Fresh

As I've moved on in my cooking career one thing has always been emphasized over and over again. Try to use the freshest possible ingredients. In the markets where I have worked this usually means vegetables and herbs. It is very hard to control the freshness of proteins in the desert southwest. Even on the coast, although the seafood and produce is ultra fresh there is not usually much difference regarding the other proteins like beef, game and poultry. Working at the lodge has given me opportunities to cook with fresh game.

A couple of weeks ago we had some hunters express interest in having me cook the elk they had just shot that morning. I indicated that it would be no problem and minutes later their guide deposited 2 bags on the kitchen table.
The bags contained the backstrap that would be prepared for their main dish and the neck that would be turned into a Texas style Elk Chili.
I removed the meat from the bags and set about fabricating the cuts for that evening.









Since the meat was still a little warm I fabricated the usable cuts as quickly as possible and then put everything in the cooler while I worked out the rest of the menu.
The chili came together pretty easily utilizing the neck meat, except for the fact that I don't often make Texas chili. So the result was a hybrid of Texas chili and New Mexican Red chili. While the chili was fairly spicy the overall flavor was quite nice.
I find that coffee and chocolate pair well with game meat and so I crusted the backstrap with an espresso and chocolate rub. This was seared in a smoking hot pan and then placed in the oven untill it was a nice medium rare. Wanting to keep a bit of the southwestern flair I chose to place it on some green chili polenta and some haricot verts. The meat was drizzled with black currant demi glace and topped with a jalapeno and corn relish.

During my conversation with the client that afternoon they happened to mention that they often prepared their elk with bell peppers and cream cheese and then wrapped in bacon.
Sadly I did not have any bell peppers on hand and was not able to make 52 mile round trip to the nearest grocery store. So the next day, wanting to give the client a similar flavor profile, I took some scrap meat that I had saved from the prior fabrication and used them in a rumaki style stuffed jalapeno. The Jalapenos were de-seeded stuffed with cream cheese and elk meat; wrapped with brown sugar and cumin seasoned bacon and finally roasted in the oven. I have to say while the end result was fairly spicy I really liked the result. Sadly I think the entire dish was a little too spicy for the clients but they did put a sizeable dent in the platter.

While this is not an everyday occurance for me I have had the opportunity to work not only with elk but also fresh, trout, grouse and buffalo. Turkey hunts are coming up and we're in deer season so I am anxiously awaiting my next challenge.

Tofu presenting as Scallops

This was a fun project to tackle. I was looking for a dish for my vegan friend and got the idea to cut the tofu round like a scallop and sear it the same way. Since tofu is fairly bland, I marinated the "scallops" in ginger, lime, cilantro and sugar for a couple of hours. Soba noodles are fairly straight forward to cook and I just tossed them in soy, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar when they were done. The leeks were braised in olive oil and water until they were nice and soft. Then I tossed in the tomatoes and let them stew in the leek juice for a few minutes. The end result was a nice dish with really vibrant flavors that just melted into each other when combined. The picture was the first run that I tried and then ended up enjoying. The actual dish I gave my friend was finished with a jicama and chayote slaw. Sadly she didn't get to try it when it was nice and hot but she said it was just as enjoyable after warming it later.

Two vegan recipies

Roasted Artichoke And Garlic Soup
Yield 6 Quarts

4 cans of artichoke hearts
7 cloves of garlic
2 medium yellow onions
3 cans of coconut milk
3 quarts of water
Salt and White pepper to taste (tt)
2 Tb 80/20 olive and canola oil
1/2 c white wine

Strain the artichoke hearts reserving the liquid. Place in a pan with the garlic and 1 Tb of oil and place in a convection oven at 350 degrees F. Roast untill the artichokes are golden brown and the garlic is soft.
While the artichokes are roasting sweat the onions in the remaining olive oil and deglaze with the white wine. Reduce by half and add the artichokes and the garlic. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the coconut milk. When the liquid is just about to a boiling point check the garlic and if it is softened to the point of being able to squish the garlic with a pair of tongs remove from the heat and puree in a blender. Strain in a fine mesh strainer and season to taste. Thicken with cornstarch if necessary.

Butternut Squash Risotto
Yield 15 servings
1 Butternut squash peeled seeded and diced
2 cups arborio rice
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 shallots minced
1/4 c white wine
water as needed
2 cans coconut milk
2 Tb dijon mustard
1/2 Tb sugar
tt salt and white pepper
3 Tb 80/20 olive and canola oil

Place the diced squash in a shallow pan and toss with 1 Tb oil. Place in a convection oven at 350 degrees and roast until the squash is lightly browned and al dente. Reserve for later.
In a sauce pan sweat the shallots until lightly caramelized. Add the rice and toast until the aroma is slightly nutty. Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce untill au sec (the wine is almost gone) Reduce the heat to just a small flame. Add the mustard and sugar and slowly add the water a little at a time constantly stirring the rice. When almost all the liquid is absorbed add more water. When the rice is almost al dente but still slightly crunchy add the coconut milk and continue until the rice is al dente. Finish by adding the reserved squash and season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Restrictions

I once had a soccer coach who would place certain restrictions on us if we were scrimmaging a younger team. In some games we could only touch the ball 2 times, use our left foot, right foot, and so on. It made the games quite challenging but also forced us to utilize more team work and think about our play.
What got me thinking about this is several clients have come in with various food allergies. My initial thought is usually one of dread since it involves a reworking of the menu and with hunting season in full swing it's hard to find the extra time necessary for special plates. Once I get down to really working on the food and seeing the client's reaction it is very rewarding.
In June for instance we had a wedding and the bride had a gluten allergy. She was very concerned that she might experience "food envy" during the dinners. So I worked the sauces and dishes so that everyone that weekend was eating gluten free. No food envy and no one really noticed that their food was lacking gluten. The bride was very happy and I was rewarded with a sense of accomplishment.
Another reason why I have been thinking about this is a new friend of mine is vegan and we've been talking ingredients and recipes. During these conversations I realized that I don't have very many vegan dishes in my arsenal. So I'm now on a quest to shore up my stock of recipes with some kick ass vegan dishes.
Here's a question to ponder... is it easier to cook vegan and vegetarian than it is to deal with a food allergy?

Giocoso

Giocoso...In Italian it means playful. It reflects my approach to food...or rather my ideal approach to food. Sometimes I loose focus and tend to take the job too seriously and I have to remind myself that "hey. It's just food, dude"
My name is Kirk VanderMaat and I am Executive chef of a Private Hunting and Fishing Lodge.
I intend for this particular blog to be a record of my ideas and experiments in the kitchen. I'm sure there will be a lot of failures along the way but hey...its just food, dude.