What's for Dinner?

[geek]

@ceeaton

Never tried deer before.....

 

[ceeaton]

@ceeaton

Never tried deer before.....

Well, offer a hunter some of your good wine and maybe they'll give you some!

Taste can vary depending on a lot of things. We live in a pretty heavy agricultural zone, so most of the ones around here are corn fed and pretty mild tasting (not real gamey). I think younger deer are much better tasting than older ones, especially an older buck that just went through the rut (when I get some of that I end up putting it on the smoker).

 

[sour_grapes]

I had a pork steak that I meant to start cooking via sous vide yesterday for tonight's dinner, but I forgot last night. So, I come home a bit early and started a cianghiale ragu. (See, for example, http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/debi-mazar-and-gabriele-corcos/ragu-di-cinghiale.html .) Also had browned Brussels sprouts and parmesan. Washed these down with my CC Yakima Cab-Shiraz and also a Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cab Sauv.

 

[ceeaton]

I had a pork steak that I meant to start cooking via sous vide yesterday for tonight's dinner, but I forgot last night. So, I come home a bit early and started a cianghiale ragu. (See, for example, http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/debi-mazar-and-gabriele-corcos/ragu-di-cinghiale.html .) Also had browned Brussels sprouts and parmesan. Washed these down with my CC Yakima Cab-Shiraz and also a Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cab Sauv.

Paul, so did you grind the pork steak or just dice it into smaller portions? That looks like a recipe worth trying since the kids all like a regular classic ragú using either ground beef or ground chicken, and those ingredients are pretty close (other than the dried juniper berries and sage).

 

[ceeaton]

Got home late, was thinking about other recipes I could use for some venison. So I decided to try some beef stroganoff. I figured if this worked out that substituting venison wouldn't really alter the dish, too much. Only issue was that I ran into a fellow winemaker at the Giant, and we did some catching up. I feel that after 50 you should be allowed to clog up the meat isle if you so choose, just getting in some practice. Then my younger brother brought over jgmann's PS samples (which was very nice of him) and we got to talking, which is amazing since my family is usually pretty quiet in general. So my dinner was served around 8:15 pm, and was quite good. Did some Pinot Grigio tastings along the way, which is the white wine I used to deglaze the pan while making the stroganoff.

And yes, I used fresh mushrooms, not canned.

 

[JohnT]

So I decided to try some beef stroganoff.

Looks really good. How about posting the recipe?

 

[sour_grapes]

Paul, so did you grind the pork steak or just dice it into smaller portions? That looks like a recipe worth trying since the kids all like a regular classic ragú using either ground beef or ground chicken, and those ingredients are pretty close (other than the dried juniper berries and sage).

I just cut it into ~3/4" cubes. I did not realize that the recipe I posted called for ground. Most cianghiale recipes I have seen call for chunks, plus long cooking times. I have had this dish a couple of times in Tuscany (yum!!), and the meat was NOT ground, at least on those two occasions.

 

[ceeaton]

Looks really good. How about posting the recipe?

Okay, but I was drinking and it is thrown together from memory (how my Mom made it) with a few ideas from online recipes. First, avoid talking to wine making buddies in the grocery store, it made my dinner rather late, and we annoyed quite a few people in the meat aisle, where I found my first ingredient - beef prepped for stir fry (because I'm lazy).

1 lb beef chuck cut in strips, which I cut down in 1/3rds
2 TBS Worchestershire sauce/pinch of salt/pinch of pepper

place cut beef and sauce in glass container and set aside

1/2 stick butter (4 TBS)
1/2 large red onion diced
1 small yellow onion diced

sweat onions for a few minutes and add

1 lb portabella mushrooms (small) sliced
salt/pepper to taste and cook down mushrooms to exude liquid (covered)

remove onion/mushroom but leave liquid behind and add

beef which had a TBS or two of flour mixed evenly through (used GF so son could eat) and cook covered, occasionally turning meat until evenly browned and no longer red (3-5 minutes?) (At this point my brother came over and I lost track of exact time)

remove meat and add

2 cloves garlic, minced

cook 3 minutes and deglaze with 1/2 cup of white wine (I used Pinot Grigio) to get brown leftover bits into suspension, then add everything back into pot and to that add

1/2 cup beef broth (I used a bullion cube in 1 cup water, so I used 1/2 of that)

and cook covered for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring. If it gets on the dry side add more of the stock, and at the 10 minute mark add the rest if there is any left over.

Test meat for tenderness, which if it isn't by now it won't be. Reduce heat to low, very low and add

1/4 cup cream (I used half and half)
1/2 cup sour cream

Stir and taste for seasoning (add additional salt and pepper if needed). Meanwhile strain that 1 lbs of thick pasta or egg noodles you've been cooking to al dente (I didn't have egg noodles, so used fettuccine snapped in 1/2 before cooking) and add it to the pot with everything else. Stir to incorporate goodies evenly on noodles, turn off heat and let sit a few minutes. During this time it should absorb the liquid goodness into the noodles.

On an aside, if kids aren't eating it, a hot pepper or three (or even red pepper flakes) adds a nice dimension to this dish.

It is great left over (was my lunch today). Should serve about 6 if there are a few kids eating.

I hope to try this with some venison instead of beef in the near future.

 

[ibglowin]

Friday night........ Pizza night as it is known around WMT!

First Pizza's cooked in the new LG Range with convection oven and it did not disappoint.

First up is one that even @GreginND might approve of........ Onion, fresh chanterelle mushrooms (thank you Costco!) fresh spinach, kalamata olives, manchego and chèvre cheese (thank you again Costco.....)

Next we have a NM tradition, state pizza is the "Roadrunner" so we have a souped up version. Pepperoni, Italian sausage, green chile (hot), kalamata olives, manchego, chèvre cheese.......

Pizzas were cooked to perfection in 10mins at 425 vs about 14 mins in a conventional oven. Crust was perfect. The wine...... You will have to check out the whats in your glass thread!

 

[ceeaton]

Mike, that crust looks perfect! Gotta love the convection feature on an oven. Just disappointed you didn't use any canned mushrooms.

 

[Boatboy24]

Pies look awesome, Mike. Need to see that crisp, bottom crust though.

 

[sour_grapes]

Those pizzas do, indeed, look very tasty.

I almost went for homemade pizza tonight, myself. Instead, wound up with boneless chicken thighs with a parsley/garlic/panko crust, served with a "pesto" of cilantro, garlic, and roasted pumpkin seeds; roast broccoli with lemon and fennel; and tostones. Eclectic, but delicious!

 

[ceeaton]

Meat Sir Loin O. Pork, being seared on the grill in an ice storm (25*F and rain mixed with sleet), nice day to cook inside and do wine related things. Wifey will be making a cake so we can celebrate our oldest Son's 18th birthday today! Almost couldn't fit the bone-in loin into the crock pot (was about 4.5 lbs but long on one dimension). Will be pulling it for pulled pork sandwiches and subs. Not sure what we are serving it with, but it's gotta be something we have in the house since none of us are driving anywhere until it warms up a bit, if it does.

Edit: "Honey I shrank the pork roast". Took an image when I rotated the roast just now. Pulled a small piece, is done but needs a few more hours to finish. Still nice and moist, always worry about it getting too dry with a sirloin cut, that's why I tend to not do it to completion on the smoker. A butt cut is better for that, don't have to open up the smoker to baste.

 

[geek]

@ceeaton

Man, I really need to stop by when I go and visit my buddy Bill @bkisel

 

[ceeaton]

@ceeaton

Man, I really need to stop by when I go and visit my buddy Bill @bkisel

Unfortunately he is 183 miles North of me. But when you do go to visit, let me know, because I'd love to meet up and invite you and Bill (and family) to our cabin in the canyon to drink some really good wine and eat some food on our porch, and watch the wildlife go by (which includes rafters and bikers depending on the time of the year). We also have room to sleep 16, though our beds are doubles and not queens.

 

[Boatboy24]

Was at a friend's for dinner last night. Chicken piccata, turkey lasagna, roasted peppers, an amazing salad. Still stuffed!

 

[GreginND]

''Twas a good night to snuggle by a fire and have pizza. (Yes, that's F)

 

[ceeaton]

Chicken fried venison (also fried chicken chunks for the girls). Served with garlicy mashed taters and green beans. Boys loved it. Wife said she'd eat it if on a desert island and she was starving, she liked the chicken better. Youngest daughter tried it, didn't like it. Oldest daughter has a nasty cold, not in the mood to try anything new. So as I suspected, a boys meal. I had packed the steaks up in fours, which is perfect, one for me and the 11 yr old, two for the strapping 18 year old. We have 5 packs in the freezer, youngest son is already asking for it again, maybe this weekend.

 

[sour_grapes]

Not as cold as Greg, but the high was only 4 F today. So, my mind turned to stew. Not literally, that is; I meant, my THOUGHTS turned toward a stew. Lamb shoulder, fennel, parsnip, mushrooms, etc. Turned out quite lovely on a clear, wintry day.

 

[JohnT]

Chicken fried venison

Craig, How did you make the gravy?

Growing up, the one thing that would never fail to upset my dad was a kid refusing to eat. We had to clean our plate and (if offered something new) must try all that is offered to us. In fact, if we looked at something new, and announced "I don't want any", he would make us eat twice as much.

I know, this sounds harsh, but Dad was a war refugee and lived a great deal of his childhood literally starving with no idea of where his next meal was coming from. That does something to a person.