Venison Kabobs

My Brother-in law set me up with some venison, hence the postings with venison. I had two packages of venison loin and my concerns were:

Not making it too dry (very lean cut)

Moderating the game flavor

When I came across a recipe for charmoula lamb kabob, lights and bells went off. The recipe come from a cookbook that I got from the library- The Flexitarian Table, which is quite interesting. There premise of the cookbook is offering vegitarian and non-vegetarian variations of many dishes with a focus on seasonal and sustainable foods.

After a 2 hour marinade, I grilled the kabobs in the dark and luckily they came out not burned and quite tasty. I made other kabobs with grape tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, and red pepper marinated with the same marinade. I grilled them separate, since there is nothing worse than perfecty cooked meat with burnt veggies. A cumin pilaf was the starch. This would also be great with beef, bison, or lamb.

Charmoula Lamb Kebabs

Adapted from The Flexitarian Table

Peter Berley

Marinade

1/2 C lemon juice (fresh)

1/2 C Fresh cilantro

4 peeled cloves garlic

2 1/2 t kosher salt

2 t ground cumin

1 t ground coriander

1 t sweet paprika

1/8 t cayenne

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

puree all ingredients in food processor

12 oz venison loin

Marinate the Venison for 2hours or overnight

Prepare grill so there is a hot side and a low side

Skewer the meat on soaked wooden skewers or metal skewers

Sear meat until crust develops (3-4 min), flip and repeat, then move to low side of grill until meat done. (I like 145 f) remove from grill, allow to rest covered 3 min.

If making veggie skewers, place on low side, flip once and cook until done.

Chili

I have always loved chili in the winter. The best chili I have ever had is at a crazy place in Missoula, Montana. It was at this crazy joint that was a diner/bar/gambling establishment in one. It was late at night, after having a few drinks, I stopped in to this place and looked at the menu. It was standard diner fare, with the exception of the chili. It was titled- Taylor made Best Damm Chili (please allow 20 minutes). The chili came out with a mound of minced onions and cheese on the top. The chili had large chunks of beef and was otherwise a red chili. It was really quite good.

Since that time in Montana, I have been playing with recipe on chili recently, and I think I am ready to share it. It started from a recipe I got from my neighbor. It had a great meat-forward flavor and had a bit of allspice in it, which I found different. I have tweaked it a bit, which I think gives it a bit more depth. Most recently, I have made it with ground venison, but I have made it with beef and bison as well.

Texas Style Chili

2# ground beef/ venison/ or bison.

1 T oil

1/2 t cumin

1 1/2 T chili powder ( ideally use good chili powder- spice islands is decent)

1/4 t allspice

1 1/2 T tomato paste

3 cloves minced garlic

3 stalks celery thinly sliced

2 large onions chopped

1 green/yellow/red pepper chopped

1 t oregano (preferably Mexican)

1 16oz can whole tomatoes-corsely chopped

3 8 oz cans tomato sauce

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

2 bay leaves

1 T sugar (optional)

1 15oz can pinto beans drained

1 15oz can kidney beans drained

Brown meat over high heat in 2 batches, pouring off and reserving liquid in between batches. Add chili powder, allspice, cumin just before second batch of meat is done and stir until fragrant. Add tomato paste to bare bottom of pan and stir in for 2 minutes (should deepen the color of the paste). Add other ingredients and reserved meat except the liquid ones. Reduce heat to med-low and partially cover, stirring frequently. Once vegetables translucent/softened, add other ingredients. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce to simmer until reaches desired thickness/flavors melded/can't wait to eat. Salt/pepper/cayenne pepper to taste. If able to, wait to eat next day. Consider garnishing with pile of raw diced onions and shredded sharp cheddar.

In your glass- Winter Storm beer from Clipper City Brewing Co.

Introduction

This is the first posting for my first blog. I love food- both eating it an cooking it. I got into food as a creative outlet and as a necessity. We have a budget on dining out, so to eat good food on a daily basis, I had to work on my cooking skills. Over the last decade, I have really developed a love for cooking itself aside from eating.

A few years ago, my wife had issues with fatigue which led to her being seen by multiple doctors and ultimately, a nutritionist. As result, she was diagnosed with gluten, soy, and casein (protein found in milk) intolerances. This has made cooking and dining out much more challenging. After about a year of adjusting, we have found ways to enjoy food without those ingredients (or very little of them, if you need to know the truth).

This blog will chronicle my cooking and eating experiences in the Greater Charm City area. Please feel free to tell me about any great restaurants/ stores/ recipes you find.