Chef Michael's Eggplant Moussaka with Venison - A Chef Favorite

As much as I appreciate good vegetarian dishes... I do like my venison... a lot! My Moussaka can, of course, be made with beef or lamb, but if you know me at all you'll know my go-to red meat is the venison harvested on my own land.

Adding venison to this already amazing dish adapted from a recipe by Ayla Clulee, owner of Cooking Gorgeous, took the dish to Next Level for me, making it my very own in the process. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground venison
• 2.5 lbs eggplant - peeled and 1" cubed
• good quality olive oil as needed (for eggplant and sautéing the onions)
• 2 onions - chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic - smash minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cups fresh tomatoes - chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper
• 1.5 tsp cumin - more if you remember Adam from Northern Exposure
• 15 oz chickpeas - drained
• ~1 cup water
• handful minced parsley - add last 10 minutes of simmer

Preparation:

Fry the venison chop meat in the Dutch oven you'll use for the whole dish. Remove meat and set aside. Drain the chickpeas at this time as well.

Preparing the Eggplant

Preheat the oven to 390 F and line one or two baking trays with parchment paper. Peel the eggplants and cut them into 1" cubes.  Place cubes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil and some kosher salt. Place them on the baking sheet in one even layer. 

Bake them for 25 - 30 minutes or until they are slightly softened and brown. Remove the eggplant cubes from the oven and set them aside until the tomato/chickpea mix is ready. 

Preparing the Tomato Sauce

While roasting the eggplants, start making the tomato & chickpea mixture. 

Place a large Dutch oven on medium heat and add some olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until soft.

Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, and pepper, and give it a good mix. Add the chopped tomatoes, along with the Aleppo pepper and stir well. 

Add water to the sauce, depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes, ranging from ½ cup to 1 ½ cups. Give the sauce a stir. Next, add the chickpeas and roasted eggplants to the tomato sauce, give them a good stir. 

Finally, return venison to the pot, stir and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the eggplants are tender to your liking. Add minced parsley with 10 minutes remaining.

Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately. If so inclined, shredded parmesan adds to the overall delight. :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Calamari Comfort - A Chef Favorite

It was a bitterly cold January morning when the extra frozen calamari purchased for Christmas Eve popped into my head. At almost the same time I had a mild craving for pearl barley. Yes... I know I'm a weird foodie, but I'm also a guy who can "see" flavors, so my mind went to work churning out ideas to combine the two visions.

What came together as an idea over morning cawfee that ended up as a very cozy dish by dinnertime. Flavors are mild with a light lean into lemon, but distinct, and I think the dish has possibilities to explore other flavor profiles. As Chef Jacques Pepin teaches us... Make the dish your own! Enjoy :-)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb clean calamari
• 1 yellow onion - cut up
• 4-5 cloves garlic - smash minced
• 1 15 oz can green peas - drained with liquid reserved
• 1 lge tomato - cut up
• olive oil as needed
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• salt to taste

For the barley:

• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup pearl barley - thoroughly rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp salted butter
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp lemon zest (1 lemon) - juice the lemon for more depth at the end (optional)
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley - minced

Preparation:

Star with calamari prep. Cut the bodies into bite size sections and cut the tentacles in half to stretch their presence in the dish.

Soak the calamari in salt water for 30 minutes... then drain for 30 minutes.

Prep the onion, garlic, parsley, tomato and zest, peas and lemon juice.

Next get the barley cooking as you will need about 40 minutes to complete it.

Combine the broth, oil, butter and pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the barley, cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer ~35-40 minutes until tender and liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese, lemon zest and parsley. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes or more until it's time to add to the calamari. Use some of the reserved juice from the peas so the barley doesn't thicken up. 

While the calamari are soaking/draining, start final cook and assembly in your favorite large pot. Mine is a vintage Guardian Service roaster that was handed down to me by my Mother-In-Law, and it's an absolutely amazing connection to memories with the woman I still call Mom.

Add olive oil to the heated pot and saute the garlic and onion over medium heat until translucent.

Add the drained calamari, season with the black pepper and saute with frequent tossing until JUST cooked... maybe 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and the peas, blending as you go.

Finally add the barley and give everything a gentle mixing. Adjust seasoning to your liking... maybe more black pepper or lemon juice? Your call :-)

Serve with your favorite white wine... we found Sauvignon Blanc to be a really nice pairing.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Garlic Shrimp & Shirataki Noodles - A Chef Favorite

Shirataki noodles... Quite an intriguing pasta substitute because it has a glycemic index and load of zero and very little else as well, making them a really nice "pasta" option for us diabetics. They require a little prep work before going into the dish, and said prep work may or may not take some practice to get the texture right. The following recipe adapted from Craving Something Healthy will walk you through the process. 

One thing to remember is that these noodles are indeed flavorless but have an amazing ability to take on any flavors they are tossed with. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces shirataki noodles
• a splash of soy sauce for the noodles
• 12 oz large shrimp - peeled, deveined & tail off
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil as needed
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 small - medium yellow onion - minced
• 12 oz grape or cherry tomatoes - pierced
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley - minced
• 1 tbsp fresh basil - minced

Preparation:

Drain the package of shirataki noodles in a colander and rinse the noodles well for about 2 minutes under cold running water.

Drain the noodles and pat them somewhat dry with a paper towel. Add the noodles to a dry, non-stick skillet and heat them on medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes, tossing them as they heat. Add a splash of soy sauce for flavor. Let them cook until they are completely dry, tossing frequently. Set the noodles aside - covered.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat 2+ tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan on medium-high heat, and saute the shrimp for ~1 minute on each side, or until they just turn pink. Remove them from the pan and set them aside - covered.

Add the garlic & onion to the skillet with another splash of olive oil and saute for 5-6 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and let them cook for 6-8 minutes with occasional tossing, or until they start to break down. I usually pierce them with a sharp knife so they give off their juice and don't pop.

When the tomatoes are just about finished, add the basil, parsley and a bit more oil if dry. Saute for 1 more minute.

Add the shrimp and shirataki noodles to the pan with the tomatoes and garlic. Toss everything well to combine.

Green veggie option: A cup of 1" pieces of asparagus added when the onion & garlic hit the pan.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!