venison stoup

i call this stoup because 

it is a soup-slash-stew

or stew-slash-soup

it cooks for about 3 hours

but is brothy

and a great way to use some of the less tender pieces of venison

but would also be great with beef

if that is your thing

this is really delicious

even if you think it is sad that anyone would eat bambi

no one eats bambi

bambi was a cartoon, silly

this is bambi's mother

venison stoup
(printable recipe)

4 strips of bacon-diced

2 lbs venison-cut into chunks

1 medium onion--diced

3 cloves garlic--chopped

2 ribs celery--chopped

2 turnips--chopped

2 large carrots--cut into rounds

4-6 small red or white potatoes--quartered

1 head cabbage--cut into pieces

14oz can stewed tomatoes--sqeezed to crush

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup venison or beef broth

4-5 cups water

cook the bacon in a stock pot and render all the fat.  meanwhile, dry the venison with paper towel.  once the fat is rendered and the bacon starts to get crunchy, add the venison and cook until browned on all sides. toss in the onion, celery and garlic and cook until they begin to soften.  toss in the rest of the vegetables, including the tomatoes.  add the chili powder, salt and pepper.  give it a stir or two and then add the liquid.  you want enough liquid to cover the meat and vegetables.  give it another stir and then cover and cook over low heat about 3 hours.  check often to make sure it is not boiling (you want a simmer), and that you have enough liquid.

serve with crusty sourdough bread

i am linking to tuesday night supper club

and

hearth and soul blog hop

and
tasty tidbits

chicken and chorizo pot pie

chicken pot pie 

is stick to your ribs goodness

is there anything better

on a cold afternoon

post

rain puddle hopping

or 

in my case

winterizing the garden

hubster and i are getting ready for a long trip

which means we are eating solely

from

the pantry and freezer

i was able to put these pies together

with things i have on hand

my fave part of this recipe is

if you don't want to make  pot pie

the filling is great as a stew

or

leave out the flour and add a bit more broth

and make it a soup

chicken and chorizo pot pie

(printable recipe)

2 Tbs olive oil

2 chicken breasts--cut into cubes

2 chorizo links (cooked)--cut crosswise into coins

1/2 cup celery--chopped

1/2 cup onion--chopped

2 cloves garlic--chopped

1 yam or sweet potato--cubed

1 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomato

1/2 cup corn (frozen or fresh)

3 Tbs flour

2 Tbs emeril's southwest seasoning (recipe follows)

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/2 cup chicken stock

1 Tbs worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

pie crust or puff pastry

heat olive oil in heavy stock pot.  saute chorizo and chicken until the fat is rendered.  toss in the celery, onion  and garlic and continue to cook until the onion and garlic are soft.  throw in the yam, tomato, and corn.  cook for 10 minutes longer.  mix together the flour and southwest seasoning and stir into the pot, making sure it is evenly mixed. stir in white wine and chicken stock (if you don't want to use wine, just increase the amount of stock). add worcestershire sauce.  cover and cook on lowest setting for 35 minutes. allow to cool to warm.  transfer to oven safe dish or dishes and top with crust.  bake in a preheated 375 oven for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is browned and the filling is bubbling.

Emeril's Southwest Seasoning

2 Tbs chili powder

2 Tbs paprika

1 Tbs ground coriander

1 Tbs garlic powder 

1 Tbs salt

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

mix together and store in an airtight jar

i am linking this up to tuesday night supper club

and

hearth and soul blog hop

Tuesday Night Supper Club

we have had a bit of a cold spell lately

it has dipped well below 70 degrees

Don't hate me

which made it a perfect day for a the picture show

so we seized the opportunity

and chose

 Armored with Matt "ha cha cha" Dillon

Even as a creep he's dreamy

but sadly,

I give the movie a miss

it's kinda slow

until it isn't anymore

and then its over

just

like

that

I say if you only have $9 in your pocket

hold out for Sherlock Holmes

because really

Robert Downey Jr AND Jude Law

my oh my

who cares about the premise

or

the plot

or

the ending

when RDj steps on screen

just sit back and let it happen, baby

but i digress

we went to the movie, which means popcorn, which means a light supper

so i made a spicy, spicy vegetable stew for me

and added a chicken breast for hubster

comfort food

that doesn't require stretch pants

Spicy Vegetable Stew
(printable recipe)

olive oil

1 large potato--peeled and cubed

1 red bell pepper--julienne (you can use roasted peppers if you have in cupboard)

2 ribs celery--cut in large pieces

2 medium carrots--cut in large pieces

1 large eggplant--cut in chunks

1 small can diced tomatoes

handful kalamata olives--pitted

handful green olives with pimento (optional)

basically any kind of olive that isn't the kind you put on your finger tips

2-3 Tbs capers

4-6 dried chiles

pinch hot pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups red wine

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1/4 tsp or more cayenne pepper

2 Tbs tomato paste

equal amounts fresh chopped parsley and mint (about 2T each)

Heat dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. When hot add potatoes, red pepper, celery, eggplant, and carrots.  Cook stirring occasionally until they begin to soften, but not brown--about 5 or 7 minutes.  Add tomatoes, olives, capers and hot chilies and let cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add broth, wine and chili flakes.  Place top on either let cook on stove top (which means you have to check and stir frequently) or pop into a 350 oven and let simmer away for about 45 minutes to an hour.  If you are making on a stove top the time will be shorter.  

Remove top and place on top of stove (if using oven).  Allow to simmer and add tomato paste, parsley and mint 

let cook for a few minutes to get to your desired thickness--i like it a bit soupy

add cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

Eat Up!

Tuesday Night Supper Club

It was kind of chilly today

chilly for southern california

but good

i love the cool weather and was getting a bit bored of the 80 degree fall

and I heard that we got a bit of snow at our cabin,

which makes me very excited to head up there

soon,

very soon

but in the meanwhile I am going to pretend that we live in a very cold place

because I made a chicken stew tonight for dinner

--it didn't turn out exactly as I expected

but it was good enough

and had all the required nutrients

and basically works from the pantry

Chicken Stew
(printable recipe)

6 chicken thighs

a large can of whole peeled tomatoes (squish them in your hand to break up)

5 whole garlic cloves

1 large onion--cut in half then sliced into half-moon

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

few handfuls of baby spinach (or any kind of spinach...or no spinach at all)

1 Tbs tomato paste

1 cup broth (chicken or turkey or veggie is best)

1/2 cup or so of red wine--any kind you might have in your fridge white wine will work too

sprig of fresh rosemary or 1 Tbs dried

sprig of  fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

balsamic vinegar to finish

Cover the bottom of a dutch oven or sturdy skillet (with top) with olive oil in a thin layer.  Place chicken thighs, skin side down and cook until the skin is browned, but the chicken is not cooked all the way through.  Remove from pan.  Toss in whole garlic and the potatoes, cook until the potatoes are a bit crispy, remove.  Toss in onions--adding a bit more oil if necessary.  When they are beginning to caramelize, put everything back in the pot and add the tomatoes with any liquid, wine, broth, tomato paste, rosemary, oregano and salt and pepper.  Don't over do it with the salt, allow some room for fine tuning when the stew is fully cooked.

Cook for about 40 minutes on a low fire with top on.  Remove the top, stir a bit, allowing some of the potatoes to break up to thicken the sauce.  Let cook for about 5-10 minutes more.  Taste for salt and pepper.

Drizzle some  balsamic vinegar on the top of each serving. 

Eat Up!

 I still have my give-a-ways going...just click
here, here,and here