Bambi Burgers--with Bacon!

Native Roots just started carrying ground venison and elk! Yay! Tonight, I had my first voyage into cooking up Bambi, and he was every bit as tasty as I thought he would be.

Bambi & Bacon Burgers

(Makes 4-5)

-2 - 3 oz bacon, minced

-1 clove (1/2 tsp) garlic, minced

-1 shallot, minced

-1 lb ground venison

-1 - 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

-1 tsp dried parsley

-1 egg, beaten

-Salt & pepper to taste

Over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to a large bowl, reserving bacon grease in the pan. Add garlic and shallots to the bacon grease, and saute until soft, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add garlic/shallots to the bowl with the bacon, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Add venison and remaining ingredients to bowl, knead with hands until thoroughly mixed. Form meat into 4-5 balls, and lightly press into patties.

Cook on griddle, grill, or in a skillet until thoroughly cooked, flipping every few minutes to prevent burning.

I ate mine (as pictured) with spinach and artichoke hearts, lightly sauteed in clarified butter with a little garlic and red pepper flakes, and the combo was really, really nice. Next time, I'll probably saute onions and mushrooms with some bacon; one can never have too much bacon.

Yay Bambi!

~Losterman

Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca

Another Gordon Ramsay adaptation. This dish is super flavorful and exciting, and most of all, the tangy sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes balances out the salt in the dish really well, so don't let the anchovies scare you off. Despite my love for salt, I find anchovies pretty repulsive in isolation, but they work really, really well in the context of this dish.

Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca

(Serves 2)

-2 cloves (1 tsp) garlic, minced

-1 shallot, finely chopped

-1 dried chili, finely chopped

-1 tin anchovies, sliced

-4-5 sundried tomatoes (jarred, in olive oil), finely chopped

-2 tbsp capers

-4-5 large green olives, sliced

-1 tsp dried basil

-2 - 3 cups cooked spaghetti squash (prep instructions here)

-1-2 tsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots, and chili pepper, and saute briefly, until shallots begin to soften. Add tomatoes and anchovies, and mix thoroughly (make sure that you break up the anchovies well--otherwise you'll end up with big mouthfuls of it, and that's a lot of salt). Add capers, olives, and basil, mix well. Finally, add spaghetti squash, mix well with other ingredients, and cook until heated through.

Lovely!

~Losterman

Pig Peppers

I always struggle to find ways to use leftover pork roast (5lb roast + 1 person = many, many days of pulled pork). Why didn't I consider adding bacon sooner...?

Pig Peppers

-1 sweet pepper (just choose your favorite color)

-2 strips thick cut bacon, chopped

-2-3 oz leftover pulled pork

-1-2 oz chorizo sausage

-1 shallot, chopped

-Salsa to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut the top off the pepper, and clean out the seeds. Over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is just beginning to brown. Add chorizo and shallots, and cook until the sausage is thoroughly browned, and shallots are soft. Add pulled pork, and heat through. Stuff as much of the mixture as you can into the pepper (snack on the remainder, if you're me), place the top back on, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the pepper has softened. Top with your favorite salsa to serve.

~Losterman

Lotta Frittatas

I've been eating a lot of these lately, and they're all awesome, but it would be pretty obnoxious to do a separate post for each of them, especially because the prep is essentially identical for all omelets/frittatas. But all of these combos are tested and (enthusiastically) approved, and they're super quick--check em out.

Peach & Pecan

-2 eggs

-1/2 peach, diced

-A handful of pecans (2-3 oz), chopped

-Vanilla & cinnamon

-Coconut oil

Carrot & Parsley

(I was surprised that this one turned out as well as it did--the carrots get uber sweet when you cook them down enough.)

-2 eggs

-1 shallot, finely chopped

-1 carrot, shredded

-1 dried chili, chopped (optional)

-A few sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped

-Sea salt & pepper

-Coconut oil

Artichoke & Sun-dried Tomatoes

-2 eggs

-1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, diced

-4-5 sun-dried tomatoes (the ones I used were marinated in olive oil), chopped

-Feta cheese (optional, but tasty)

-Basil, oregano & pepper

-Coconut oil

Basic instructions: Heat oil in a small pan (I use an 8" non-stick for these occasions) over medium heat. Beat eggs with a little salt/pepper (or vanilla and cinnamon for the first recipe), and set aside. Add veggies (or fruit) and any seasonings to pan,* and saute until they begin to soften. Pour eggs around the perimeter of the pan, and tilt to distribute the eggs through the veggies. Cook until the eggs set.

*For the carrot & parsley recipe, don't saute the parsley with the veg, sprinkle it on top once the eggs are in the pan.

Be sure not to overcrowd your pan with the veggies/fruit, or the eggs won't cook evenly--burned on the bottom and raw on top. Gross.

~Losterman

Spiced Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes

Part two of the I Heart Gordon Ramsay series.

I'm a little bit of a BBQ sauce junkie, and I never eat a pork chop without it. These, however, didn't need anything else. The sweet potato mash was the perfect complement to the pork chop.

And as an aside on prep: if you don't have a mortar and pestle? Get one (I found one for like $13 at Bed Bath and Beyond). Because for some reason, crushing whole spices is crazy fun, and it smells amazing. Words cannot describe.

Spiced Pork Chops with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

(Serves 2)

Pork Chops:

-2 boneless pork chops

-1 tsp coriander seeds

-1 star anise

-1/2 tsp chili powder

-1/2 tsp paprika

-1 clove garlic, crushed

-A few sprigs of fresh thyme

-A few grinds each of sea salt and pepper

-1 generous tbsp olive oil

Sweet Potatoes

-1 large sweet potato

-2-3 cups chicken broth

-1 shallot, finely chopped

-1 clove garlic, crushed

-Coconut oil

-Salt to taste

-1-2 tsp fresh sage

-1-2 tsp fresh cilantro

Crush the coriander and star anise, and add to a small bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and mix well. Pour marinade onto a plate, and add pork chops. Flip once to get the marinade covering all surfaces. Put into the fridge.

Peel and dice sweet potato. Put chicken broth into a pot over high heat. When broth is boiling, add sweet potato, and boil around 8 minutes, until they are softening (they shouldn't be fully cooked yet). Remove from heat, drain, run under cold water, and drain again. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove pork chops from the fridge. Place a pan over medium/medium-high heat, and get it nice and hot. Add a little bit of oil to the pan, and then add pork chops. Cook on each side for about 45 secs - 1 min, and occasionally tip onto the edges to ensure that you get color on all sides. Then, put the pan into the oven, and bake for about 8 minutes, until meat is just firm when pressed lightly. Set aside to rest.

In a second pan, heat oil over medium heat, and add shallots and garlic. Saute until shallots begin to caramelize. Add sweet potatoes, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, with a fork (or if you're fancy and own a potato masher, use that--I do not), begin mashing the sweet potatoes in the pan. When thoroughly mashed and soft, remove from heat, add the sage and cilantro, and a bit of sea salt to taste, and mix thoroughly.

Plate it up and serve it up. These won't disappoint.

~Losterman

Asian Summer Salad

Does anybody else go through hardcore Gordon Ramsay phases? I've always been a huge fan of his approach to food, which is all about short ingredient lists and fresh flavors. Also, a remarkable proportion of his dishes are paleo-friendly.

Anyway, I just remembered why he's awesome, so the next few posts are probably gonna be at least Ramsay inspired, if not all Ramsay. This one is straight from The F Word, and it's a perfect summer salad. It's light, and all the constituents balance each other really nicely.

Asian Summer Salad

(Serves 4-5)

-2 cucumbers, peeled

-2 carrots, peeled

-1 fresh jalapeno

-2-3 tsp toasted sesame oil

-2-3 tsp rice wine vinegar

-1-1.5 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

-Sea salt to taste

-Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin slicer, slice cucumbers and carrots lengthwise into thin strips (my cucumber slices were too wide for my aesthetic sensibilities, so I halved the slices lengthwise). Use the peeler/mandolin to cut the jalapeno into thin rings. Put all veggies into a bowl, and add oil, vinegar, cilantro, and grind sea salt over top. Gently mix together all ingredients with your hands, and plate.

I just had this with some leftover brats (classy), but I think it would go really nicely with baked chicken or pork chops.

~Losterman

Mediterranean Crab and Veggie "Spaghetti"

Mmm. All of these flavors just work brilliantly together. Tangy, savory, with a little bit of a kick from the chili pepper. Great way to enjoy spaghetti squash.

Mediterranean Crab and Veggie "Spaghetti"

(Serves 2)

-2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (if you haven't cooked it before, I have instructions here)

-1/2 cup chicken broth

-2 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped

-1/2 onion, finely diced

-2 cloves (1 tsp) garlic, crushed

-1/2 cup green olives, halved

-1 cup quartered artichoke hearts, halved

-1 Roma tomato, diced

-1 or 2 dried chili peppers, finely chopped

-1/2 tsp oregano

-1/2 tsp basil

-1 6oz can crab meat, drained

-Olive oil and black pepper to garnish

-Prep all your veggies. In a large sauce pan, combine spaghetti squash and chicken broth, and sprinkle with black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer while you saute your veggies.

In a separate pan, add bacon and cook over medium heat until it begins to get crispy. Add in garlic and onions, and saute until the onions begin to soften. Add olives, artichokes, and seasoning, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, and cook for about 2 minutes. Finally, add crab, and gently mix through. Remove from heat.

Drain your spaghetti squash, and plate. Top with a nice, heaping scoop of the veggie/crab mixture. Garnish with a few grinds of black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Serve immediately. Enjoy.

~Losterman