Chef Michael's Beef & Broccoli

Everyone has their own version of a Beef & Broccoli, right? Well, today I will share mine with you. I like to keep my flavors simple and on the savory/earthy side, so please don't expect anything Asian in this dish.

I use chuck roast, small broccoli florets, onions and portobello mushrooms... my everyday go-to flavors. Seasoning comes from Montreal Steak seasoning, but I have tried it with my very own The Good Stuff and that works equally well, adding a bit of a smokey component. Enjoy!

• 1 lb chuck roast - cut cross-grain into bite sized cubes

• 1.5 cups small broccoli florets

• 1.5 cups baby portobello mushrooms - sliced

• 1 yellow onion - cut up

• olive oil - as needed

• 1/2 - 1 tsp Montreal Steak seasoning

• 1 cup long cook pearl barley

• 3 cups beef broth or stock

Ingredients: 

Preparation:

Cook the barley in the beef broth or stock. Get this on first because it'll take about 45 minutes of simmering. Blanche the broccoli florets and set aside.

Place meat chunks in a bowl and coat with olive oil. Add Steak seasoning as you see fit and give the meat a good toss.

    Fry the meat to a medium rare and set aside. 

In a good sized skillet or even a Dutch oven sautee the onions. As the onions become translucent, add the mushrooms and then the broccoli.

Finally add the cooked meat back and blend it all. Add the pear barley and mix or serve it on the side. I like the full mix for the multiple textures the components provide with every bite.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Three Bean Venison Chili

I found a starter recipe more than ten years ago on the back of a can of Progresso kidney beans. It looked so simple I just had to try it. It has since become my base for many fun chili dishes. Everyone should make chili their own... This, my own version now, includes three different beans and is a good jumpstart for even more creations. You can add just about anything you like to suit your flavor pallet! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb ground venison - beef works as well :-)
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans - undrained
• 1 15 oz can black beans - undrained
• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans - undrained
• 1 28oz can whole tomatoes in puree, cut up
• Tomato paste (if needed)
• 3 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp Chef Michael's The Good Stuff Seasoning 

(2 parts kosher salt, 1 part black pepper, 1 part garlic powder, 1 part onion powder, 1 part smoked paprika)

• 2 tsp or 2 cubes instant beef bouillon
• 1-2 tbsp dried parsley
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Scallions for garnish

In chili circles this one is flavorful, but considered quite mild. Add seasonings of your choice for more heat.

Preparation:

1: Brown chop meat with onions and garlic over medium heat with a bit of olive oil until meat is fully cooked. Drain.

2: Stir in all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

3: Simmer over medium low heat for 20-30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.

4: Serve with pearl barley cooked in beef stock and garnish plates with scallions or any of the fun things you enjoy. Parsley, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, avocado… In other words, make this dish your own. 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Red Sauce & Venison with Eggplant

This recipe dates back to 2014 when I still kept a whole bunch of venison in the freezer. After being diagnosed Type 2 I still longed for my meat sauce on at least a weekly basis, and with pasta having been taken off the menu I had to find something besides zucchini ribbons to compliment the sauce. Enter.... the eggplant :-) Granted, it's not quite as colorful as the zucchini, but it sure packs a plateful of flavor!

For anyone who does not like venison for whatever reason,

this dish works quite well with ground beef, too. ENJOY!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground venison or very lean beef
• 1 28 oz can plum shaped tomatoes in puree
• olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, cut up
• 1/2 tsp salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste (I like about 6 twists on the grinder)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• dash of oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 lge eggplant

Preparation:

Start by frying up the chop meat in a large skillet with a bit of olive

oil until fully cooked and a nice shade of brown. Set aside. 

Add a bit of olive oil to your sauce pot and sautee the chopped garlic. As the garlic JUST gets brown add in the cut up onion and sautee til slightly transluscent and shiny.

Place canned tomatoes in a bowl and cut into quarters or bite-size pieces... Not too small as they will cook down some in the pot.

Add tomatoes and puree to sauce pot and stir. Add in salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and dried parsley. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally stir in the fried chop meat. The mixture will seem very meaty and not at all liquid.... that's intentional as our base for the sauce is very different from pasta.

Peel the eggplant and cut into bite-sized cubes

Heat some olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the eggplant. I like to use the large pot for this purpose as it makes it easy to do the frequent toss and the eggplant cooks without getting splatter or the occasional cube on the nice shiny stove  *smirks*

Once the eggplant is tender, plate as you would pasta and add the meaty sauce on top. Add some grated parmesan or Pecorino-Romano if you like :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Asian Meatloaf

Credit for this unconventional dish goes to Sam the Cooking Guy

When I first saw this recipe I chuckled, but as soon as I looked at the ingredients I was intrigued... Not one... not two... but three meats plus Asian flavors? I'm in!!! 

Ingredients:

• Neutral oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger - finely chopped
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 3/4 tsp sesame oil
• 2/3 cup ground pork
• 2/3 cup ground beef
• 2/3 cup ground chicken
• 3/4 cup plain Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cilantro or parsley
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup diced green onions, plus extra for serving
• Roasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet and add the onion and celery - cook until just softening, about 3 minutes

Add the mushrooms and cook another 3 or so minutes, then add another couple teaspoons of oil and the garlic & ginger and when super fragrant (after about a minute) set aside and let cool

Make the sauce: combine hoisin, ketchup, sriracha and 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil - mix well and set aside

Combine ground pork, beef and chicken in a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs, egg, remaining sesame oil, soy, cooked vegetables, cilantro and green onions and a couple tablespoons of the hoisin sauce - mix well

Shape into an even meatloaf shape on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake 45 minutes, brush with remaining hoisin mixture and return to oven and bake  another 15 minutes

Remove, let cool about 10 minutes and slice

Serve garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Red Sauce & Venison over Fried Eggplant

When venison was still the main protein in our family's diet, I was always experimenting with new combinations because it pairs beautifully with eggplant. One day I was thinking of grilling eggplant slices and then topping them with a very meaty red sauce. Unfortunately, the propane tank was empty... UGGH! Sooo..... what to do?

Oh yes.... let's splurge with some thick slices of eggplant breaded and fried in a bit of avocado oil!!! Over time it turned out that the dish works very well with beef or chicken, too.

• 1.5 lbs ground venison - beef is an option if you don't have venison
• 1 28 oz can plum shaped tomatoes in puree
• olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, cut up
• 1/2 tsp salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste (I like about 6 twists on the grinder)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• dash of oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 lge eggplant
• Wondra flour
• 2 eggs
• avocado or vegetable oil
• flavored breadcrumbs

Preparation:

Start by frying up the chop meat in a large skillet with a bit of olive oil until fully cooked and a nice shade of brown. Set aside.

Add a bit of olive oil to your sauce pot and sautee the chopped garlic. As the garlic JUST gets brown add in the cut up onion and sautee til slightly translucent and shiny.  

Place canned tomatoes in a bowl and cut into quarters or bite-size pieces... Not too small as they will cook down some in the pot. Add tomatoes and puree to sauce pot and stir. Add in salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and dried parsley. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally stir in the fried chop meat. The mixture will seem very meaty and not at all liquid.... that's intentional as our base for the sauce is very different from pasta. 

As for the eggplant, peel and cut into thick slices, about 3/8 - 1/2".  Coat in Wondra flour, then dip in egg and your favorite flavored breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown. Set on paper towel to soak up excess oil - you want them nice and crispy to add an extra level to the party in your mouth ;-) Top with meat sauce just before serving to retain most of the crunch.... and enjoy!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Venison with Sprouts & Beans

I enjoy creating Earthy dishes with my venison. I process my venison the entire way from field to table so I know it is as fresh and pure as can be, allowing for Next Level flavors right from the start.

In this dish I experimented combining venison with a green vegetable, a legume and yellow onions. Brussels sprouts and black beans ended up being the winning combination, along with onions and some Montreal Steak seasoning. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground venison 
• 10 Brussels sprouts - halved after cooking
• 1 yellow onion - cut up 
• 15 oz can black beans - drained & liquid reserved
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Montreal Steak seasoning to your taste
• olive oil

Preparation:

Boil the Brussels sprouts  and cut in half. I you want, sear the cut side briefly for extra flavor.

Fry the chop meat and onion until done. 

Add the drained black beans. blend and season with Montreal Steak to your liking.

Finally add the cooked Brussels Sprouts and carefully fold into the mix. 

Add reserved bean juice if needed for moisture. Enjoy!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!