(Found on Pinterest, I couldn't resist it!)
I was lost at the first touch of his large rugged hand on the side
of my face. I quickly found myself swooning over this man, vowing to
live forever within the earthy confines of his huntsman cave where deer looked statuesque on walls and guns hung with pride behind glass cabinets. It was a life I found mysterious, with foods I have never tasted
before , recreational activities that entailed crazy nights in moonlit trails and I have always been drawn to the unknown, a sure challenge. In saying
this, there were challenges on his end as well. He had to accept my
vast wardrobe, one that took up an entire spare room, my taste of fine wines, lavish shoe collection and wild big hair. Mind you, this was MANY moons ago and we now share a
closet (mine being the larger half, of course!), yet the shoe collection remains, as well as the hair!! People have raised a few eyebrows throughout the years, we aren't a couple you would assume to be together. But, what is it that they say…..opposites attract and we live happily ever after, forever figuring out how to mesh our two intriguing personalities......
(My brawny husband, along with some photo's I captured this past weekend when we took a family hike through our woods)
I didn't always claim to liking it. I did not grow up with a household of hunters. My meals were pretty much the typical All American cuisine. But being the good sport that I am (HA!), I gave it my best taste bud forward. And at first, they weren't having it. In fact, I believe I most likely turned 50 shades of green. I knew if it came to it and the man had to choose, he would surely pick the meat over me. He is a "meat and potatoes" kind of man, the true love that wins his beating heart. And if he were to continue to hunt, our freezer would continue to be full (because on a rather serious note, if you kill, you eat. Hunting is not simply a sport in our family).....and his one and only sport that he is passionate about is: hunting. There was no way of getting around it. Thus the experimenting began.
(The rugged men in my life)
I do love to cook. And as I stated before, I do enjoy a good challenge. I enjoy trying to figure out ways to prepare venison, experimenting with different ingredients to cut the game flavor to a minimum and to keep the meat from becoming too dry. Venison is naturally very lean. So if you were going to use it in meatloaf for instance, you'd want to add eggs or a fattier cut of meat, like pork sausage to give it moisture and to help it to stay it's form.
(Greek Meatballs with Tomato & Red Pepper Puree paired with my herb salad, delish!!)
My two "go to's" for cutting the game flavor down and infusing great flavor is to first sauté the meat in olive oil and fresh garlic. Once it has browned slightly, I add red wine, the dryer the red the better to enhance the earthy flavors, think Merlot. Most recipes I incorporate venison in also calls for stewed tomatoes because the acidity pairs well. Once you become familiar with venison and its character, you will get a feel for what might work and what might not when trying out new recipes!
Since my family and I have currently been sticking to a super healthy Mediterranean lifestyle of dining, which consists mostly of seafood, white meat and legumes, having a course of red meat is a very nice treat! The other day I made a kick-ass dish of meatballs (recipe below), paired with an herb salad, chopped pears, crushed walnuts, crumbled goat cheese all lightly drizzled with olive oil infused with a fig balsamic vinaigrette which is out of this WORLD!
If you do not feel adventurous enough to try wild game, feel free to use beef in the recipe or even turkey! Either way, try this out, its way too mouth watering NOT to! If you are like myself and have experimented with venison, I would love to hear your secrets!! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
XO, Carla
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