This week our “Manitoulin National Holiday” brings to my mind the early years of our ancestors. The picture is of the men being the hunters and dragging home the large game for the women to look after!! Well times have changed to a certain point—men and women bring home the game but its cut and wrapped, ready to use in any recipe. What are the dynamics in your household in the cooking of the meat? In ours its hands off for me, I’ll do some taste tasting after the finished product but that’s it. My contribution for the dinner is everything else which works great and keeps the harmony going.
Curried venison
When John cooks the venison he always adds an apple. It seems to take away some of the gamey taste. This is a great dish for the slow cooker.
1 1/2 kg lean deer meat (trim off all fat and sinew)
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, diced
3 Tbsp mild curry powder
6 oz can tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 cups beef stock
4 carrots, diced
1/2 cup raisins or dried apricots, chopped
2 apples, chopped (you can leave the skin on)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut meat into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Lightly brown meat, onion and garlic in large, oiled skillet. Add curry powder and tomato paste. Mix well. Add beef stock and mix in rest of ingredients. Simmer for 1 to 2 hours, covered.
Green Goddess Dressing
I used this dressing on a simple salad—-a head of leaf lettuce broken up, baby kale leaves, and pea sprouts all tossed with the green goddess dressing. Excellent. I doubled the recipe and it will keep up to 5 days in the fridge.
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1/3 cup silken or medium firm tofu
1 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup fresh leaf herbs (I used basil)
In a blender or “the magic bullet,” puree all the ingredients until creamy. Add the dressing to salad, toss to combine and serve.
Cheese Crumble-Topped Mash
2 pounds potatoes, diced
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 cup grated sharp cheese or blue cheese
CRUMBLE TOPPING:
3 Tbsp butter
1 onion, cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, diced
1 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
3 cups fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
1. Cook the potatoes in a pot of water until tender.
2. Meanwhile, make the crumble topping. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion, garlic, and mustard and fry gently for 5 minutes, until the onion chunks have softened, stirring constantly.
3. Put the bread crumbs in a mixing bowl and stir in the fried onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Drain the potatoes thoroughly and place them in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and milk, then mash until smooth. Stir in the grated cheese while the potato is still hot.
5. Spoon the mashed potato into a shallow ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the crumble topping.
6. Cook in a preheated oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden brown and crunchy. Serve immediately.
