Recipes Cooking: deer

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Deer and Cheese Taquitos

Usually made with shredded meat, we had a few reservations about this recipe. But to our pleasant surprise, ground venison works quite well with taquitos. If youre looking for a quick weeknight dinner, or any dinner really, our Deer and Cheese Taquitos are simple to make. You dont have to wait long hours to roast any meat.

And instead of filling our taquitos with just meat, we added our very own twist. Rolling shredded Mexican cheese inside will make your taquitos taste extra delicious, while seasoning freshly fried shells with smoky Paprika, garlic powder and salt gives an extra kick. Our Waka-Guacamole, Mexican Rice and Mexican Refried Beans are musts with this recipe. Like Rick said, "Guacomole and taquitos were made for each other!" And of course, dont forget the ice cold cerveza (beer). This week, we tried an inexpensive Salvadoran beer called Cerveza Caguama. For only 2 bucks, the 32 oz. bottle made us both happy beyond happy. I know Rick certainly was! ;-)

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4, about 12 taquitos

Ingredients:

- vegetable oil

- 1/2 lb. ground venison

- 1/4 cup of onion, chopped

- 1/2 tsp. cumin

- 1/2 tsp. chili powder

- 1/2 tsp. coriander

- sea/Kosher salt, to taste

- about 12 corn tortillas, give or take

- toothpicks

Shell Seasoning:

- Hungarian Paprika, or regular sweet paprika

- garlic powder

- table salt

Waka-Guacamole: click here for recipe.

Mexican Rice: click here for recipe.

Mexican Refried Beans: click here for recipe.

Venison... so pretty...

1. Heat 1 tbs. of oil over medium heat. Cook onion until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir often.

Then add 1/2 tsp. of cumin, 1/2 tsp. coriander and 1/2 tsp. of chili powder. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.

2. Stir in ground venison, and cook over medium-high heat until brown, stirring occasionally.

With a spoon, try to break up the ground venison as much as you can.

Like so. Cook until most of the juices evaporate. Add sea/Kosher salt to taste.

3. Over low heat, heat 1 corn tortilla in a dry, clean pan. This will soften the tortilla to make it easier to work with.

Working quickly, so the tortilla doesnt cool and harden again, fill the tortilla with cooked venison mixture and shredded Mexican style cheese. Do not overfill.

Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can around the filling. With a toothpick, needle through overlapping layers of tortilla. This will help the taquitos hold together when frying.

Repeat with the rest of the filling.

Ignore the burrito. Rick decided to experiment. :-)

4. Heat about 1/2 - 3/4 inches of vegetable oil in a large pan. When the oil reaches about 350-375 degrees, gently place taquitos into the oil. You dont want any filling to fall out.

Fry for about 30 seconds on each side, or until golden and crispy.

Do this in batches. Cook in one layer and do not overcrowd pan.

When done, remove taquitos from oil. Tilt taquitos to drain any excess oil inside and then drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle table salt, paprika and garlic powder to taste all over hot taquitos.

Heres a non sequitur, but Rick brought home some interesting Mexican sweets...

Back to business! Serve Deer and Cheese Taquitos with Mexican pickles, cold beer and Waka-Guacamole.

Please enjoy, everyone! As always, thank you for being so awesome. Happy hunting, cooking and eating!

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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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