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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Deer Stew with Herbes de Provence

Imagine large, tender chunks of venison slowly simmering away in a broth of hearty red wine, sweet brandy, ripe tomatoes and fragrant herbs like lavender and thyme. After a few hours, this stew will fill your home with the most inviting smells. Following the French tradition, a lot of alcohol was used along with a small handful of herbes de Provence, a mixture of herbs indigenous to the Mediterranean, Southern part of France. Ladies, this is the perfect meal to welcome your beloved hunter home. After a cold day of being out in the field, he will surely appreciate this warm meal. (All political correctness aside-- I usually go with him, but when its cold, I volunteer to stay inside. Id rather stay home and cook than freeze my butt off. Let the man bring home the meat. You know what Im sayin?) And for all you gentlemen out there, shell appreciate you helping with the dishes. Rick does and I love him for it. ;-)

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2.5 hours

Ingredients:

- 3 lbs.venison roast

- 2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

- 2 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

- 1 cup of shallots, thinly sliced

- 2 tbs. brandy

- 2 tbs. tomato paste

- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

- 2 tsp. herbes de Provence

- 2 cups of hearty red wine

- 1 14.5 ounce can of whole, peeled tomatoes

- 4 strips of orange zest (2.5 inches long, removed with a peeler)

- 1 lb. (2 cups) of carrots, cut into 3/4 - 1 inch thick chunks

- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

- fresh parsley for garnish, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Position rack to the lower third of oven.

Trim venison roast of all silver-skin and fat. Cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes. Lightly sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Over medium heat, heat oil and bacon in a 7-8 quart Dutch oven until bacon is browned but not crisp. Stir occasionally. About 5-6 minutes.

Remove bacon bits to a small plate.

3. In the same grease, brown venison cubes in batches, in a single layer, until cubes turn a rich brown on all sides. Do the same for remaining cubes. About 10 minutes.

Set browned cubes aside in a plate.

4. Turn the stove up to medium-high heat. Using the same grease, add shallots, a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Saute until shallots begin to soften. 1 minute.

5. Add brandy and let it boil away.

6. Add tomato paste, garlic and herbes de Provence. Mix well and saute for another 1 minute.

7. Add the wine. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to dislodge all the yummy crusties at the bottom. Bring to a boil.

8. Pour in the juice from the can of whole tomatoes, holding the tomatoes back with your hand.

Then, one by one, crush the tomatoes with your hand over the pot and drop them in.

Be careful though...

Because this is what happens when you get too excited ... Stand back, everyone!

9. Drop in orange zest. Bring to a simmer.

Return the browned venison along with the meat juices. Return the bacon bits.

Finally, add the carrots.

10. Cover the pot. Slide into the oven and cook for about 2.5 hours, or until meat is fork tender. Stir every 45 minutes.

When it comes out, it should look like this. Yours should look wetter. We went to San Diego and left the stew going for 3 hours. 2.5 hours would be perfect.

Enjoy with the rest of your wine (and brandy). And homemade mashed potatoes.

This weeks wine was Long Arms Red Blend, one that we got from Trader Joes for about 6 bucks. Its not what you call a "pedigreed" wine, but Rick still gives it two thumbs up.

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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Cilantro Pesto de Esteban

Kick up the usual pesto with fresh, citrusy cilantro.

One of our favorite pesto recipes doesnt have a scrap of basil in it. Nope. Its a cilantro pesto- fresh, citrusy and different. Slather on salmon, corn on the cob, or toasted gluten-free bread. Spoon a dollop into spicy Mexican soups and chili.

Its been quiet on the GFG blog but not-quite-so-quiet here in our little casita by the windswept mesa. You see, a certain gluten-free goddess has been wrestling bare handed with some nagging health issues that living gluten-free hasnt squashed so far (whats up with that?). Im contemplating a post about it because I suspect what Im going through isnt exactly unheard of. In fact, Im willing to bet many gluten-free readers will be able to relate.

And Babycakes, you know Im always one to share. But Im not quite ready to write about it. Im still in the thick of it- but finding some help, at last. And the past two days have been better. And so, I thought Id grab my camera and share a new pesto Esteban just whipped up after a quick trip to Wild Oats in Santa Fe today.

Cilantro Pesto de Esteban

Cilantro, it turns out, is not only a cool accompaniment to hot and spicy dishes and coconut milk sauces, it may be good for you. Cilantro is full of antioxidants and (perhaps?) helps the body to detoxify. Folklore has it aiding the liver in detoxification efforts. Whats not to love about that?

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves- we bought 1 large bunch of cilantro
1 large garlic clove
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1 roasted red pepper
2 ounces Asiago cheese, grated - for vegan and GF/CF, try nutritional yeast
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, as needed

Instructions:

Place the cilantro, garlic, almonds, red pepper and Asiago in a food processor bowl; cover and pulse until finely chopped. Begin adding a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and pulse to combine. Add enough olive oil to make a paste.

Taste test for seasoning or texture adjustments.

Karinas Notes:

Serve a spoonful of cilantro pesto as a flavorful spike to soups and chili, stir-fries and hummus.

Slather it on your favorite rice pasta.

Use it as an appetizer spread with cream cheese and rice crackers.

Schmear it on a brown rice pizza shell and top it with spicy vegetables and shredded jalapeno pepper cheese.

Spoon it on a split baked potato and crumble goat cheese on top.

Use a spoonful to make a salad dressing: just add olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper; whisk till combined.

And dont forget quesadillas - this pesto would be fab on a grilled corn tortilla with sliced fresh tomatoes and shredded cheddar or goat cheese.

Okay, now Im getting hungry. Whens lunch?