

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Delicious Black Bean Burger

Since the beginning of barbeque season we've been using the PitBoss a lot! To heck with the air temperature, that's what later meals are for. The difference this year is that my youngest is dating a young lady who is a vegetarian. I've made a few adjustments to my menus to accommodate her. One of those changes I've made is to include Black Bean Burgers to our barbeques. I played with several recipes and this is the recipe she likes best. Each time I make it the burgers look better. As my oldest said "It's almost like practice makes perfect". Yup, something like that.

Black Bean Burger

Ingredients:

        15 oz can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
        1/2 Green Bell Pepper
        1/2 small Onion
        2 cloves Garlic, peeled
        1 large Egg, beaten
        2/3 cup Whole Wheat Breadcrumbs
        1 Tbs Chili Powder
        1 tsp Cumin
        salt and Black Pepper, to taste


Directions:

1. Place rinsed and drained black beans in a bowl. If needed, blot them with a paper towel to remove extra moisture.
2. Mash well with a fork.
3. Place bell pepper, onion and garlic in a food processor and process until finely minced.
4. Transfer vegetable mixture to a fine strainer.
5. Use the back of a spoon to press out excess moisture. Don't skip this or the burger won't hold together.
6. Add the vegetable mixture to the bowl with the black beans.
7. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
8. Stir to combine.
9. Add beaten egg and mix well.
10. Stir in bread crumbs.
11. Divide mixture into 4 even-size portions.
12. Form them into patties with your hands.
13. Cook, separate from beef burgers, on well-oiled grill over medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side.

Top like you would any burger.

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Antipasto salad

My family absolutely loves my take on the traditional antipasto salad. I always have to make large batches to last several days. The biggest benefit is that the portion that sits in the refrigerator longest tastes best after the flavours have been melding for days. 

Antipasto Salad

Ingredients:

        8 oz Tri-Colour Rotini

        1/2 c Vegetable Oil

        3 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar

        1 clove Garlic, minced

        1 tsp Basil

        1/8 tsp Red Pepper

        1 tsp Salt

        1/4 c Parmesan

        2 c Broccoli Florets

        1/4 lb Pepperoni, sliced

        10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

        1/2 c Mozzarella, shredded

Directions:

1. Cook pasta until al dente, Drain
2. In large bowl, stir together oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, pepper and salt
3. Toss with warm macaroni to coat well.
4. Toss with Parmesan.
5. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.
6. Add Broccoli, pepperoni and tomatoes; toss well. 
7. Sprinkle with mozzarella and serve.

Serves 6

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Grilled Cubed Steak Rollups

I don't normally like cube steak but one of my kids asked me to buy some.  I found this recipe on Amandas Cookin' and it was delicious!

Grilled Cube Steak Roll-Ups

Ingredients:

        6 pieces Cube Steak
        Marinade (recipe below)
        3 oz Cream Cheese, softened
        6 pieces Bacon (raw)
        1 sprig Fresh Parsley, minced, (stem too)

Marinade:

        1/2 cup Olive Oil
        1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
        6 Tbs Soy Sauce
        1/4 cup Garlic, minced
        1/2 medium Onion, chopped
        1 Tbs Pepper
        1 Tbs Dried Rosemary, crushed 
        3 Tbs Steak Seasoning
        3 Tbs A1 Steak Sauce

Directions:

For the Marinade:

1. Put all ingredients into a blender and puree.
2. Pour over meat in a glass dish or gallon zipper bag and place in the refrigerator 2-24 hours. 
3. Can be marinated up to three days for tough cuts of meat.

For the Roll Ups: 

1. Marinate steaks in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, up to 24. 
2. Preheat your grill on high with the lid closed. 
3. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and take them out of the marinade.
4. Place them on paper towels to drain. 
5. Warm the softened cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds. You want the cream cheese to be very soft, similar to a runny cake frosting. 
6. Combine the cream cheese with the minced parsley. 
7. Spread thin layer of cream cheese over one side of steak.
8. Beginning with short end roll up the steak.
9. Spirally wrap a piece of bacon around steak and secure with one or two toothpicks. 
10. Turn the burners on your grill down to medium and grill roll ups on one side for several minutes to sear the meat.
11. Turn and sear the other side. 
12. Turn the heat down to low and continue to grill with the lid closed and turn every five minutes until done. 

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Grilled Shrimp with Avocado Salsa

I am a serious seafood lover. So when I found this recipe at Woman Know Thyself's Facebook page, I had to borrow it. It is so amazingly delicious!

Grilled Shrinp with Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

For the Shrimp:

        16-20 count Prawns, peeled and deveined

        18 Cherry Tomatoes

        2 Tbs Fresh Thyme

        3 Tbs Shallots, minced

        1 Tbs Cumin    

        2 Tbs Basil, chopped

        ¼ cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

        Kosher or Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper to taste

        ½ Lemon (use while grilling)

For the salsa:

        1 ripe avocado, diced

        1 small red onion, diced

        1 small roma tomato, seeded and diced

        2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

        ½ lemon, juiced

        2 tablespoons olive oil

        1 tablespoon white vinegar

        Kosher or sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

For the Shrimp:

1. Soak the skewers in water for six hours before using.
2. Marinate the shrimp in all the ingredients, except the cherry tomatoes and lemon, for at least 4 hours before grilling. 
3. Skewer the prawns with the tomatoes and grill, 3-4 minutes each side. 
4. Season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper while grilling.

For the Salsa:

1. Mix all the ingredients lightly and let set in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Bulgolgi

I have loved bulgolgi for the last 25 years.  Ever since I lived at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque and the new neighbours moved in.  He had been stationed in Korea and his wife managed to get herself and their son there during his tour so they could be with him during his "remote" tour. When they moved to our close-knit neighbourhood, they learned we loved block parties!  She shared with us this traditional Korean dish and it became the featured menu item at all of our parties. 

Her version was lost to my ex but I was able to find, and tweak, this one from World Food and Drink. Bulgolgi is a sweet dish but, if you are brave, you'll go for the burn and spread some bean paste on the chard before adding the meat.

Bulgolgi

Ingredients:

        2 lbs Beef Sirloin, thinly sliced
        3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped 
        3 Scallions, minced
        1 Onion, minced
        1/3 cup, plus 2 Tbs Soy Sauce
        2 Tbs Sesame Oil
        2 Tbs Honey
        Black pepper to taste

Paste Ingredients:

        1/2 tsp Sugar
        1 Tbs Bean Paste
        1/2 Tbs Sesame Oil
        1 head of Chard (lettuce)

Directions:

1. Beat sirloin until tender
2. Combine remaining ingredients. The mixture should be thick.
3. Pour the marinade onto the meat and coat by hand. Make sure the meat has all been coated with the marinade.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 1 hour.
5. Cook the meat in one layer on the grill. The inside should be cooked thoroughly with the outside caramelized.

Paste mix:

1. In a different bowl, combine the sugar and bean paste.
2. Add sesame oil and mix well.

Spread paste on chard leaves and top with marinated meat, onions and bell peppers.

Note: I prefer to use chard leaves since they are more pliable.

                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you can't find bean paste in your area, then you can substitute it with a Homemade Chili Paste.  It won't taste the same but will still work.

Ingredients:

        1 Tbs Soybean Paste (can be omitted, but will alter the taste)

        3 Tbs Red Chili Pepper, finely ground

        1 tsp Sugar

        3 cloves Garlic, minced

        1 tsp Soy Sauce

        1 tsp Korean Rice Wine or Cooking Wine

        1 tsp Sesame Oil

        Water, as needed

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients except sesame oil, adding just enough water to form a thick paste.
2. Allow to sit at room temperature for at lest 1/2 hour.
3. Add sesame oil (and more water, if needed), mix well and let sit another 10 minutes.
4. Refrigerate until use.

Enjoy!

            Ingrid

Bacon Gouda Burgers

                                    

Bacon Gouda Burgers

We made this delicious burger for Memorial Day.  The recipe looks pretty simple but sometimes there are additional steps needed in order to properly prepare a dish.

In our case it involved covering the grates with foil to minimize drippage and grease fires.  Which, of course led to the grill over-heating and the grill cover in the cabinet below catching fire. The next step was the use of a fire extinguisher and the cleaning of the grill. Followed by airing out the house of the acrid smoke.

When the grill was cleaned off we continued bar-be-que-ing.  The end result was these perfect burgers.  Oh, the pot on the grill? The pasta cooked perfectly.

I'm sure you can probably get the same results without the fire.

Now on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Burgers:
• 
  
• 4 lbs Ground Beef
• 1 cup Bread Crumbs
• 4 Eggs
• 6 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 2 tsps Garlic Powder
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper, to taste
•  8 hamburger buns, split and toasted
• Toppings of choice
• 
  
• Filling:
• 
  
• 8 slices Bacon
• 3 cups Gouda Cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parsley
• 1/4 cup and 2 Tbs Dijon Mustard
•  
• 
  
• 
  

Directions

1. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Cool and crumble into a bowl.
4. Stir in the gouda, parsley, and mustard. Set aside.
5. Place the ground beef into a mixing bowl with the bread crumbs, egg, chopped garlic, and garlic powder.
6. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
7. Mix until evenly blended.
8. Form into very thin patties.
9. Divide the Gouda cheese filling on half of the patties.
10. Place the remaining patties on top.  
11. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
12. Lightly oil the grate.
13. Cook on the preheated grill until the patties are cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 3 minutes per side for well done. Internal temperature should read 160 degrees.
14. Serve on hamburger buns with favourite toppings.

Enjoy!

            Ingrid