So I learned firsthand how pineapple can work as a meat tenderizer in a rather shitty way... I recently posted in a drunk thread how I'd made a big batch of venison-pork bratwurst and one variety I tried doing was a jalapeno-pineapple brat. I've eaten and sold a ton of J-P brats made by a meat locker in Wisconsin so they do exist, my question was just how. So I bought some fresh cut pineapple chunks and fresh jalapenos, chopped 'em up and added them to the mix to taste. The "test patty" was awesome, exactly what I wanted- sweet then spicy. Then the next day when I tried grilling the brats for the first time, the other three varieties were perfect on the grill while the J-P brats stuck to the grate and just smeared around when I tried to move them. Never had that happen before... so I figured pre-cooking may help. I put some in the oven on a sheet to roast a bit and instead of plumping up nice, they looked like they melted! I poked one and it was soft to the touch, and the casing broke like wet crate paper. I then tried taking some of the bratwurst out of the casing to pan-fry and put on a pizza, and it fried up all grainy and not a homogenous sausage. No bueno. Then after all of that, I go online to read about pineapple as a meat tenderizer. Perfect. It explains everything I wonder now if it has to be dried first before being mixed in the sausage? I know it was real pineapple chunks I was eating in those brats. I am determined to figure these out. This past weekend I whipped up a nice surf and turf meal for my girlfriend and dressed up a dessert I've previously made for her. The very simple dessert in itself we call Strawberry Shooters, and you just core out a large strawberry, fill it with Irish cream or another tasty liqueur, and shoot it all back. I made the simple additions of fresh whipped cream piped on top, followed by semisweet chocolate shavings and rasberry bits, and added the improvement of serving them in shot glasses so it's mess-free. Spoiler To make the rasberry bits, I just washed and dried them then put 'em all in the freezer, in the little vented plastic package. Once they were frozen solid I put a couple on a cutting board, then carefully smashed them with the flat underside of a stock pot. Done right, they'll shatter into the little individual bits like rasberry sprinkles (and warning: can go everywhere). Gotta move fast because they thaw fast but that makes them better too. We got drunker as the night went on and just started shoveling chocolate and rasberries into the shot glasses, topping with Irish cream, then eating the strawberry and whipped cream after the shot. You really can't go wrong with these ingredients in any combination. This was the rest of the meal, and I'm just proud of how the filet mignon turned out. I haven't cooked a steak that thick before and I just did it on a cast-iron pan with salt and pepper seasoning it, finished with some butter in the pan. There are only 11 things on the plate there including a pinch of rosemary on the mashed red potatoes. A surprisingly simple yet awesome meal. We had it with a nice sparkling cuvee suggested by the booze store, and also put down a bottle of Kriek Cherry Lambec while cooking. It was delicious, she wants to dry more lambecs.
Here's a really simple and quick recipe for Thai chicken curry. 1 tsp oil Thai curry paste to taste (2 heaping tablespoons will yield good flavor without much heat. You can add more, or add Siracha sauce to turn up the heat). 1.25 cups chicken broth 1 15.5 oz can coconut milk 1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 3/4" pieces 1 onion, cut into 3/4" pieces 1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts 3/4 tsp salt 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces Juice from 1 lime Zest from 1 lime 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add curry paste and lime juice and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Add broth, milk, potatoes, onions and peanuts, scraping the bottom of the pan to get any fond released into the liquid. (If using Siracha, add it now). Bring to simmer and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Add chicken and continue to simmer until cooked through, 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add lime zest and cilantro. You can serve over rice, but it's hearty enough as is. Serves 4.
I did that once with some sirloin tips. Decided to marinate them in a pineapple juice marinade overnight and the result was not pretty.
I've been without proper kitchen for awhile, so last night I cooked Steak au poivre with cognac cream sauce, rainbow kale with balsamic reduction, and a glass of Lagavulin. Ron Swanson would have been proud. Here's a rather bad picture:
I made some venison meatballs this past weekend, and used this recipe. They were pretty simple and turned out delicious. My girlfriend made the tomato sauce, which was a basic recipe with extra basil and garlic just because we really like that stuff. Started by grinding up a couple of random "grind" cuts, about 3 lbs. of venison, and we added maybe a half pound of ground pork later. Then in went the rest of the ingredients and a lot of hand mixing. I split off some of the batch and added a healthy amount of red pepper flakes to see how they would be. I formed them by hand and put them on a pan to bake at 350 for about a half hour, they easily reached 160 at that point. After the oven I seared them a bit in a pan with olive oil so the texture wasn't too soft on the exterior. Some linguine, the sauce, a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, and red wine (a $10 Syrah recommended by the booze store) and we were set. Had a basic little vinaigrette salad on the side too. My girlfriend said this was one of her favorite venison recipes so far and I had to agree, they were easier to make and better than expected. I finished off the rest last night and they were still great, I think we could pre-make these for parties and stuff. They'd probably be good just put in a crock pot with a sweet/spicy barbecue sauce or whatever the hell you want. A note on the onions, I cooked them down in a pan over low heat 'til they were just translucent before cooling and adding to the meat mix, and I think that could have been a key to the moisture with such lean meat. There was just enough to keep the balls moist (no hint of dryness) but not be like the meatloaf burgers I accidentally made. I don't think you could add too much garlic, basil, and/or red pepper flakes to these too. They might have been just fine without a quick toss in a hot pan after coming out of the oven but I don't regret it either.
I am on a mission today to find some offal. Liver is priority. I am going over to a meat market nearby, and I'm hoping it is cheaper than the cuts I normally buy because most people don't eat organ meats much these days. Liver is really fucking good for you and I want to try some out. So, most of the recipes I've looked at call for soaking the meat in milk to reduce the bitter taste. Any other tips? I have looked at several recipes online and they are all pretty simple and similar. Anyone ever cooked heart? I am thinking of doing something like grilled chicken heart shish kebabs but again...totally foreign. I don't want to screw it up!
Cooking a deer heart is akin to a lean, thick steak. I've grilled a couple to medium rare, just trimmed and washed it, and they are delicious. I convinced my girlfriend to try one this year and I'll probably do a little marinade first, then grill it and slice it for Philly heart-steak sandwiches so doesn't resemble the real thing and weird her out. I've had chicken and duck hearts too, grilled and/or tossed in a pan they are very tasty little morsels. Just think of it as another tasty lean cut of meat.
Almost all organs are cheaper than cuts. Depending on the size of your meat market & whether or not they butcher in house will depend on what they have. Since beef hang for 10-14 days, it depends on if they saved it from the beef they killed (or pork, lamb, goat, whatever). It's by *far* better fresh than if they order it (like many places do) and have it shipped in with other bulk cuts. So the truly good stuff is where they butcher in house, then you basically pick it up the next day (you definitely want them to hang it overnight, unless you want it super fresh & still warm). Rather late, but venison that is processed into burger (if you kill one & take it somewhere to be processed) usually has one of four things added. Beef, pork, suet (lard) or bacon. With beef or pork, it's generally 80% venison, 20% beef or pork. With suet or bacon, it's generally 90/10. The only huge difference I've noticed between beef & pork added is freezing time. If you're doing bulk, the stuff with beef added is usually good for up to a year in the freezer, but with pork it's more like six months. Venison is a *very* lean meat, so it's very rare that anyone just says, "Grind it up!" unless they're strictly using it for chili or something like that (we have one guy who does a venison chili cook out every year).
This may seem silly, but I'm balls at coming up with ways to re-use leftovers. In this case, I have about 6 leftover cooked mild Italian sausages in the fridge that I'd like to repurpose. Any thoughts?
Either some kind of soup or stew (the universe wouldn't explode if gumbo or jambalaya had Italian sausage rather than andouille) or breakfast dish.
Yes and yes, all sorts of sausages are awesome with egg dishes or just chopped and scrambled up with them. Or wrap it up in a tortilla with other tasty stuff (could be breakfast or lunch), or slice 'em lengthwise and pan fry with peppers and onions and throw it on a bun with cheese like a Philly. One of my absolute favorite soups is my mom's Italian sausage and tortellini soup too. I used to bring a ton of bratwurst and sausages home from a job, and the Italian sausages were some of the most versatile in my opinion.
I'm in the market for a small propane grill. Any suggestions? As we all know online reviews tend to swing to one extreme or the other.
This is the one that I keep around for tailgates, camping, and the quick hunting trip. I'm a grill snob, charcoal only, all that other BS and I still really love this grill. Worth it http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CGG...55547&sr=1-18&keywords=portable+propane+grill
I have gone with the cuisinart. Praise and or scorn to be dished out upon its arrival Tuesday. That one had by far the most surface area and btu's for any I found in that price range.
I'm permanently on salad duty for family events because I tend to put more thought into it than throwing some cherry tomatoes and a few chunks of cucumber on a pile of lettuce. But after so many salads, I am starting to feel a little less creative. I'm also too busy/lazy to make time for roasting veggies today. I was thinking about going in a sort of niçoise-y direction, with asparagus, green beans, new potatoes and boiled eggs (and maybe capers or some thinly sliced radish?), but I'm having some serious salad ennui. Anyone have any killer, easy salads that are vegetarian? Must also appeal to a large midwestern family with varying degrees of food-adventurousness.
I've been on a kick lately with about 1/3 parts each: spinach, iceberg lettuce, arugula. Then some radicchio, thinly sliced yellow squash, baby corn and bacon bits.
That is intriguing. I've never thought about throwing iceberg lettuce in with real greens, but I can imagine it could make for good textures. The bacon bits takes it out of the running for big family events, but I might have to try it myself. What do you tend to dress it with? For Easter, I decided to go with a panzanella, which went over really well. It had tomatoes, cucumber, arugula, barely blanched asparagus, bell peppers, capers, and homemade sourdough croutons. I minced about a tablespoon of garlic and half a red onion and mixed it up with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and honey for dressing and let it sit overnight to mellow out the raw onion and garlic. I tossed it all together with a bunch of fresh basil, and it was super yum and tasted bright and summery. It has for sure earned a place in my salad repertoire.