Chip, My Pet Lobster

Well, I'm all alone this week. Becky, the boys, and even Frank have split for a few weeks. They're off to see the grandparents in Wisconsin and Minnesota until practically the end of July. I don't even have a dog to keep me company!

That's not entirely true. I do have Cameron from across the street. This month is shaping up to be a real Dennis The Menace/Mr. Wilson kind of month. At about 9:30 this morning, as I'm firing up the weed whacker, Cameron, our preschool neighbor and one of Luke's friends, scoots on over and asks me where Luke is.

I tell him that Luke is gone for almost the whole month. I further instruct him to go and look at a calendar. "You see, wait until you see August, and then come and ask for Luke."

"I don't have a calendar," he informs me.

"Well, I'm sure your mother does. Ask her."

Undeterred, Cameron runs back home, grabs his collection of live grasshoppers and a lawn chair, plops himself down and proceeds to keep me company while I mow. Now I have a friend. I decide that if he's bored, he might as well help me out, so I hand him a broom, and instruct him to sweep the grass off the driveway. Might as well make himself useful.

Of course, Cameron happily complies. I guess he and I are both pretty lonely.

~~~~~

So, to deter my loneliness, this evening, I decided to head on down to Giant to see if I could buy myself a friend. After much deliberation, I decided on a nice one-and-a-half pound lobster that I named "Chip".

I brought Chip home, and we played, and wrestled, and cuddled, but Chip seemed to want to pinch me all the time, so he wasn't a very good cuddler. At least not like Frank.

Finally, it got to be about 6:30, and I was getting hungry. I began to wonder if Chip might be pretty good eatin'. It was about this time that the doorbell rang. (And rang, and rang!)

DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG! DING DONG!

I ran to the door, with Chip in hand, and who should I find, but my old friend Cameron!

Opening the door, Cameron looked wide-eyed at my lobster, with his claws all flayed back ready for battle. (Chip is very protective.)

"What you gonna do with that Lobster, Mr. Scott?"

"I plan to eat him!" I told him.

"You're going to EAT him?" Cameron asked, bug-eyed.

"Yes, I think he'll be delicious... So, what can I do for you Cameron?"

Cameron thought for a moment, trying to remember why he was burning a hole in my doorbell only seconds before. "Oh yeah. Can I come in and make some tin soldiers?"

"No, Cameron. It's my dinnertime," I told him, "I will see you tomorrow."

And so I shut the door on dear little Cameron, and proceeded to make my supper:

Lobster Pasta

1 large fresh lobster
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half for a lighter fare)
1 package of dried angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the lobster and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until bright red.
2. As soon as the lobster starts cooking, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red pepper, onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Cook and stir just to release the aroma. Do not let them brown.
3. When the lobster comes out of the pot, place it on a cutting board. Remove the body cavity, saving the claw and tail meat. Place the meat into the skillet with the red pepper, onion and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes.
   
4. With the hot water from the lobster, add a little salt, and place the pasta in the water to boil.
5. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly for 5 to 7 minutes. Slowly pour in the cream, stirring constantly. The sauce will become a nice pink color, bubbling gently. Turn down the heat to medium-low and keep warm until pasta is cooked.
6. Drain the pasta and place on a large serving plate. Stir in the remaining butter and garlic. Pour the sauce over the pasta and arrange the lobster meat onto the center. Sprinkle generously with the parsley and serve.

Serves 4.

So, the lobster was delicious, but now I'm lonely again. (frown)

Sausage Day

Some may call it Black Friday, but for us, the Friday after Thanksgiving is Sausage Day.

Luke was a big help this year. He helped cut and season the meat, and helped push it through the grinder. He's becoming quite the little sous-chef.

This year, Ed brought down about two pounds of frozen venison. I decided to create my own recipe for breakfast sausage, since I was tired of all the old ones I've been making.

This time I just used the meat and spices I had on hand:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott's Venison Breakfast Sausage

2 lbs. venison
1 lb. ground beef
12 oz. pork ham fat
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. juniper berries (secret weapon to cut gaminess of wild meat--SHHH! Don't tell anyone!)
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
2 whole red chile peppers (like Serrano), or 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. mace
salt to taste

Slice all the meat and fat into one inch cubes. Set aside. Place all the spices (sage through mace) into a spice grinder and grind until it is a coarse powder. Rub the seasonings into the meat and grind through a coarse disk. Form one patty and fry to taste the seasonings. Add salt to taste. Grind the meat again through a fine disk. Form into one pound loaves, wrapping each with wax paper, and freeze until ready to cook.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Chop the meat with a sharp cleaver or butcher knife.

2. Place all the meat in a large bowl.

3. For lean game meats like venison, you will need at least a little added fat. This is cured ham fat, so watch the salt when using this stuff. It's pretty salty already.

4. Grind all the spices together in a spice grinder.

5. Then add the spices to the meat.

6. Work the spices into all the cubed meat.

7. Now you're ready to start grinding the meat through the coarse grinding plate.

8. Plops of happiness.

9. Before grinding through the second finer plate, be sure to fry up a small patty to check seasonings. In this case, we added a touch more sea salt.

10. The finished patty. Delicious! A skillet full of love! Notice how non-greasy the patty is. This is healthy stuff, folks!

Meyer Lemon Harvest

We had another bountiful year from the Meyer Lemon tree. This year, we picked fourteen lemons off the tree, two more than two years ago! Four of them instantly went into the most delicious lemonade, and the remaining lemons we cooked up into lemon curd, which we'll freeze for the coming months of pancakes, cheesecakes, waffles, and muffins!

Yum!

Here's that Lemon Curd recipe:

Lemon Curd

3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp grated lemon rind or lemon zest
2 large eggs
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
2 Tbsp butter

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook until sugar dissolves and mixture is light in color (about 3 minutes). Stir in lemon juice and butter; cook for 5 minutes or until mixture thinly coats the back of a spoon, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cool. Cover and chill (the mixture will thicken as it cools).

Note: Lemon Curd can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can easily double or quadruple the recipe and freeze it in heavy-duty Zip-Loc bags. Thaw in refrigerator, and use within 1 week of thawing.

Photo credit: Luke Harris, 2008.

Burns Party -- The Food

The food, oh the food!!

Our menu for the Burns Night Supper started with an appetizer of Cock-a-Leekie soup.

After the soup, we piped in the haggis, and moved on to the main course, consisting of roasted leg of lamb, neeps, tatties, and haggis. Of course, Becky insisted upon a green salad!

Complimenting the meal was my selection of whisky. For those preferring grape to grain, we served a Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volante 1999 and a Hop Kiln Generations 2004 Pinot Noir.

We finished it all off with a beautiful chocolate Cranachan topped with raspberries.

Here are those luscious recipes:

~~~~~

Cock-a-Leekie Soup
Eva Chesteen

1 frying chicken
3 qt. water
3 onions, sliced
4 bouillon cubes
4 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
8-12 leeks (split, washed and sliced)
½ c. uncooked rice

Boil chicken and onion in water until chicken is fully cooked. Cool and debone chicken, removing fat and skin. Add chicken pieces back to water and add other ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes covered. Remove bay leaf if you can find the darn thing.

~~~~~

Haggis
Scott Harris

This recipe assumes, like me, you cannot get real haggis. If you live outside the U.S.A. and can obtain real haggis, of course, use that instead!

2 (14-ounce) cans of Scottish haggis (unless you're feeling adventurous enough to make your own)
1 large casing (stomach, fibrous salami casing, tube-sock, whatever you can find!)

If using fibrous casing, soak the casing in warm water for 30 minutes.

Remove haggis from the can. Heat haggis in the skillet until it is uniformly browned and fragrant. Allow to cool slightly.

Spoon the haggis into the casing, tapping it down to make it compact. Tie off the casing. Ten minutes before serving, microwave the haggis for two minutes, then transfer to a warm oven until time to serve. Be sure to prick the haggis before serving to avoid scalding sprays of hot grease. (Yum!)

~~~~~

Lamb Marinade
Sandi and Scott Harris

2 crushed garlic cloves
½ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. spicy mustard
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1½ tsp. dried rosemary
2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1 Tbsp. whisky
plenty of cracked pepper

Combine all ingredients with a whisk. Marinate the lamb for at least two hours.
(This recipe is for a 2½ lb. roast. Double it for a 5 lb. roast.)

~~~~~

Roasted Leg of Lamb
Scott Harris

1 (5-pound boneless, 7-pound bone-in) leg of lamb
¼ c. fresh rosemary
salt
pepper

Marinate the lamb for at least two hours using the Lamb Marinade. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut sixteen ¾ in. slits into the lamb, eight on each side. Chop the rosemary into small pieces and press into the lamb, including the slits. Drizzle remaining marinade onto the lamb, including the slits. Coat liberally with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven on a broiler pan for 1½ hours or until thermometer reads 140 degrees (medium-rare) or 155 degrees (medium). Remove and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing into thin slices.

~~~~~

Neeps

3 large rutabagas
butter
salt and pepper

Peel and chop the rutabagas into 1 in. cubes. Boil the rutabagas until they are soft. Strain and then mash with butter, salt and pepper.

~~~~~

Camembert Mashed Potatoes
Cooking Light
(our tatties for the evening)

1½ (8-ounce) rounds Camembert cheese
11 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato (about 4½ pounds)
½ c. 1% low-fat milk
¾ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. freshly ground pepper
chopped fresh chives (optional)

Cut cheese into 6 wedges. Carefully remove rind from cheese; discard rind. Chop cheese; let stand at room temperature while potatoes cook.

Place potatoes into a large Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 12 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander; return potatoes to pan. Add cheese, milk, salt, and ¾ tsp. pepper; mash with a potato masher until smooth. Garnish with chives and additional pepper, if desired.

~~~~~

Chocolate Cranachan
Bon Appétit

2 c. coarsely grated bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate (about 6 oz.)
1 c. hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped (4½ oz.)
1/3 c. (packed) golden brown sugar
1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (3 oz.; do not use instant)
1¾ c. chilled heavy whipping cream
1/3 c. crème fraîche or sour cream
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 c. whisky

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix chocolate, hazelnuts, and brown sugar in medium bowl. Spread oats out on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Stir hot oats into chocolate mixture (hot oats will partially melt chocolate); set aside until chocolate firms, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Or stick in the freezer to rush the process.)

Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream, crème fraîche, and sugar in large bowl until cream mixture holds peaks. Fold in whisky.

In each of six 10- to 12-ounce goblets, layer ¾ c. cream mixture and ¾ c. oat mixture; repeat layering.

Top each parfait with ¾ c. cream mixture and sprinkle with oat mixture. Cover parfaits and chill overnight.

Variations:
Instead of goblets, Becky served the whole dessert in a trifle dish, then she layered raspberries and mint sprigs on top for a final flourish.

Serves 6. (We doubled this recipe.)

Sausage Making Day

It's become a bit of a tradition for us to make sausage the day before Thanksgiving when Ed comes to visit. His suitcase always contains a few pounds of venison from the great northern woods of Wisconsin.

This year, we made a very fine Yankee Sausage out of the venison. Eat your heart out, Jimmy Dean!

~~~~~~

Yankee Venison Sausage

5 lbs venison
2 lbs pork butt
½ pound pork fat
7 Tbsp crumbled dried sage
3 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp coarsely ground pepper
¼ cup ground juniper berries
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp dried savory
½ tsp dried marjoram
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves (or 2-6 cloves in the grinder when you do the juniper berries)

Cut all the meat and fat into one inch cubes. Combine all the meat and fat into one large bowl. Add all the seasoning to the meat and toss to coat. Grind through the coarse grinder. Take a small bit to fry up to check seasonings and taste. Adjust seasonings as desired. Form into 1-pound rolls and freeze immediately. Makes approx. seven 1-pound rolls.

A Night in Havana

Last night we hosted another international dinner party--this time the destination was Cuba. The menu was incredible: Becky and I provided plantains, and roasted pork (recipe to follow), Sharon and Desi brought plantain chips and salsa, and a really wonderful shrimp and plantain appetizer that Desi picked out. Then there was Pam and Phil's Moros y Cristianos (black beans and rice, literally, Moors and Christians), a nice green salad with mango, and a delicious lemon mango ginger sorbet for dessert, courtesy of Leslie and Scott.

The drinks of choice for the night were Dark and Stormies, the ubiquitous Mojito (pictured above, recipe below), ginger beer and some Jamaican Red Stripe (as close as we could get to Cuba for beer).

The outdoor speakers were playing all the Cuban music in my collection: Buena Vista Social Club, Afro Cuban All Stars, Celia Cruz, the soundtrack to The Mambo Kings, and several Spanish-only albums of Gloria Estefan.

Cuban tunes piped outdoors, a nice gentle breeze, and a force-field of citronella candles against the gnats made for a very wonderful evening.

Patricia's Cuban Roast
7 lbs. Fresh Ham (or Fresh Picnic Shoulder or Boston Butt, we used butt)
1 c. olive oil
4 Tbsp. oregano (preferably Mexican)
3 Tbsp. parsley
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
Pepper
Adobo

Cover the roast in Adobo. Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the meat in a bag overnight. Cook at 325 degrees for approximately 4 to 4 1/2 hours. The meat will literally fall off the bone.

Mojitos
3 leaves of fresh mint
2 tsp sugar
1-3 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice (about 1.5 small limes)
1-2 oz. white rum
Club soda
Ice

Tear one mint leaf into tiny bits and place in a high-ball glass with the sugar. Using the back of a spoon, smash, scrape and otherwise molest the mint until it is ground up by the sugar and smeared on the inside of the glass. Add the lime juice and rum. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Fill the cup the rest of the way with ice. Top off with club soda and add the final two mint leaves for garnish.

Three Awesome Sausages

We're getting ready for Memorial Day weekend, and Becky suggested that the Sausage King make some sausage for the weekend cookouts. I decided upon these three--my favorites:

Scott's Mexican Chorizo
3 lbs pork butt
0.5 - 0.75 lbs pork fat, still frozen
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh ground black peppercorns
1.5 Tbsp cayenne
1.5 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp fresh minced garlic
2 Tbsp Ancho chili powder
1 Tbsp Mexican oregano
1/8 c rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp fennel, cracked
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 c tequila or brandy
1/2 tsp curing salt (Prague Powder #2)
medium hog casings

Cut the meat and the fat into 1" cubes. Grind the meat and the fat together. Mix all the rest of the ingredients with the meat and the fat. Grind everything again and mix well. Stuff the meat mixture into the hog casings and tie off into 5-6" links. Let cure uncovered for at least 24 hours in the fridge or a cooler. Optionally, dry them for 5-6 weeks. Otherwise, freeze and cook before serving.

Recipe © Copyright 2004, Scott E. Harris. All Rights Reserved.


All Beef Bratwurst
3 feet small hog casings
3 pounds lean beef
1/2 pound pork fat
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp crushed caraway seeds
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp salt, or to taste

Prepare the casings. Grind the meat and fat through the fine blade of the grinder. Mix the meats and grind again. Add the remaining ingredients to the meat and mix thoroughly. Stuff into the casings and twist off into four- or five-inch lengths. Refrigerate up to two days.

Adapted from Home Sausage Making by Charles G. Reavis.


Lamb Sausage with Rosemary
4 feet of sheep or small hog casings
2.5 pounds of lean spring lamb
1/2 pound of pork fat
1 tsp freshly coarse ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt, or to taste

Prepare the casings. Mix the meat, fat and the seasonings. Grind the mixture through the fine blade of the grinder. Stuff the mixture into the casings and twist off the three-inch links. Refrigerate up two days.

Adapted from Home Sausage Making by Charles G. Reavis.

Lenten Recipe #7 -- Cumin-Crusted Chilean Sea Bass

Today is Good Friday, the last Friday of Lent. This final recipe is quite austere in its simplicity, and yet, is one of my favorite recipes. (Kind of appropriate for Good Friday.)

I hope you've enjoyed my series of recipes for Lent. Easter is this weekend, and may the world rejoice!

Cumin-Crusted Chilean Sea Bass

1 T. cumin seeds
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
4 six ounce fillets Chilean sea bass or other white fish (like tilapia)
1/2 t. olive oil
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
4 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 375. Cook cumin seeds in a large skillet over medium heat 2 minutes or until toasted. Place cumin, salt, pepper in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground. Rub cumin mixture over top and bottom sides of fillet.

Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add fillets; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Wrap handle of pan with foil. Bake at 375 for 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle with parsley; serve with lemon wedges. Serves four.

Lenten Recipe #6 -- Zesty Citrus Fish and Shrimp

Whereas most of the recipes posted in this series have been passed down from other people or otherwise accumulated through the years, this one is a Scott Harris original.

Zesty Citrus Fish and Shrimp

2-3 white fish fillets (like mahi-mahi or cod)
1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and veined
2 T. lime juice
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
1 T. rice vinegar
lemon pepper seasoning

Preheat grill on high heat. Combine lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, cilantro, and rice vinegar in zip-loc bag. Add fillets and shrimp. Marinate for 10-20 minutes. Reduce grill to medium heat. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the grill surface, turning up at the edges to make a bowl. Place fish on the foil and add shrimp to foil so all pieces touch the foil and cook evenly. Pour marinade over fish and shrimp. Sprinkle fish and shrimp liberally with lemon pepper. Cook fish for 30 minutes, turning carefully once. Move shrimp around to ensure that they get thoroughly cooked. When cooked, fish should be white and flaky but not dry. Shrimp should be orange and opaque with white flesh. Remove from grill and serve topped with its own sauce from the grill. Serve with Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling. Serves four.

Lenten Recipe #5 -- Spicy Tequila Shrimp

Spicy Tequila Shrimp

1 t. olive oil
1 c. vertically-sliced onion
1/2 c. fresh jalapeño, julienned, seeded
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. shrimp, peeled, veined
1 T. sherry vinegar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. tequila
3 c. chopped seeded tomato
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 T. lime juice
6 c. hot cooked rice
1 peeled med. avocado (cut into 12 wedges)

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeño and garlic. Sauté 8 minutes. Add shrimp, vinegar, salt. Sauté 3 minutes. Pour tequila into skillet and ignite with a long match or long-necked flame starter. Let flames die down. Add tomato and cilantro and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Spoon over rice and service with avocado wedges. Serves six.

Cooking Eddie

Eddie was inspired by his new favorite video game, Cooking Mama, so he insisted on making dinner tonight. This video game is one of those games that only the Japanese would come up with. An anime "mama" (who looks no older than 12 herself) gives you instruction on cooking recipes, and you earn medals if you do them correctly. It's actually very fun, and somewhat educational.

Eddie decided he would make us dinner tonight with his favorite Cooking Mama recipe, Omelet with crab, peas and shitake mushrooms. Eddie did all the cooking, including the prep work and setting the table. I even let him choose the wine, and he chose a nice sake.

Dinner was delicious! Good job, Cooking Eddie!

Here's Eddie's recipe, directly from his written instructions, as he's interpreted them from his video game:

1. Cook 10 crab legs (1.5 lb snow crab legs)
2. Slice shitake mushroom
3. Cut off crab legs
4. Remove crab meat
5. Break 6 eggs
6. Beat eggs
7. Add to eggs, crab, peas, mushrooms
8. Pan fry over adjusting heat. Press 4 times. Flip at the end.
9. Put on plate and serve

By the way, Eddie thought this recipe might be enjoyed by Nana, Grandpas Duke and Warren, and especially Tio Adolfo! He knows Grandma Duke doesn't like crab.

Lenten Recipe #4 -- Pecan-Crusted Tilapia

Pecan-Crusted Tilapia

1/2 c. dry breadcrumbs
2 T. finely chopped pecans
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk
1/2 t. hot sauce (like Tabasco)
3 T. all-purpose flour
4 six ounce tilapia or snapper fillets
1 T. olive oil, divided
4 lemon wedges

Combine first five ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine buttermilk and hot sauce in a medium bowl; place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge one fillet in flour. Dip in buttermilk mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining fillets, flour, buttermilk mixture, and breadcrumb mixture.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 fillets; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and fillets. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves four.

Lenten Recipe #3 -- Crisp-Crusted Catfish

It must be Friday again. Here's another recipe, and man, this one is good!

Crisp-Crusted Catfish

2 T. light ranch dressing
2 large egg whites
6 T. yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. ground red pepper
1/8 t. salt
4 six ounce farm-raised catfish fillets
cooking spray
4 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 425. Combine the dressing and egg whites in a small bowl, and stir well with a whisk. Combine the cornmeal, cheese, flour, pepper, and salt in a shallow dish. Dip fish in egg white mixture; dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake at 425 for 12 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves four.

Lenten Recipe #2 -- Indian Masala Noodles

I received this recipe from one of my old Computer Science professors way back from my undergraduate days at Georgia Tech.

Indian Masala Noodles

1 c. semolina noodles, broken into 1 inch bits, cooked
3/4 c. crushed tomatoes
3/4 c. frozen veggie mix, cooked
1/2 t. cumin seeds, whole
1/4 t. turmeric
1/2 c. chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sliced jalapeño
1/2 t Garam Masala spice*
2 T. olive oil
salt, to taste

Cook noodles, drain, rinse in cold water. Steam veggies, set noodles and veggies aside.
Heat oil; add onion, garlic, cumin, turmeric. Sauté 1-2 mins. (Don't burn it!) Add jalapeño and tomatoes and stir for 2-3 min. Add veggies and noodles and salt; stir 1-2 min. Add Garam Masala and stir 1-2 min. Serves four.

~~~

*Garam Masala

1/3 whole nutmeg
1 1/2 t. cardamom seeds
1 1/2 t. black peppercorns
1 1/2 t. black cumin seeds
1 1/2 t. coriander seeds
2 inch stick of cinnamon
1/2 t. whole cloves
curl of mace

Break the nutmeg into pieces by firmly knocking it with the bottom of a coffee mug. Put all the masala ingredients in a medium skillet. Toast the spices over medium-high heat, swirling the skillet occasionally, until they become fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Let the spices cool slightly, transfer them to a spice/coffee grinder and pulse the switch to pulverize them into a fine powder. Transfer the mixture to a storage container. Courtesy Kathleen O'Rourke, Cooking with the Spices of India.

Sunday Supper -- Our Goose is Cooked

I had a pound of wild goose in the freezer, and on such a cold day, I thought it would be nice to have an Irish Beef Stew, but with goose instead of beef. Goose, especially wild goose, is extremely low in fat and tastes very much like beef if you remove the gaminess. This is easily done (get ready, secret recipe coming!) by marinating the cubed meat for at least 30 minutes in two tablespoons of ground juniper berries, some olive oil, some Adobo, and a splash of whisky. (I chose Laphroaig tonight.)


Irish Goose Stew
by Scott Harris (modified from Cooking Light recipe for Vegetable-Beef Stew)

3 T. olive oil
1 lb. goose meat, cubed, marinated, and drained of marinade
1 can beef broth
1 bottle beer
1 1/2 c. potatoes, peeled and cubed
1-2 c. onions, sliced
1 c. carrots, sliced
1 c. celery, sliced
3 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and stems discarded
5-6 leaves fresh sage
1 bay leaf, edges torn to impart flavor, but leaf remains intact
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. fresh ground pepper
1/4 c. water
2 T. flour
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. agave nectar (or sugar)

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add goose, and cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Add onions and fry until clear. Add broth and next 10 ingredients (through pepper), stirring to combine; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf.

Combine 1/4 cup water, flour, lemon juice, and nectar (or sugar), stirring well with a whisk or fork. Add flour mixture to beef mixture, stirring constantly; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Serves four to six.

Lenten Recipe #1 -- Thai Soy Salmon

I thought I would try something new in this blog. Since it is now the beginning of the Lenten season, I thought I would offer up some of my favorite "Lent approved" dishes for people to share. These are some of my favorite recipes from Becky's recipe box, and we usually eat these year round, not just at Lent.

Every Friday of Lent, I will post a new meatless recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Since they come from Becky's kitchen, you can bet that they will be tasty and quite healthy. And, totally approved for the afterlife!

Thai Soy Salmon

3/4 c. beer
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
4 six ounce salmon fillets
cooking spray

Mix the first seven ingredients into a marinade. Marinate the salmon for at least one hour. Discard marinade. Spray both sides of the salmon with cooking spray. Grill the salmon five minutes each side on a hot flame for a medium rare fish. (Cook longer if desired.) Serve with Cilantro Coconut Chutney. Serves four.

Cilantro Coconut Chutney

1 c. fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 c. shredded sweetened coconut
1/4 c. water
2 T. lime juice
1 T. jalapeños, minced, seeded
1 t. ginger, minced, peeled
2 t. curry powder
1/8 t. salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Add all to food processor and process until smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to three days or freeze.

Christmas Venison Recipes

Some good recipes for the Christmas Eve table:

Venison Pot Roast (from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 1989 ed.)

2-3 lb venison shoulder or rump roast
(marinate with crushed garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2T crushed juniper berries, salt, pepper, 1/4 cup whiskey for 30-120 minutes)
2 T cooking oil
1 6 oz can tomato juice
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped carrot
2 t instant beef bouillon granules
3 T flour
1/2 c sour cream or plain yogurt
4 c hot cooked noodles
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In a Dutch oven, brown meat on all sides in hot oil. Drain fat. Stir
in tomato juice, onion, carrot, and bouillon granules. Bring to
boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours or till meat
is tender. Remove meat from pan.

For sauce, add enough water to pan juices and vegetables to equal 2
cups. Return mixture to pan. Stir flour into sour cream or yogurt.

Add to pan juices. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and
stir one minute more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice
venison thinly; spoon sauce over. Serve with noodles. Makes 8 servings.

And Chef Sixto's Best Venison Sausage recipe is:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/outdoorskills/article/0,13199,578664,00.html