Chorizo Criollo

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

Even though this dish requires marinating overnight, the rest of the preparation is easy. It makes a spicy, fast meal, and you can fry it up and serve it at breakfast with eggs. Or, scramble some eggs, mix in the cooked chorizo, add shredded pepper jack cheese, and wrap in a tortilla for the best breakfast burrito you have ever tasted. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless pork

  • 1 pound round steak

  • ½ pound fresh bacon (available at natural food markets)

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin

  • 6 peppercorns, crushed

  • 2 tablespoons hot red chile powder, such as cayenne or New Mexican Chimayo

  • 3/4 cup dry white wine

Instructions

Coarsely grind the pork, round steak, bacon, salt, and garlic together in a meat grinder or food processor. If you use a food processor, take care not to grind the meat too finely, as you want the meat to have some texture.

Place the ground meats in a large ceramic bowl, add the remaining ingredients, mix thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Fry the meat in a skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the meat is browned and no longer pink.

Bobotie

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

The lemon juice, the fruit, and the spiciness of the chile adds a real flavor dimension to this South African ground meat dish. I have no idea where the recipe title came from. Serve this dish with the rice and a fruit salad.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 pound lean ground lamb

  • 1 onion, finely chopped

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder

  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced

  • 1/2cup raisins

  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, strained

  • 1 tablespoon apricot preserves

  • 3/4 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño chile

  • 1/2  teaspoon salt

  • 2/3 cup half and half cream

  • 1/2 cup fine dry white breadcrumbs (about 1 slice)

  • 1 cup milk

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • Freshly cooked rice

Instructions

Heat the oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground meats and cook until no longer pink, breaking up with a fork, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and stir until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Drain off all fat. Add the curry and garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Add the raisins, lemon juice, preserves, apricots, chile, and salt and stir until the mixture thickens and most of the lemon juice evaporates, about 5 minutes. Mix in the half and half and breadcrumbs. Cool completely.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the mixture to a 7 by12 inch ovenproof glass baking dish. Whisk the milk with the eggs in a small bowl until thick and add the salt. Pour this over the meat mixture. Bake until custard topping is set, 35 to 45 minutes.

Serve immediately with the rice.

Venison Chili

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

This is the universally favorite way to prepare venison. Venison is quite lean yet very flavorful. It makes a wonderful chili that doesn’t have a fatty flavor. The slow cooking, chiles, and seasonings tremove any wild taste the meat might have. It freezes beautifully, so double the recipe and freeze a batch for another evening meal. Substitute elk if you wish.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 1 ½ pounds coarsely ground venison

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped onions

  • 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

  • ½ cup cooked, coarsely chopped bacon

  • 3 small jalapeño chiles, seeds and stems removed, finely chopped

  • 2 tablespoons ground New Mexican red chile

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 1 12-ounce can beer, dark preferred

  • 1 12-ounce can tomato paste

  • 1 16-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and brown the venison. Add the onions, garlic, and cooked bacon. Stir in the peppers, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt.

Add the beer, tomato paste, and stir in the drained beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to prevent burning and to combine flavors. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer the mixture for 20 to 30 minutes.

Louisiana Crab Cakes w/ Tomato and Chile Tartar Sauce

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

These delicious crab cakes are a wonderful way to use crab meat. The sauce is unusual and adds a dash of flavor. Serve the cakes with a spinach salad, garlic mashed finger potatoes, and fresh asparagus. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • Fresh Tomato and Chile Tartar Sauce

  • 2 cups mayonnaise

  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or to taste

  • 1/4 cup minced onion

  • 2 tablespoons minced drained bottled capers

  • 12 cornichons (French sour gherkins), minced

  • 2 fresh jalapeño chiles, seeds and stems removed, minced

  • 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and minced

  • Louisiana Crab Cakes

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 cups milk

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • 1 pound crab meat, picked over, ground fine

  • ½ cup minced red bell pepper

  • 2/3 cup minced green bell pepper

  • ½ cup minced yellow bell pepper

  • ½ cup minced green onion

  • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne

  • 3 cups fine, fresh bread crumbs

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • Lemon wedges for garnish

Instructions

To make the tartar sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise, the lemon juice, onion, capers, cornichons, chiles, tomatoes, salt, and black pepper, and cover and chill the sauce for at least one hour or preferably overnight.

In a saucepan, heat the 6 tablespoons of butter over moderately low heat until the foam subsides, add the flour, and cook the roux, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the milk in a stream, whisking vigorously, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add salt and black pepper to taste and simmer the white sauce, stirring, for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the crab meat, bell peppers, green onions, cayenne, and the white sauce and let the mixture cool. Stir in 1 cup of the bread crumbs, shape the mixture into cakes using 1/4 cup measure, and dredge the cakes in the remaining 2 cups of bread crumbs, coating them thoroughly.

In a skillet heat some of the butter and oil over a moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking; saute the crab cakes, in batches, for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, or until they are just golden, and transfer them to paper towels to drain. Add more of the butter and oil as you cook the remaining cakes.

Serve the crab cakes with the tartar sauce and lemon wedges.