venison tagine {moroccan}

i may have mentioned before

(a time or three)

that hubs is a hunter

which

affords us a freezer full of rich meats

antelope, boar, venison, elk

venison works well with the heady spices 

found in an african pantry

 

venison tagine

serves 4

(printable recipe)

1 1/2 lbs venison (or lamb) cut into chunks

1/2 cup (about) flour

olive oil

salt to taste

3/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbs garam masala-after grinding*

large pinch saffron threads

2 cups warm water

1 medium onion-grated

1 clove garlic-finely chopped

generous handful dried cranberries or cherries

1/2 cup dried apricots, cut into slivers

1 lemon-grated zest and juice

1 cup blanched almonds

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbs unsalted butter

dissolve saffron in the warm water. preheat oven to 350F. heat olive oil in bottom of heavy bottom (oven proof) pot or dutch oven.  coat the venison pieces in flour and brown in olive oil.  once brown, add in onion and cook until the onion just begins to brown on edges. toss in garlic and give it a few stirs. allow to cook a couple of minutes.  add saffron water, cover and place in preheated oven.  cook until venison is very tender about 45-60 minutes).  remove from oven, add in cranberries (or cherries if using), apricots, honey, lemon zest and juice, almonds, and honey.  place over medium heat on stove and cook for about 15 minutes more. if it appears to be too dry add a bit of warm water just to loosen a bit. if it is too watery, remove the top and cook and stir to slightly thicken.  remove from heat and stir in butter just before serving.

serve with couscous or over rice
*i use whole spices-toast them and then grind in mortar and pestle...but if you can find garam masala in your spice aisle, by all means use it!

tomato chutney

basically

i am obsessed with this stuff

its a recipe

i swiped

from my visit to

ca' di gosta

in the hills of umbria

it was served one afternoon

and

 after catching me

licking the jar clean

jenny shared the recipe with me

great on a turkey sandwich

or a perfect condiment to

kalua pork

make it

make.

it.

now.

tomato chutney

(printable recipe)

makes approx 6 pints

3 lbs cherry tomatoes-cut in half

1 head garlic-peeled and finely chopped

1 heaping tsp crushed red pepper

about 2" root ginger--peeled and finely chopped

10 oz cider vinegar

1 1/2-2 lbs dark brown sugar

generous pinch of kosher salt

place all ingredients in a large pot, stir and allow to sit for 30-60 minutes.  place over medium heat, stirring occasionally and allow it to get to a dark, jammy like consistency.  this should take the better part of an hour. when you think the chutney may be ready, taste for flavor. you can adjust the sweet/sour/spicy at this point by adding more sugar, vinegar or red pepper.  test for doneness by placing a small bit of the chutney on a cold plate. if the chutney allows you to run a finger through it leaving a clean break, it is ready. you do not want it to get hard like a candy. place in glass jars and store in the refrigerator or if you are familiar with proper canning procedures, process for 15 minutes (at sea level) in sterilized jars.