Dear Meat,
Venison Stew
Deer meat or Venison as it is sometimes called, is not all that common to find in the grocery stores or markets in the area. If you are lucky enough to have a vendor that carries venison, you will notice it is more expensive than the common meats purchased for dinner. I do have friends that have access to the ground venison through their local grocery store. This recipe does not call of that, as ground venison is used for other dishes like a bolognese sauce, meatloaf, meatballs or venison burgers. This recipe deals with roasts and steaks that you will cut into 1” cubes.
Venison is a very lean meat and with this dish, fat(s) will needs to be added. In this case, the main source of fat is pork belly. In addition to the pork belly i also used some EVOO, sesame oil, butter and some bacon grease to provide a smokiness to the flavor profile and aromatic of the stew. Regarding game meat, I do not find venison to have a strong taste. Bison and lamb to me has a stronger taste, where the latter, has the strongest of the 3 game meats mentioned. The very first time I made venison stew I followed this recipe by Scott Rhea. What I am about to write and what you are about to read is NOT that recipe but there are some techniques that I have used over the years as well as keep this recipe one of my playlist on YouTube as reference.
Ingredients:
1-2lb of Venison Meat (Cut into 1” Cubes)
Suggested cuts:
Roasts
Steaks
Back Straps/Loins
Pork Belly, I used 10% of the venison weight (Cut into 1” Cubes)
1 whole onion, course to medium dice
1/2 head of garlic, minced or pressed
1-1.5lb of Carrots
3-6 stalks of Celery
2-4 Yukon Potatoes
1tub of Bella mushrooms
2 baby bok choy
Seasoning:
Kosher NaCl
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Cumin
Mustard Powder
Lea & Perkins Worcestershire Sauce
1-2 Tablespoons of Jack Daniels (drink the rest of the bottle)
1-2 Tablespoons of Beef Bullion
Fats:
2-3 Tablespoons of Butter (Unsalted)
1 Teaspoon heaping of Bacon Grease
EVOO
Sesame oil
Liquid:
In preparation to the cold/flu season and the on going C-19 pandemic, I made Venison Bone broth earlier in the year and froze it. I used approximately 3-4 cups. You can use any stock you like and or water. The bone broth was a light broth so I needed to add a little more umph to it, hence the beef Better than Bullion.
Assembly Directions:
Prep the meat..
Generally speaking, I am the one who processed the venison. Processed means that I have received a quartered deer and I am the one who deboned and butchered the quarters to usable portions. As I am not a professional butcher and have some experience processing game meat, there is still some silver skin to be taken off the cuts. Silver skin is the “sheath” that covers the meat or muscle. Smarty pants individuals out there will say…hey that sounds like fascia and your guess would be right! There is also some connective tissue still attached as the processing of meat is time sensitive and having a small kitchen, workspace and limited refrigeration, final “cleaning up” of any fascia and connective tissue is done prior to cooking. Why clean up the fascia and connective tissue? Fascia and and some connective tissue are not very edible, i regards to texture…it needs to be removed.
Once the silver skin has been removed, cut both venison and pork belly into 1” into your favorite 3D shape of your liking. Place the cut meat into a mixing bowl
Season the meat:
Add some EVOO (I believe I use about 1Tbs…I have a squirt bottle and just squeeze
Add some sesame oil, approximated the same as EVOO.
Add some NaCl
Add some fresh ground Black pepper
Add 2-3 teaspoons of powdered mustard, I used Coleman’s Mustard
Add 1Tbs of Jack Daniels
Toss thoroughly, place in a container or cover and place int he fridge
Prep some aromatics and vegetables
Medium dice a whole onion
Peel your garlic and mince, if you are not using a garlic press
Clean, peel and medium chop your carrots
Clean your celery, make sure to clean the inside! And chop to about 1/2 - 1 inch
Clean and rough cut the potatoes. No need to peel but take the eyes out
It’s searing time. I used a 7qt Dutch oven for this meal. I was planning on running errands once this meal was assembled. To keep the meal cooking, I was going to though it in the oven to slow cook throughout the day at 250deg. F.
Heat the pot to a high medium and add 1Tbs of unsalted butter. Place the meat in the pot to sear. I suggest using the technique in the Scott Rhea video, placing the meat down in a clockwise manner so that you can keep track of each individual meat’s cooking time. You want a nice crust on those 3D quadrilateral meat pieces. It will add texture and tends to keep the meat softer throughout the cooking process. Once you are done place the seared, meaty deliciousness in a bowl. There will be some brown and black goodness on the bottom of the pot, leave it there for the next steps!Lower the heat to a solid medium add butter and sweat out those onions.
Add some NaCl
Fresh ground Black Pepper
Cumin
Several 2-3 squirts of sesame oil
Place and garlic in the press and press away!
As you sauté these two aromatics together, you should be smelling the toasted cumin and sesame oil. While you move those things around incorporate the delicious brown and blackness from the seared meat.
Add the following:
Carrots
Celery
Bacon grease (if you do not save your bacon grease then butter or EVOO)
Add the seared meat, sauté with everything. If needed, add more seasoning and or fat (oil/butter/bacon grease)
Add liquid, it should just cover the mix. Cover the concoction and let it simmer for 15min-20min.
While your are simmering…
Heat up the oven 325deg. F. I know I said 250deg F! I was home to monitor and in the event someone….like The Bugoy wants to eat, he can have a little before the errand run.
Chop up the mushrooms. I quartered them out. Remember, I have a toddler and the smaller the better chances he will eat it without issues.
Once you are done simmering, add the mushrooms, taste and adjust the seasoning before you place into the oven to slow cook. This is where I sampled the broth and decided to add beef Better than Bouillon. I let it simmer for an additional 5min to incorporate the beef concentrate. At the end of the 5min, I taste again and adjust if necessary. Each time you add seasoning, let it simmer and taste again.
Once the taste of the broth meets YOUR expectations, then move to the oven. Leave at 250deg for 3-8hrs. In my case, I went out, treated the teenager for lunch went to the grocery store, brought MBW to Sephora and finally came home. Once we opened the door…the smell of deliciousness our lungs!
After slow cooking take the stew out of the oven, dice up the baby bok choy and stir in. You do not have to place back into the oven, the heat of Dutch oven and the stew will cook the veg.
Serve and Enjoy!
Venison Clean Up…
Note the cut on the left, those white connective tissue needed to go so they were promptly sliced off. The texture of this uncooked tissue is thick and if cooked along with the meat, will make that side of the meat very chewy.
Cubed…
Once cleaned and split, I cut the venison into cubes and place in a bowl to be weighed. Note the redness, and lack of fat. Venison is a very, very delicious lean meat.
Pork makes everything taste better…
Cube these bad boys as well.
I like to weight the meat…
I’m looking for about 10-12% pork for this dish. Feel free to add more or make it 100% venison.
Contrast…
Fat helps with the taste of the dish. You can adjust by adding more or less!
Seared Pork and Venison…
Note the delicious crust from searing. This is all temperature related. Set your stove to Medium-High and do not have too many pieces of meat in the pan/pot. This is one of the reasons the whole placing the meat in a clockwise formation working your way to the middle, helps.
Note the bottom of the pot…
Those brown and black bits on the bottom are GOLDEN! Keep them and DO NOT wipe down the pot.
Sauté the veg
Do NOT worry about scrapping the bottom of the pan. It will release from the bottom once the slow cooking is in order.
Bella Mushrooms…
To chop or not to chop. If all the adults were the only ones eating then I would just float these bad boys in the stew. Because I have kids, the best thing to do is to chop into quarters so everyone gets a little taste.
Bok Choy
Cut the leaves, roll them together and slice. I did not want large pieces of bok choy. For my situation, it is easier to feed a toddler smaller pieces of vegetables AND easier to mix in with everything else.
Mix it all in..
5 minutes before I serve the dish, I throw in the bok choy and let it sit.
Venison Stew with Rice
My lunch the following day, I garnished the dish with some scallions.
This was an absolute delicious dinner and even more delicious lunch the following day. You can serve it with some nice crusty sour dough or with the good ole Asian reliable, rice. Whatever it takes to sop up that delicious liquid.
As I was cooking, I decided to test out some AV equipment and did a livestream. A question came up, if this dish is gluten free. The answer is yes. I did not dredge the meat through an egg wash and some sort of gluten based powder, like flour. I believe Scott Rhea flours his meat, you DO NOT have to do this. Also, some may feel they want a thicker sauce. So a thickening agent might be added. Most common things are corn starch and flour. Corn starch, as long as it is pure corn starch, it is gluten free. The latter, flour…not so much. Other thickening agents is potato flour or potato flakes. All those thickening agents a an also be used to crust up your meat when searing. I did not choose to do this because I knew I would be out doing errands and the crust would be soft by the time I got home.
This meal can easily be made in an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker/Crock Pot. Love the set it and forget it, especially when time is a factor and or I cannot give the process my full attention. My choice was not to go that route this time...I wanted to sear the meat to a nice crust and have those brown and black golden bits in the pot. You cannot do that in a slow cooker/Crock Pot. As for the choice of not using my Instant Pot, I wanted more control to create the taste I wanted for the sabaw, the gravy/liquid part of the stew.
Like all my recipes, these are just guidelines. Experiment, get creative and make it your own!
T
Air Fried Broccoli
Vegetables, the bane in the toddler world and sometimes, the nightmare that haunts every dinner in a household. As the personal chef for this house hold, I am also looking for things that are healthy, provide texture for the toddler and something everyone will eat with a minimal grimace.
Roasted vegetables is always a big hit in this house and what faster way to roast than the air fryer. This is probably the simplest way to prepare a nice vegetable side for yourself or the ungrateful children in your life.
Ingredients:
A small to medium head of broccoli
EVOO
Truffle oil or infused oil
NaCl
Fresh ground pepper
Garlic Powder
Instructions:
Cut the broccoli into florets and split any large florets place in a bowl to be tossed
Add: (Toss after each item to evenly coat the florets)
EVOO
Truffle Oil (use this sparingly)
NaCl
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Place in the air fryer basket set for 15min on high (400deg F)
At the each 5min interval shake to even cook
Voila, you have a delicious side
Oiled and Tossed!
In a nice big bowl, oil, season and toss then you are ready to air fry.
Do not forget to SHAKE!
At 5 min intervals shake the air fryer basket so that the broccoli cooks evenly.
Then serve with a side of Adobo! :)
I cannot stress enough how easy it is to make this side dish, which can be a meal all to itself with a variety of dipping sauces. You can even grate the cheese of your choice on top to increase the fat content and make it more appealing for those toddlers that insist on eating something other than what is on the table that night.
If you do not have an air fryer, toss and season and place on an oiled, rimmed sheet. Place in an oven 425-450deg. F, for 30min - 45min.
Like all recipes I have posted, this is just a guideline. Explore and expand your creativity through experimentation!
T
Comment Here!
A Filipino Classic: Chicken & Pork Adobo
Based on the NYT Recipe by Angela Dimayuga
Ingredients:
2-3lb of bone in, skin on Chicken thighs (if you shop at Costco it is approximately 2 of the smaller packages)
2lb of pork belly (also purchased at Costco)
1-2heads of garlic
1 can of Unsweetened Coconut milk (This is just shy of 2cups)
1 1/2 - 2 Cups of Coconut Vinegar (if you do not have an Asian Market near you, try a health food store)
1-3 Tablespoons of Peppercorn
2-4 Tablespoons of Coconut oil
Bay Leaves…10-20leaves
1/4 to 1/2 cup of Soy Sauce (this will increase the NaCl content of the dish, so mind your seasoning)
Note: I am cooking for a household of 3 adults, 3yr old and a voracious teenager. In addition to the people eating, I try to cook in an over abundance to make cooking throughout the week more manageable as I am the personal chef for The Motley Crew.
Instructions:
Peel and coarse chop the garlic…if you cut it thin, they may burn!
Cube the pork belly and trim the excess fat off of the chicken thighs
Heat up a put big enough for the meat and liquid. For some reference, I used a 7qt Dutch Oven.
Temp should be at medium
Add 1-2 Tablespoons of coconut oil
Sear the pork belly.
Do not over crowd the cooking surface. The fat will render out assisting in the cooking process.
Place the pork belly in a circle formation, clockwise, so you can keep track of the pieces of meat cooking. Make sure all the sides are browned.
Once you are finished searing the pork, sear the chicken thighs, skin side down first.
Once finished searing, remember all sides should be brown.
The meat should not be cooked all the way through!
Sauté the garlic and peppercorns
The garlic should come to a nice toast (do not burn!)
Add the seared chicken, skin side down and then the pork belly
Add the coconut milk, soy sauce
Break bay leaves in half and add
Let it come to a simmer
Add Vinegar
Lower the heat to low and let it work its magic with an occasional stir to make sure things do not stick to the bottom
cook until the chicken falls off of the bone with minimal effort
Taste and adjust, if needed
You can also simmer down (reduce the liquid) to thicken the sabaw, sauce. The sauce should be like most Filipinos…silky and smooth.
Serve with fresh rice!
Where is the meat?
Just finished cutting the pork and rinsed off the chicken.
Everyone into the POOL!
I finished searing the pork belly and seared the chicken thighs, skin side down only. Everyone was getting antsy and I needed dinner sooner rather than later.
Note, the toasted garlic bits. Toast the garlic in the oil…it will infuse the oil enhancing the flavor of the dish.
Coconut Milk…adds a delicious richness
Also bought at Costco in a case of 6.
The Acid…
Can be difficult to find. Look for it in your Asian Market or gourmet grocery stores. If those two option come up with nothing, try a health food store like Vitamin Shop or other natural/organic stores in your area. You will need acid for this dish for that tangy flavor. As a sub, you can use the ole reliable, white vinegar.
Sauce is getting there..
Everyone is in the pool and the sabaw (sauce/liquid) is not quite at its optimal silkiness. 15-20 more minutes and then everyone can eat.
This is definitely a keeper, according to MBW and Anak 1. This is essentially a braised dish where you sear the meat then slow cook in a liquid. Somethings that I would like to try when I make Adobo again is slow cooked in the oven with different types and cuts of meat. I would also like to play with the texture…maybe air fry the meat to a crisp maybe even encrusting the meat in panko, breadcrumbs or even a lechon kawali style of crunchiness pork belly.
Adobo is a dish that is found throughout the Philippines and every household has at least 1 relative that makes “The BEST” Adobo. Growing up in the states, it was difficult to find the coconut vinegar. The Adobo dishes that I grew up with had mostly white vinegar.
If you are the type of set it and forget it chef, for sure this dish as any braise dishes can be done in an Instapot. Most Instapot has a sauté setting where you can sear the meat and or sauté the aromatics. I SLAVED over the stove as this was my first time cooking this dish, so i wanted more control in the taste and texture. With an overwhelming yes, this will be added into the rotation of dishes here.
As with all the recipes I have posted, these are just guidelines. Push the boundaries of your creativity and make it your own!
T
Roast that Butternut
30Deg.F perfect day to roast or throw a Dutch oven in the oven. I did the former. Roasting keeps the home nice and toasty while producing some deliciousness at the end.
Ingredients:
Butternut Squash
1 Leek
1 shallot
1/2 bunch of Celery
Whole head of garlic
2-4 Tablespoons of Butter (Omit if you are Vegetarian)
Chicken Stock (Vegetable Stock or Water if you are Vegetarian)
EVOO
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450deg F. Rack(s) should be in the middle
Peel the whole head of garlic…careful not to smash them too much. You will be roasting for about an hour and the more whole the garlic is the more tolerance to the heat (425-450deg F)
Some options here would be to roast the whole head. If you want to do this, I suggest using 2 heads-3heads of garlic. Garlic tends to become more mild when roasted whole…This is a delicious option. One of my favorites side dishes is roasted garlic mashed potatoes
Peel and cut the carrots and shallots…while you are at it, rough cut the leek and celery as well.
Wash and then, split the squash length wise…
Be very careful in doing this! You will need a SHARP knife and the knife should have a little weight to it…standard chef knife will do well and minds your fingers and hands.
Scoop out the seeds…dinner spoon does well fo this job.
Option to do with the seeds. These can be roasted with some EVOO and seasoning for a delicious snack item.
Take all the loose veg and garlic place them in a bowl big enough to toss those items. Toss with:
EVOO
NaCl
All Spice
Cinnamon
Place the tossed veg on a greased rimmed pan
Drizzle EVOO on the squash, season and place on the pan, on top of the veg
Place in the hot oven and set a timer for 30-40min
Check if the squash is cooked by sticking it with a fork or knife. It should penetrate with ease, like a boiled potato.
While the roasting is going on…brown some butter! DO NOT BURN, so keep an eye and stir frequently. If you need some pointers…Try Here! If you are finished browning the butter before the roasting is done, leave the pan/pot on the stove no heat. The heat of the oven should keep the butter from solidifying.
Once the roasting is done, put the squash aside and put the veg in your stock pot.
Squash may be HOTTTT! Get a kitchen towel, use an oven mitt, or BBQ/oven glove….and get yourself a dinner spoon! Scrape out the meat of the squash onto a plate/bowl. You don’t want the skin. No need to be perfect but the majority of the skin should NOT be included…you will be blending this down.
Turn the heat on to medium
Add in your browned butter
Add chicken stock. It should completely cover the contents of the pot
Simmer the contents for a minimum of 30min….I took a nap.
Once blend down the contents completely.
Optional…if you like the soup silky smooth, strain the soup and then blend down the items left in the strainer
Place the liquid back into the pot and you can adjust the consistency with the addition of more stock. (I like the consistency of my soup to be bisque-like…it helps when dunking sandwiches and toast)
Cut up the Veg…
Note the chunkiness of the chopping. When splitting the squash, keep your chef’s knife down and in the squash. Use the leverage to your advantage when splitting.
Ready to roast!
Note that I placed foil down on the pan, it makes cleanup easier. Put some EVOO on the pan before adding the tossed and seasoned veg & squash.
The Bugoy loved this recipe especially with his dinosaur grilled cheese sandwich. This recipe is a keeper. There are other options you can do like a basic seasoning with salt and pepper prior to roasting. Then make a brown butter sage sauce…makes a nice and savory meal for a cold day.
Like all my recipes and posts…these are guidelines! Experiment and make it your own!
Enjoy
T
Pho does a body good
This is pure deliciousness…
This was the second time I made pho. The first time I made this, the taste was delicious but I felt the broth needed more body to it. This time around, i added the beef concentrate. It totally made the difference and added the body I was looking for in the broth. Traditionally, the broth is made of bones, tendon and brisket. Boiled over night at low heat. Who the fuck has time to do that? I have dinosaurs to name, forts to build, making sure both boys use soap when washing and whole bunch of other shit that needs to get done. So, needless to say, the shortcut saved the time and on the gas bill. Note, the addition of the beef concentrate will alter the salt content so taste and salt accordingly!
Ingredients:
Meat:
Ox Tail, dual pack bought at Costco
1 NY Strip, 2” thick
Seasoning and Aromatics:
Roasted on the burners:
Ginger Root
Onion
Shallot
Placed in cheese cloth:
2 sticks of Cinammon
15ish Star Anise
10-15 cloves
1-2 Tablespoons of Coriander seeds (you can use powdered added to the water)
8-12 Tablespoons of Fish Sauce
NaCl to taste…you can use additional fish sauce, soy sauce and or hoisin sauce
Garnish:
Diced scallion
Dices Cilantro
Shredded Carrots
Vegetables:
Kale
Carrots (if you do not want it as a garnish)
Noodles:
Rice Noodles are traditional, I think I’m using Ramen
Cheat:
1 Tablespoon of Better than Bullion Beef Flavor. If you do not have time to stew the meat, traditionally the meat is stewed for 1-2days, this is a nice shortcut.
Note:
I am using an 8qt Instapot! Once the meat has been placed in the pot, I added 75ish oz of water which is approximately 2-2.5qts.
Instructions:
Take your stock pot and start to boil water for the blanch! The pot should be big enough to put ALL the meat.
Once the water is at a boil, blanch the meat for 10-15min
Skim off the scum periodically!
Once blanched, strain out the meat rinse, and throw out the water.
While you are boiling the water for the blanch, prepare and flame roast aromatics!
Onions, peeled and split (If small, peel and roast whole)
Shallots, peeled and split
Ginger, skin on and sliced
Place into a cheese cloth satchel tie off with Butcher’s twine:
Cinnamon Sticks
Star Anise
Cloves
Coriander seeds
Place blanched meat, roasted aromatics, and satchel to the pot. Add water to the max line in the Instapot, everything should be covered with fluid. Season with NaCl and fish sauce. You have not added the vegetables at this point. Set the timer for 1hour and 30minutes…read a book or do laundry.
Once the pressure cooker has done it’s magic, safely release the pressure by opening the release valve. Open the pressure cooker and taste the broth. Now is the time to adjust the taste, add the vegetables and close the pot up and let the heat do the job, no need to pressure cook again, if you are adding green leafy vegetables. If you are adding carrots, you may need to pressure cook for 3-5min to cook the carrots.
Cook your noodles. For the ramen, it is 3min in boiling water, strain and place in a bowl.
Dish out, garnish and enjoy!
The MEAT
I generally have oxtail in the chest freezer. Oxtail stew is a family favorite so I try to keep it in stock. NY Strip was also available as we had that several months ago. If you are wondering both were purchased at Costco.
Garnish! Diced Scallions
Finely dice these spring onions. The people you are serving can choose how much or little…no judgement if they don’t use the garnish.
Cilantro…
Yeah…they should be finely diced but I was rushing. It is what happens when you multitask.
Post 1 hour and a half
First taste test. Added at this point: fish sauce and coriander (forgot to add initially). Note the chard ginger and satchel.
The finish product..
So delish! Well received and will be a staple on The Menu!
This was truly fun to make as I have been hankering for that meaty Southeast Asian broth. I hope you give this one a shot and like all that recipes I posts, these are guidelines…
Experiment and make it your own!
T
Surplus of Carrots = Carrot Cake
Based on NYT Recipe
Dry:
2 cups of all-purpose
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon of NaCl
3 cups of grated carrots (~ 5.7oz/dry cup)
2 cups of sugar
Wet:
4 Large Eggs
1/2 cup of Canola Oil
1/2 cup of toasted butter (1 stick of butter was my deviation from the original recipe)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (Recipe did not call for this…I added)
Instructions:
Turn on your oven and heat to 350F…this is first because if you are like me, you forget and then have to do this later
Grate your carrots! You can use a food processor if you have the grating attachment. I do not have the grating attachment…BOO-HOO! So, I had to risk my fingers and knuckles with a manual grater.
Sift and mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon and NaCl into a separate bowl.
Brown your butter….DO NOT BURN YOUR BUTTER
Mix sugar, oil and (COOLED) brown butter until smooth
Add your eggs one at a time and the mixture should become smoother
Add your carrots
Add your dry ingredients, mix until all dry ingredients are mixed in and the mixture is smooth. Use a whisk by hand or paddle by mixer
Pour your mixture into a cake pan, I used loaf pans and bake at 350F for approx. 40-55min.
Check the cakes at 20min mark and rotate so it cooks evenly
At the 35-40min mark, check if it has cooked. Stick a knife somewhere in the middle. When you pull the knife out, it should come out relatively clean. Meaning there should be no signs of liquid or excessive moistness on the knife.
Once done, let it cool for 5-10min in the pan. The cake should retract a little, enough to release from the sides. Take a spatula and work around the sides to fully release the cake. Place the cake on a cooling rack and let it cool down further or…eat it before anyone else asks for some.
Manual Grating Carrots
Use the finest grate. Place the carrot tip side down onto the grate, the thicker part of the carrot will help with holding and control. With medium pressure down, grate the carrots in a circular pattern.
Note the texture of the carrots, it should be very moist.
If you have a scale…
Weighing your grated carrots is infinitely easier then trying to measure using a measuring cup.
Do not forget to tare or zero the scale with an empty bowl! This way the scale will be set to 0 with an empty bowl and provide you with the weight of the carrots only.
A little math is involved here..approx. 5.7oz per cup of grated carrots. Looking for 3 cups, that is equivalent to 17.1oz or 1lb 1oz (16oz per lb).
Browning Your Butter
Over medium heat, brown place your butter and heat. Things to notice in this pic is the froth that butter makes will make it difficult to determine the brownness of the butter. Stir regularly and remove from heat to inspect, like what I did in this picture. Note the particles at the uncovered aspect of the pot. Those little brown bits are the buttery magic we are after. You will also see some toasted particles in the froth. After this inspection the butter was browned to my desired brownness in another min or two.
The process requires attention as butter is very easy to burn. You do not have to keep the pot on the heat. I suggest picking it up and inspecting it. Use a whisk so it scraps off the deliciousness from the bottom of the pot.
Mix!
Difficult to see…but you want the dough to be smooth and ALL the dry ingredients thoroughly mixed.
Pour in to your forms and bake…
We ended up with two loaves…by the end of the night, there was 1 loaf (minus the a little of the top end so it fits in the container).
Needless to say, The Motley Crew loved this and the toasted butter gave some delicious notes to the taste. So this recipe is a Menu keeper.
Experiment and make it your own…
T
Air Fried Pork Belly
I had some left over pork belly from last night Venison-Pork Belly ragu. So I looked on the web….basically you need the meat (cut into bite sized portions), oil, seasoning then air fried for about 20min with a shake at a 10min mark…here is what I did:
Cut the belly into 1/2in portions (remember these will shrink as they cook)
I Used some EVOO. You can use Canola oil to coat the meat (Canola is better for the heat)
Seasoning:
Salt
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Air Fryer:
Pre-heat the fryer to 400F
Throw those bad boys in there! Make sure they are spaced out so the Ari flows through and around the delicious pig (see Pic)
10 min shake what your mama gave y’all and finish out another 10min
Voila…and serve
Note, that fat will render out of the meat and the fat or oil at the bottom of the pan will be HOT! Take care in removing the cooking tray…I got burned….TWICE.
Space out your bellies!
You want that warm air fryer air to flow through your meat.
Note the texture…
The Pork Bellies were purchased from Costco. If your goal is to make a Lechon Kawali, or Cicharrone, you will need skin on the pork belly and this pork belly is not for the project as it is skinless.
I made this on the fly and in retrospect there are things that you can definitely do for this app/meal. Here are some ideas:
A dipping sauce would be great addition. First things that came to my mind was a chimichurri sauce.
Marinate the meat beforehand…like an AL Pastore. That would be off the chain!
Dredge and bread each piece of meat for that extra crunch when you do not have the skin for that crackling.
These are all guidelines. Experiment and make it your own for you and your family!
Enjoy!
T
Ube Pancakes…
The Motley Crew’s breakfast yesterday. I was supposed to make Ube Halay (Ube Jam) but I made an executive decision as the boys were hungry.
Dry:
4 Cups All Purpose Flour
4 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoons of NaCl
1-2 Tablespoons of Sugar
Wet:
4 Eggs Separated!
3-4 Cups of liquid (I used 1/2 Whole Milk and 1/2 Coconut Milk)
4 Tablespoons of melted then cooled butter
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (You could add Ube Extract to intensify the flavor)
16 ounces of grated Ube (I used frozen)
Directions:
Sift all the dry ingredients together into a bowl
Separate the eggs out with yolks into the bigger bowl (this will be your mixing bowl in the end)
Beat the egg yolks and add the extract (of your choice) and half of the 3-4cups of liquid.
Note: control the amount of liquid as this will determine the thickness of your pancake!
Add in the butter and the Ube
If you feel that the mixture is thick, add more liquid
Add your dry ingredients to the blended wet ingredients and mix.
It should be thick…a whisk should be able to mix it with some resistance.
If there is a lot of resistance slowly add more liquid till the desired consistency
Whip the egg whites to a stiff froth
This adds lift to your pancakes
Fold in the egg whites into the mixture and warm up your skillet
Skillet should be hot but not enough to scorch your butter when added or Pam or whatever oil you are adding to create that nonstick surface.
Cook until the edges brown then flip over
Serve with a pat of butter and some warm Maple Syrup
Optional additions:
Chocolate chips (the boys loved this)
Bananas
Diced nuts of your choice
Please keep in mind that I fed 3 adults, 1 child and a teenage boy…I have leftover batter for the teenager tomorrow about, 1 quart. If you are making this for yourself or for that special person…cut the recipe in half.
The above bullet points are guidelines and pancakes tend to be a very forgiving recipe that you can get away with eye balling measurements and adding of the option of your choice to play around with the taste and or nutritional content.
Play around with it and make it your own!
Everyone Needs A Little DP
Almost a year now and finally I can have, a much needed, quiet moment to gather my thoughts on 2020.
I met Dustin Petrie in 2007. He was the GM for a budding fitness organization and he was interviewing me for a leadership role. We have never heard of each other and I was recommended for a position by a mutual, at the time, acquaintance. Needless to say I got the position and worked closely with DP, I stopped calling him Dustin within the first year of our working relationship. An individual with boundless creativity and a gift for gab, he was a brightly shining star in that organization and in life.
In April 2020, I was saddened to have learned of his passing through a FB post. A man with a big heart, I knew that his loss would be felt by many people with in his community and his family. Certainly the news hit me and I can do nothing more than reflect on all the great times we had in our little office, making the ideas of our head and organization come to life. It was a special time. Few times in one’s professional career do you ever get that perfect storm of creativity, leadership and support inside the organization as well as outside. It was, a special time for many because of the magic provided by Dustin.
On April 1st, 2020 Dustin Petrie had passed away. The world has lost a star and LES lost its big hearted unofficial “Mayor”.
Rest easy my friend…you fought an amazing fight.
T
