Ready for Fall

I love Fall and I get so excited about it every year and am just waiting for it to turn cool and crisp outside, so that I can make warm soups, chilies, and all the other yummy Fall and Winter dishes that I love! Like every year in the past I get impatient and at some point decide that while it is not as cool and crisp out as I would like that it is cool enough and I make my first soup, chili or stew of the season. The September issue of Cooking Light had a fantastic chili section that included a Venison, Sausage, and Black Bean Chili recipe. It just so happens that I still have a freezer full of venison and am still not quite sure what to do with it. So, this recipe kills two birds with one stone by fulfilling my burning desire to go ahead and declare it soup / stew / chili season and a way to use up some of the venison that has taken over our freezer.

To make the chili you heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and coat it with cooking spray. You then remove the sausage from the casing and add it along with the onion and garlic to the pan. I could not find spicy chicken sausage, so I went with spicy turkey sausage instead. Next add the venison to pan and cook until it is browned. I used ground venison instead of loin since we have lots of ground venison and both Russ and I prefer ground meat in our chili. Next stir in the tomato paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the chicken broth, tomato (I used two cans of diced tomatoes), ancho chile powder, water, salt, and cumin to the pot. Cover the pot and let it simmer for about an hour. Then stir in the black beans and let it continue to cook for ten minutes until it is heated through. Check for seasoning and add salt if needed. Serve toped with goat cheese and jalapeño slices.

This was a very simple and easy chili to make in fact I made it on a weeknight and usually I save dishes like this for a weekend when I have longer for it to simmer. The venison gave it a nice flavor and worked really well with the black beans. I didn’t have a lot of ancho chile powder left, so I used some chipotle chile powder too. The combination worked well adding a nice level of heat and smokiness to it. I especially loved topping it with goat cheese. This was a nice way of balancing out the heat and adding some creaminess to it. This was a nice change for us from just the traditional chili I usually make. I really liked it, but both Allen and Russ thought it was excellent! Russ rates it a 9.

Venison, Sausage, and Black Bean Chili, Cooking Light September 2008
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup chili and 1 tablespoon crumbled goat cheese)

1/4 pound spicy chicken sausage
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound boneless venison loin, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup chopped plum tomato (about 2 medium)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled goat cheese
Jalapeño pepper slices (optional)

Remove casings from sausage. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage, onion, and garlic to pan; sauté minutes or until onion is tender, stirring to crumble sausage. Add venison; cook 4 minutes or until venison is browned. Stir in tomato paste; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth and next 5 ingredients (through cumin), scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes or until venison is tender. Stir in black beans; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top each serving with crumbled goat cheese. Serve with jalapeño slices, if desired.

My First Time Cooking Game Meat

My palate was opened up to a whole new world of foods and flavors when I finally gave in to my picky eating and started simply giving more foods a try. This really started when I was living abroad in Spain during spring semester of my sophomore year of college and has continued ever since. Now (with the exception of pork) I will try almost anything at least once. Russ is the same way and since we have been married I have exposed him to some fruits and vegetables that he either hadn’t tried before or didn’t think he liked. He now loves butternut squash, pumpkin, and mangos and while he still isn’t a huge fan of zucchini if I make it with enough cheese he likes it. I on the other hand have been opened up to a new array of meats – game meats. While my Dad and brother have always eaten game meat (especially quail and dove) the females in my family have always taken a pass with them. Russ orders them at restaurants sometimes and I have found that I love elk and while I am not a big fan of quail or dove I’ll still give them a try if they are prepared in a new way. I have also been introduced to venison and currently have a freezer full of venison. It is true that it tastes similar to beef, but is leaner which is I think why I am not totally sold on it yet… I miss the fat… Since we have lots of venison right now I decided to give cooking game meat a try for the first time. So, here goes….

If you read this blog at all then you will know that Russ and I love Jamie Oliver and his new show Jamie at Home. He did a mushroom episode a while back and one of the dishes he made was a Wild Mushroom and Venison Stroganoff. At the time we didn’t have a freezer full of venison, but we both made a mental note that when we did this would be a good recipe to try. To start you sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until they are soft and golden. Once they are done set them aside. Next season the meat with salt, pepper, and paprika. Then add a little more olive oil to the pan and add the mushrooms. Now Jamie went out in the woods and found these amazing Chicken of Wood wild mushrooms. They looked fabulous, but not to my surprise Publix didn’t have them. So, I used a mix of baby Portobello and shitake mushrooms. Once the mushrooms have started to brown add the meat. Next add the parsley stalks and add the cooked onions and garlic back to the pan. Then add the butter and brandy. Now Russ actually added the brandy for me and while he tried to get it to flambé it just didn’t work (I think it was more the pan than Russ’ flambé skills). This was a concern in our home considering how frequently I set of the smoke alarm and the still infamous burnt popcorn… that is why Russ handled the brandy. After it has simmered for a few minutes add the lemon zest and crème fraiche and season to taste. I added a little more salt and pepper at this point. Finally serve over rice and top with parsley leaves, more crème fraiche, and sliced gherkins (yes, really gherkins… I was surprised too, but they really go well with it).

This turned out really well with one major exception… I overcooked the venison. In hindsight I should have just seared the pieces of venison on each side and then let them finish cooking while I finished the dish. I didn’t cook them all the way through when I sautéed them, but I did let them cook longer than needed. Since venison is so lean (I still miss the fat…) it is really important to not over cook it. Aside from my error with the meat the dish was delicious. I was a little concerned about serving what I consider to be a more Fall / Winter dish in June, but the sauce is really on the lighter side since it only has a little bit of crème fraiche in it. It is not a typical heavy, cream based stroganoff sauce, but it still has a smooth, . I have to say that the highlight for me was the sliced gherkins. I am really not a huge fan of gherkins and I came so close to leaving them out, but I decided to bite the bullet and give them a try. I can’t explain it, but the slightly sweet, little green gherkins go so well with this dish that you just have to include them (and if anyone in Birmingham does just this I have a rather large jar of gherkins hanging out in my fridge that I am happy to share). All in all this was a very good. Russ rates it a 9.