Medallions of Veal with Gran Marnier Reduction

Veal with Gran Marnier2 Veal Medallions
¼ cup blood orange infused olive oil
½ cup Gran Marnier
Salt and Pepper

In a large stick pan over high heat, add the oil and heat until it shimmers. Season the veal with salt and pepper and add it to the pan. Cook until meat is seared on one side, about 4 minutes ( a good trick to know when the meat is seared is to shake the pan. If it moves, it is done. If it is still stuck to the bottom of the pan, it still needs to cook longer). Flip and sear on the other side. Remove the medallions and allow the meat to rest while you finish the sauce.

Reduce heat to low. Add the Gran Marnier (be careful when you add the liquor that you don’t pour any on the flame or else you will end up with Flambé!) Reduce until the sauce is syrupy, about five minutes. Pour over veal and serve.

Recipe notes: This should still work with regular olive oil, I just happened to have blood orange infused olive oil. If you want a more intense orange flavor add 2 Tbs of orange or blood orange juice when you add the Gran Marnier.

Braised Swiss Chard with Stewed Tomatoes

Swiss Chard3 cloves minced Garlic
3 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can kidney or canellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch Swiss Chard, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions, and cook for about 8 minutes until onions are translucent. Add the Swiss Chard, and cook for a minute until the leaves begin to wilt. Add the tomatoes, cook for 1 minute and then reduce heat to medium. Stir in beans. Adjust heat again to maintain a simmer. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, just until the beans are heated through.

Prosciutto, Sun Dried Tomato, and Mozzarella Sandwiches

1 cup sun dried tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup high quality balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs sugar
¼ tsp kosher salt
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Fresh Basil
Prosciutto
1 Baguette

Heat the olive oil until it is hot but no bubbles have formed (I nuked it for about 1 minute…it worked perfectly), turn off the heat and add the sun dried tomatoes. Allow the tomatoes to soften in the oil for about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar, and salt and stir to combine.

To assemble the sandwich, cut a baguette into about three inch pieces, and slice lengthwise. Layer 2 pieces of prosciutto, 1 slice of fresh mozzarella, 3 tomatoes, and 2 pieces of the basil. Drizzle some of the vinegar and oil marinade from the tomatoes over the toppings and a little onto the bread. Put top slice of bread on the sandwich. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe notes: You could use sun dried tomatoes that are already soaked in oil, but I prefer to make my own because a) it’s cheaper and b) you can use a better, more flavorful olive oil. When you buy the dried tomatoes make sure they are fresh so they are still a bit soft.

Elk Burgers with Stone Fruit Chutney

1 Lb Ground elk Meat
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet onion, minced
2 peaches, peeled and chopped
2 nectarines, peeled and chopped
1 mango, peeled and chopped
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs sugar (optional depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
salt and pepper

For the Chutney:
Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.. Add garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 30 seconds Add onion and sauté for about 7 minutes until the onions are translucent and begin to caramelize (turn golden) around the edges. Add tomato paste, and stir for about 1-2 minutes until the tomato paste begins to turn brown. Add stone fruit and cook until the fruit is hot and begins to decompose, about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and add vinegar, cinnamon, and sugar. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

For the Burgers:
Season the elk meat with salt and pepper. Form into 1/3 pound burgers. Over hot coals cook on each side about 3-4 minutes. These burgers cook fast, so be careful not to overcook!

Recipe notes: I chose not to heavily season the elk meat because I was pairing the burgers with a very flavorful chutney. If you don’t make a chutney, I would suggest adding ¼ finely minced onion and 1 clove of garlic as well as salt and pepper to the elk meat. You can really use any combination of fruit in the chutney. If I had made a solely mango chutney as I originally intended, I probably would have added 1 Tbs of freshly ground ginger, substituted 1 tsp of Chinese five spice powder for the cinnamon, and used rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.

If you have any leftover chutney, mix with Balsamic vinegar—it makes a fabulous salad dressing!

Venison Bourguignon

Venison Stew2 lb venison stew meat, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 Tbs olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup finely chopped carrots
3 Tbs tomato paste
6 juniper berries, 6 pepper corns, 2 star anise, 4 cloves, 2 sprigs of rosemary, and 2 sprigs of thyme tied in cheese cloth
1 bottle red wine

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add meat.  Allow it to brown, about 3 minutes per side.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add onions and carrots and cook for about 7 minutes until the vegetables are soft.  Add the tomato paste and stir until paste begins to brown, about 3 minutes.  Add wine and stir to remove brown bits from the bottom of a pan.  Add cheese cloth bundle.  Bring stew to a simmer and reduce heat to low.  Allow stew to simmer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick.