We are having some of the coldest weather I can remember this month, and I am glad to bring some great cold weather recipes for your enjoyment. I made this last night and it was a big hit. If you don’t want to use all of the vegetables it’s OK but they really go together well to make a hearty flavor, I hope you enjoy it!

Slaven’s Venison Stew

with Red Wine

This is a traditional dish that serves as a great meal all on its own. It can be baked in the oven if desired.

Yields: 8 main-dish servings

Total Time: 2 hr 30 min

Prep Time: 45 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min

Ingredients:

·        2 pounds of venison backstrap, and 2 pounds of  boneless beef sirloin tip or chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 -inch chunks (2 pounds of lean eye of round or other type roast can be substituted for the venison, but you still need a total of 4 pounds of meat)

·        2 tablespoons olive oil

·        2 tablespoons unsalted butter

·        3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

·        3 large parsnips, cut into 1/4 inch slices

·        6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin-(this results in a smoother flavor)

·        1 large onion, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

·        10 small boiler onions peeled and left whole

·        10 small New potatoes, rinsed cleaned and quartered

·        2 tablespoons - all purpose flour

·        1- 29 0z. can diced tomatoes 

·        2- 14 oz. cans of  low sodium beef broth

·        1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

·        2 cup(s) dry red wine ( I really like the peppery taste of a Shiraz for the stew)

·        4 sprigs fresh or 1 teaspoon of dried  thyme

·        ½ teaspoon of  ground Cumin

·        1 teaspoon dried or fresh basil

·        2 pints of fresh mushrooms, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices

·        1 red bell pepper, sliced into 3/4 inch pieces

·        1/2 pound of fresh green beans, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

·        1 bag(s) (16-ounce) frozen peas

Directions

In 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high until hot.* Pat beef dry with paper towels. Add beef, in small batches, don’t crowd the meat in the pan and cook 5 to 6 minutes per batch or until well browned on all sides. With slotted spoon, transfer beef to medium bowl.

* The meat pieces must be pat dry and not touching to brown properly.

To drippings in Dutch oven, add chopped onion, and cook 10 minutes or until onion is browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour, canned tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper; cook 2 to3 minutes, stirring. Add wine and heat to boiling, stirring until* browned bits are loosened from bottom of pan.

* The browned bits that form on the bottom of the pan add tremendous flavor. This is known as  the fond.

Return meat and any meat juices in bowl to Dutch oven. Add thyme, basil, cumin and the rest of the vegetables, except the peas; heat to boiling. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is fork-tender, stirring a few times*. Discard thyme sprigs if using fresh thyme. Just before stew is done, stir in peas and allow them to heat through for 4 to 5 minutes.

* If baking the stew, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours , stirring once.

Enjoy with some fresh Yeast rolls. (Some like to serve the stew over egg noodles)

Bon Appetit,

Bryan Slaven

The Texas Gourmet

In my opinion there is no risk in refreezing your venison. The only health risk is if you were to allow the defrosted venison to remain above 40 degrees for any length of time or the venison had been allowed to start spoiling prior to freezing. I also recommend thawing your frozen deer prior to processing in a controlled temperature cooler, not at room tempature. If thawing venison trim to grind with other meats, I again recommend doing so in a cooler or refrigerator.

Be sure and check out our Naughty or Nice Salsa as a stocking stuffer. It’s awesome!

Went down  to Nueces Canyon Lodge in Uvalde, Tx. a couple weeks ago for some dove hunting and cooked up some mesquite grilled dove breasts, center cut pork steaks, new potatoes, and squash casserole. Good times!

Mesquite grilled dove breasts and center cut pork steaks

We have received several requests over the last couple of years for a new barbeque sauce. Well we are happy to announce we will be launching the new “Honey Pecan Barbeque Sauce” by November . We will be making a set which will include all 3 of our grilling  and finishing sauces. If you are looking for the perfect gift for the cook in your family or something fresh to give out as corporate gifts , The Texas Gourmet is your place to shop for unique spicy food products!

We went down to the  Bay Flats Lodge in Seadrift , Texas on the 6th, 7th, and 8th of this month with an awesome film crew, and a masterful team of production and direction led by Joseph Profit and Debra Gutjhar from Unleashed Cinema. We put together the initial pilot for a potential upcoming television show. We called upon a local historian out of Needville to assist us in revealing some interesting history about the Seadrift area; we took an awesome airboat ride that brought us into the rarely visited backwaters of the Guadalupe Delta with some up-close encounters with alligators, Roseate Spoonbills, and plenty of other wildlife along the way. I had the opportunity to have a few minutes to quiz Chris Martin about the area, and the state of the fishery, he really practices what he preaches when it comes to conservation, and giving back to the bay system that he coexists with so well..  We wade fished for redfish along the shoreline of Guadalupe Bay, then headed back to camp to hit the kitchen and prepare some Redfish on the half shell. I topped it with a Spanish style pomodora sauce I developed from a salsa I introduced to Bay Flats Lodge. I included numerous cooking tips along the way while preparing fresh green beans Slaven Style and baby baker New Potatoes with a spicy and crispy skin and a soft and creamy inside. It all went well, and I hope the networks love it as well! The whole event was really made possible because of the generosity of Captain Chris Martin and his wife Debbie, who were so gracious to allow us the use of their lodge kitchen to shoot the kitchen scenes and show us some awesome hospitality. If you have never been there you really owe it to yourself to take a look at the beautiful grounds and accommodations , and all they have to offer on their  site @ www.bayflatslodge.com

I am looking forward to  the upcoming 09/ 10 dove season, and will be headed to Uvalde soon. If you are planning a trip, be sure and read my recipe and make a copy to carry with you to the hunting camp if you can grill there.  Go to the site at www.texasgourmet.com  and you can read about many other wild game recipes as well. I have been hearing that there should be a bumper crop of white wing, and the limit is 15   for all zones. Good luck to all of you  that get to go .

As an avid cook and grilling enthusiast, I subscribe to and study the valuable information offered by the test kitchen and the food scientists associated with Cook’s illustrated magazine. I am always impressed with their  reviews of products and the thorough efforts that are taken in developing new recipes and revisiting old ones to make them as good as they can be. This article is a great example of valuable research done on a subject that many of us that enjoy good fried freshwater fish have struggled  with . I hope you enjoy this, and consider the magazine, if you love to cook as much as I do.

Thanks for your question, I hope that this will be helpful to you.

Bryan Slaven

The Texas Gourmet

Published May 1, 2008. From Cook’s Illustrated.

Why do catfish and tilapia sometimes taste muddy or swampy? Can I remove this unpleasant flavor?

BUTTERMILK CLEANSER: An hour-long soak in buttermilk washes away the muddy flavor from freshwater fish such as catfish and tilapia.

Hello evryone,

This is my first entry on my blog.