Venison with Brussels 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!

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.

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!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers - Chef Michael's Own

Deer season left me with a freezer full of venison once again, so here I am playing with flavor combos and techniques. There is quite a bit of prep work to get this slow cooker going so start early enough to leave 4-5 hours of cooking time. The end result is absolutely worth the effort! 

I use venison in my stuffed peppers but you can absolutely use lean beef as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground venison or beef
• 1 yellow onion - chopped
• 5 cloves garlic - smashed & minced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 28 oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree
• 1/4 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper
• 4-5 orange and red bell peppers depending on size
• 1 cup long cook pearl barley - yields 2+ cups
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1 handful broccoli rabe - blanched and then chopped
• 1 cup baby portobello mushrooms - chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried basil
• shredded Parmesan for final garnish 

Preparation:

Bring the beef stock to a boil. Thoroughly rinse the pearl barley, add to boiling stock and simmer for 25 minutes, covered. Drain and reserve remaining stock for later.

Take one tomato from the 28 oz can and chop it up. Combine onion, garlic, tomato, Aleppo pepper and olive oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix, microwave 2 min on high, mix and repeat once.

Start your slow cooker on low. Cut the tops from the peppers and remove insides as best you can.

Once your peppers are prepped, get a large bowl and combine everything for the filling, including ~1/2 cup of the reserved beef stock. Mix well using hands.

At this time cut up the remaining canned tomatoes and start a gentle saute in a separate skillet. Season with salt, pepper and some garlic powder. Cook for a few minutes and transfer to the warmed up slow cooker.

Fill the peppers with meat mixture, gently pressing mix to make sure the pepper is fully filled. Place upright into pot on top of tomato base.

Cook for 4-5 hours on low.

Give each person a whole pepper for plating beauty. Cut the pepper in half and then top each half with some of the tomato base. Serve with a green vegetable of your choosing.

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!