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.

Pasta with Peas, Mushrooms, and Fresh Mozzarella

Pasta with Peas, Mushroms, and Mozarella1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Cups Chopped Fresh Mushrooms
4 Fresh tomatoes, skin removed and chopped
2 cups fresh peas
1 large ball of fresh mozzarella, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh basil
1/2 Lb large tubular noodles

Cook the noodles in a large pot of salted water. Drain and reserve. Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and add garlic.  Sautee for about 30 seconds until you can smell the garlic.  Add the onion and sautee until translucent, about five minutes.  Add the mushrooms, reduce heat and cook until mushrooms begin to release their juices.  Add tomatoes and stir until tomatoes begin to break down, about 7 minutes. Add peas and cook until hot, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Turn off heat and add noodles, basil, and mozzarella.

Recipe note: Try different combinations of mushrooms. They add different flavors and depth to the sauce