What's For Dinner?

There are two constants on our menu.

Salmon and venison once a week. Tonight was the latter.

Clockwise, sautéed fresh spinach, baked jacket potato and pan-seared backyard whitetail. Medium rare. 

It's what's for dinner.

Pretty good chow if you can get it.

Eat More Deer

Before sunset today this was the view east from the bedroom window.

I refer to this image as the solution to solving hunger in northeast Wisconsin.

I stopped counting at twenty.

In our household the culinary goal is a weekly venison dish; minimum. 

Lasagna tonight with fresh spinach on the side. 

Next time I’m gonna just incorporate the spinach in the lasagna and be done with it.

Pretty good chow if you can get it.

Eat more deer!

 

Halftime

It is Super Bowl Sunday and naturally, halftime fare around here is highly likely to feature venison brats. 

Pan-seared much like they’re done on a flattop in the Fatherland.  Slowly finished in white wine and imported, barrel-cured kraut. 

Kaiser roll and chips.

Pretty good chow if you can get it….

Eat More Venison

I was running on fumes. 

Tuesday, Following an evening interrupted by three checks of the Northern Lights (or absence thereof), there followed multiple errands and a routine visit to DC Medical Center.   By 3PM I was starving.

Inasmuch as you are what you eat there was this. 

 
From 12 o’clock:  loaded baked tater, backyard venison, sautéed shrooms and one broccoli floret.  Pretty good chow in a hurry.

I’m gonna allow myself one glass of Merlot in front of the TV before I fall asleep.

Fingers-crossed for the possibility of more overnight dancing lights action. 

And don’t forget to wear your foil hat when chasing the elusive Aurora Borealis.

All those agitated electrons and excited photons are electromagnetic radiation you know……

Deer Camp

Including myself we hosted six hunters here for the gun deer opener and successfully added eight whitetails (four of each sex) to the camp meat poles.  For various reasons the number of  hunters has skinnied-down recently yet the kill count stays about the same.

 

Anyway, the trail cameras continued through the entirety of the ruckus and I thought it would be fun to share some photos of their comings and goings.

 

 

Including these of one of the guys heading out to his stand before sunrise who was tailed by a fox.

 

This weekend we're hosting my business partner, some of her family and anyone else that wants to join the fun for the December antlerless hunt.

  

Thirtieth Anniversary

This year’s Deer Camp is the 30th Anniversary Edition.  That’s not nearly as long as my neighbors multi-generational traditions but as a latecomer to big game hunting it’s fine by me.

Brandy from the land of my birth

Anyway, another tradition is the food. I’m going to overlook something I’m sure; but over four days I dined on something on the order of five varieties of sardines, two kinds of liver pate and two iterations of homemade smoked Hungarian sausage (old family recipe). 

 

Bobby’s homemade smoked Hungarian sausage

This was followed by venison chili dogs and Lawyer's gourmet venison bolognese.  

 

My infamous homemade navy bean soup built upon a foundation of Marchant’s smoked pork hocks.

Jägermeister. Ja!

Raw beef and onions on marble rye and a half a dozen kinds of cheese, sourdough bread, French baguettes and washed it down with adult beverages from the peninsula stretching all the way to Europe.  

The humble hard boiled egg is the perfect deer stand snack you can fit in the pocket of your parka.

Thanks guys for another hunt in the record books…..

Winner, Winner, Venison Dinner

Dining like royalty recently.

Baked Russet Tater (butter, sour cream, chives), Salade César and pan-seared Venison - rare to medium rare.

Fresh-cracked pepper and sea salt as needed.

Pretty good chow if you can get it… 

Pretty Good Chow If You Can Get it

On the heels of two evenings of venison wieners yesterday's dinner was a terrific change of pace.

Those of you who are NYT subscribers will recognize this as Ali Slagle’s Salmon Teriyaki recipe from last week.

When I was in Sturgeon Bay the other day I purchased a bag of North Atlantic wild caught salmon fillets. Five of them - just like the one in the photo - individually frozen and shrink wrapped.  Product of Norway.

They weren’t cheap, yet the stiff import tax (tariff) was less than anything from China or Vietnam. So, there is that and wild-caught vs. something farm-raised; quality matters for something.

Texas Basmati rice and salade César as sides. There’s enough of that sweet and salty salmon deliciousness leftover for a Sunday morning omelet too.

Pretty good chow if you can get it….

Winner, Winner, Weiner Dinner

What with all the baseball lately it should come as no surprise I've developed a hankering for hot dogs.

That’s a Meisfelds venison wiener from Sheboygan.  Tasty too.

Pretty good chow; if you can get it.

Go Brewers..... 

Pretty Good Chow If You Can Get It

Ahem.

Between you and me I am of the opinion that we could solve hunger in our communities if people ate more deer.   Forest regeneration would benefit too.

So, please support your local food pantries this hunting season thru Wisconsin’s deer donation program. Ground venison has countless uses too large to enumerate.

Meanwhile, tonight we dined like royalty. Crispy-crunchy duck fat fried taters, salade César and locally-hunted, free-range, pan-seared, hand-carved, totally-organic saddle of venison; rare.   Aside from  a few toasted croutons this repast is gluten-free too. 

Rant over.

Cheers!

Spargel Season

Three months ago I had a mild panic attack believing that my asparagus patch had given-up the ghost.  

Not so.  As it turned-out that bed continued to deliver fresh asparagus spears on a slow but sure basis for the next 3+ months allowing me the pleasure of fresh spargel a couple of times a week.

Me thinks this has been the last of it.

A couple of days ago I ate the last of this year's harvest along with a pork chop dinner.  

Just so you know, these bone-in, rib chops, from the local butcher shop, set me back $3.17.  A heckuva deal considering the price of groceries nowadays.

Fresh spargel sauteed in EVO and served-up with fresh-cracked pepper and sea salt really amped-up dinnertime. 

Same for baked tater and pan-seared venison, rare to medium rare.  Sauteed shrooms too.

Spargel season is short and sweet; and worth the patience.  Pretty good chow if you can get it..... 

The Taco Revolution

If it's Taco Tuesday and you have venison tacos...

There is a reasonably good chance that by the time Thursday rolls-around there are custom nachos on movie night...  

 

Winner, Winner.....

....whitetail dinner.

Pan-seared backyard venison (rare to medium), baked yam and freshly-picked spargel from the kitchen garden. 

A month or so ago I figured my asparagus was done-for.  As it turns-out not so much.  Every day or so I pick a spear or three to keep my diet German. 

BTW - my dog does all sorta tricks and commands for yam and spud skin treats. 

Pretty decent chow if you can get it.

Pro Tip: Rub your taters, yams and other tubers in bacon drippings before a hot bake in the convection oven. Trust me.....

Gentlemen - Start Your Grills

It's been grilling season for a spell already; nevertheless, there is this.

Backyard venison - rare to medium rare.

Spargel from the kitchen garden, anointed with EVO -  grilled.

Baked tater with butter, sour cream and chopped chives from the kitchen garden.

Cracked pepper and sea salt over all.

Pretty good chow if you can get it….. 

 

The Taco Revolution

Tostada Tuesday!

Hard corn shells and frijoles from our friendly neighbors to the south. Homestead venison, sauce, lettuce, tomato and crumbly cotija  cheese.   Homemade guacamole too.

Pretty good chow if you can get it.

Got Venison?

Yesterday I was thinking about what to cook for Sunday, game day.  Taking stock of what we had on hand all I needed was a package of fresh mushrooms to whip-up a pot-full of venison stroganoff.  As near as I can figure it has been more than a few years since I made this dish.  And, again, as it turns-out I shouldn't let so many years pass as this is one of the best comfort foods on the planet. 

This also happens to be one of those meals that impresses with its complex taste profile under the guise of thriftiness.  Doesn't matter if you're feeding your family tribe, throwing a dinner party, or like us - cooking for two and don't mind leftovers; this happens to be a recipe that stretches your valuable grocery dollars.

VENISON STROGANOFF 

Directions- 

Fetch a couple of packages of venison steaks or a roast from the freezer.  Because this is a low and slow stove-top braise you needn't use your best venison; a roast works really well. Thaw and cut into strips, cubes or chunks – you pick.  Be sure to trim every last vestige of silver skin and tallow from your cuts.  Season generously with fresh cracked pepper and cracked sea salt.  Dredge in flour and set aside.

 

 

Assemble a couple cups of beef base, half of a chopped onion and chopped garlic.  

 

In a cast-iron Dutch oven heat olive oil to screaming hot and brown your venison in shifts so that the oil stays hot. 

 

 

Remove the browned venison and set aside.  Add the chopped onion and sweat for a minute or two.  Add the chopped garlic.  

 

 

Deglaze your kettle with a bunch of red wine (I prefer Merlot) to get all the browned bits of goodness off from the bottom of the pot. This step is critical. 

Return the venison to the pot along with enough beef base to cover the meat.  Cover, and simmer 2 -3 hours.  Check periodically and taste for seasoning.  

 

 

Add the sliced mushrooms, cover and simmer a couple more hours.  Add more red wine as needed. 

Remove the lid and continue to simmer over medium heat while the sauce reduces.  Start another large pot with salted water to boil.  This is for the noodles. 

 

 

After the stock has reduced to your satisfaction stir-in sour cream slowly to create a silky-smooth result.  Sour cream is totally personal.  When it is right for you, turn down the heat allowing it to continue to thicken. The flour used to dredge the venison should be sufficient; however, If needed you can thicken it further with slurry of corn starch and water.   

When the pot of water reaches a boil add your noodles of choice – we chose egg noodles.  Following the package directions cook your noodles until done.  

 

 

Serve your venison stroganoff over a bed of noodles in a bowl along with dinner rolls, unsalted sweet cream butter, maybe some garden peas on the side.  Red wine or an Oktoberfest beer is a terrific pairing to wash it down.  Throw your low-carb diet out the window and dig-in.  This is damn good chow if you can get it.  And it won't cost you a king's ransom.

Pro-Tip -  If you're feeling ambitious or you have an extra hand in the kitchen, substitute mashed taters or German spaetzle for the noodles.  No venison?  Substitute stewing beef.

You Are What You Eat

Speaking of surviving deer and with the temps approaching single digits this weekend there was no grilling; and certainly no brick oven cooking.

So, there was this.

Pan-seared venison - rare to medium,

Caesar salad, 

Fresh, sautéed mushrooms, 

Along with a piled-high tater.

Pretty good chow if you can get it.

Cheers! 

Pro Tip - Rub your taters in bacon drippings before baking to crispy goodness using the convection setting on your new GE Profile range.

__________________________________________________________________________

Edit To Add - There was leftover venison to slice cold and serve on buttered rye bread with Dusseldorf mustard for game day.

You Are What You Eat

 

From our backyard there was pan-seared venison - rare to medium rare.  

Along with sautéed mushrooms, side salad and some home baked bread with Irish butter. 

Consensus under our roof is this beats prime rib any day of the week.

Pretty good chow if you can get it.

Starvation Averted

Picked-up four processed deer today and moved what felt like a bazillion pounds of steaks, roasts, backstraps, burger and scraps to the basement.

The auxiliary freezer is filled to the brim and two additional grocery bags of venison apportioned among the remaining two freezers.

Yikes!

 

Deer Camp

Deer Camp 2024 is in the record book and the guys have left.

They clean-up pretty good too - leaving the house pretty much how they found it There is a bloody footprint in the garage but that's fine as it's in the garage.

 

The contraption in the photos is our camp meat pole. Introduced in 2016 our meat pole is unique. I'd like to think of it as a fine example of hunter ingenuity.

 

 

First, it is portable. Four guys can assemble and disassemble it in a matter of minutes. When not in use it is stored in the barn and out of the way. You can drive the Mule thru it between the legs for ease of hanging up to five deer on gambrel-equipped pulleys.

 

 

Secondly, it chronicles how many deer were taken (bow and gun kills) by year for each of the last nine years. If you do the math the total on the beam in the photo tallies-up to 94.

That's not the lifetime total; however, as our Deer Camp celebrates its 30th Anniversary this year. Which would include an illustrious or notorious (you pick) collection of hunters over three decades. 

 

Some have retired. A few have departed the earthly realm for their happy hunting ground. Some are on hiatus. And the rest have moved-on or moved away.

 

You're probably thinking: How many deer total?

 

If I was inclined I could pore over the early written camp diaries and find totals there. There's a big bag of old school metal ear registration tags somewhere which might be moderately helpful.

 

The guys were talking about it last night and their best guess is we're likely close to or slightly north of a couple hundred deer since 1994. Many of which have been donated to the food pantry network here in northeast Wisconsin.

 

So, we're fond of saying: "Eat more deer."  They're all-organic, free range, healthy fare, a terrific excuse to get together socially with friends and family and a renewable resource.

 

Cheers!