The Charmed Kitchen

Venison Meatballs

I had gotten some ground venison from a friend a while ago and finally decided how to cook it. Thanks to Tracey and Jeff Bales for sharing it with me. 🙂 I ended up making meatballs and they were fabulous. The meat was very lean so I added oil to the pan when cooking them. My friend Jonathan was coming over and I knew he loved venison so it seemed the right time to make the meatballs. He loved them. Served them over pasta with sauteed greens. Really tasty.

Venison Meatballs with Greens and Pasta

1 recipe venison meatballs-recipe follows

oil

1 large onion, chopped

8 cloves whole garlic, peeled*

8 cups chopped greens- I used a combination of kale and collards

salt and pepper to taste

Hot sauce to taste

 hot cooked pasta

Prepare venison meatball recipe. Heat oil in skillet and brown the meatballs on all sides over medium heat. Cover the skillet and allow the meatballs to cook through over medium-low heat. While the meatballs are cooking in another skillet heat more oil and saute onion until wilted. Add garlic cloves and cook several minutes longer. Add greens and cook, stirring, until greens are wilted. Cover pan and allow greens to cook until just tender- about 10 minutes.  Adjust seasonings. While greens are cooking cook pasta. Combine greens with meatballs and stir to combine. Spoon over hot pasta on a large serving platter. Serves 6.

Venison Meatballs

2 lbs. ground venison

2 eggs

1/2 c. bread crumbs

1/4 c. dried minced onion or 1/2 c. minced fresh onion

2 t. minced garlic

2 t. salt- or to taste

1 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

hot sauce to taste

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients with your hands and form into balls. Try to handle the mixture as little as possible to keep the meatballs tender. I took a small amount of the mixture and cooked in in a skillet to check seasoning levels before cooking the whole batch.

* the reason I used so many whole cloves of garlic is that Jonathan really likes a lot of garlic. By leaving the cloves whole I could flavor the dish- but make it easy for him to eat the garlic and me to avoid them. Feel free to just add the amount of garlic you like.

Lemon Tea Cake

I made this Lemon Tea Cake for a brunch I went to earlier today. Its is one of my favorites. After the cake comes out of the oven you poke it with a large fork and drizzle a lemon syrup all over. It ends up moist and a little tangy. Easy to make and they freeze well, too. 

 Lemon Tea Cake

2 lemons

3 T. sugar for topping

½ c. butter, softened

¾ c. sugar

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 c. flour

6 T. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8- inch loaf pan and line with wax or parchment paper. Grate the lemon rinds and set aside. Combine the juice of 1 of the lemons with the 3 tablespoons of sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Set aside.

Cream together the butter with the rest of the sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time until well mixed. Stir in the flour and lemon peel and beat well. Add the milk and beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake about an hour. The cake should spring back when touched lightly. As soon as you remove the cake from the oven pierce it all over with a long-tine fork or a skewer. Pour over the reserved lemon juice mixture. Cool cake in pan before serving. Cake will be moist and tangy.

Blueberry Sweet Rolls

I love this recipe and decided to make them for a brunch I am attending tomorrow. Not too sweet, lightly glazed and studded with blueberries they are a hit every time I make them. 

Blueberry Sweet Rolls

3-3 1/2 c. bread flour

1 package active dry yeast

1 1/3 c. evaporated milk

2 T. butter

1/4 c. sugar

1 t. salt

1 egg

6 T. butter

1/2 c. sugar

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. grated lemon or orange peel

2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

In bowl combine 1 1/2 c. of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Heat together the milk and 2T. of the butter until warm and add to the flour mixture, beating 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes longer. By hand stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed until dough becomes moderately stiff. Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat and cover. Allow to double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down, cover, and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 14×8 inch rectangle. Brush dough with the melted butter. Combine the remaining sugar, peel and cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough. Top with the blueberries and press the berries into the dough. Starting at the long side roll up dough jelly roll fashion and seal edge by pinching. Repeat with second roll. Cut each roll into 12 slices and place 12 rolls in greased 9 inch round pans. Cover pans and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. While rolls are warm, you can top with a powder sugar glaze, if desired. Makes 24.

Summer Vegetable Soup

I made some vegetable soup the other day and it made me think of my Mother. Every summer as the gardens were producing beautiful veggies I would stop by her house and drop off much of what I had harvested. She would often use them to make a summer vegetable soup. She especially loved adding fresh green beans and I planted extra just for her soup. The recipe is far from exact. Use what you have and let the flavors simmer together. If you have some cooked meat around feel free to add that, too. Every batch was a little different but always wonderful. When I make this soup today I always think of her and am grateful for the cooking skills she passed on to me. Miss you, Mom.

Summer Vegetable Soup

oil

1 onion, chopped

2 qts. chicken or vegetable stock

6-8 cups mixed veggies, chopped

2 c. cubed cooked chicken, optional*

salt and pepper to taste

fresh herbs

Heat oil in soup pot and cook onion until tender. Add stock and veggies and simmer until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes. Add chicken or other meat, if using. Add a handful of fresh chopped herbs and simmer a few minutes longer.

Note: For a heartier soup you can also add 1/2 cup of raw rice with the veggies and simmer until the rice is tender.

* You can also add cooked beans like kidney or garbanzo beans for a vegetarian option.

Peach Ice Cream

I love peaches. When I was a kid I was told peaches came from Georgia and I tormented my parents that we should move to Georgia. I even ordered peach trees for my parents’ yard when I was in high school. I decided to preserve some of the peaches I recently picked up at a farm market by making ice cream. I added some vanilla and orange zest for some extra flavor- but mostly just added plenty of peaches. Oh yum!!!

Peach Ice Cream

3-4 ripe peaches

2 c. half and half

1 c. sugar, or to taste

1 T. vanilla

1 T.  orange zest

Peel and dice peaches. Cook in a small amount of water and a little sugar until tender. If you don’t precook the peaches they will be icy and hard in the ice cream. Cool and drain. In bowl combine half and half and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Place in ice cream machine and process according to manufacturer’s directions. If you don’t have an ice cream maker place mixture in a shallow pan and freeze solid. Remove from freezer and allow to soften a little at room temperature then break up into chunks and place in a mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer until smooth and return to freezer. Makes 1 quart.

Honey Peach Pork

Since fresh peaches are available I decided to incorporate them into my dinner last night. I had some boneless pork chops so I combined the two into a dinner that was really wonderful. The pork I was using was really lean so I cooked it just done. With a cut like boneless Western ribs I might have gone for a longer, slower cook.

Honey Peach Pork

oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced*

salt and pepper to taste

4 boneless pork chops

2 T. honey

2 T. cider vinegar

hot sauce to taste

hot cooked rice or pasta

Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until golden brown. Add peaches, seasoning and cook a few minutes, until peaches have softened. Remove peach mixture and set aside. Wipe out skillet and add a little more oil. Heat and add pork chops, cooking over medium heat, until they are just cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and return peach mixture to pan along with the honey and vinegar. Add hot sauce to taste and simmer together 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Serve over hot cooked rice or pasta. Serves 4.

* To skin peaches drop them in boiling water for a couple of minutes then place in a bowl of cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Use a sharp knife to slip off the skins.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

If the only tomato sauce you ever use is out of a can you really should consider making some from fresh tomatoes. Yes, there is some labor and time involved but the end result is so much better than anything you’ll find in a can I think it is well worth the effort. I made some the other night and it was absolutely sublime tossed with pasta and topped with some fresh grated Romano cheese. You can add meat, veggies or whatever you like once the sauce is made. I added onions, garlic and herbs to mine and didn’t bother to puree it after since I like the chunkiness of a fresh sauce, but feel free to puree it if you prefer.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

oil

 1 large onion, sliced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 lbs fresh tomatoes, skinned*, cored and coarsely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chopped herbs- I used basil, lovage and a little rosemary- but use what you have and like.

Romano cheese

fresh cooked hot pasta

Heat  oil in skillet and cook onion until just getting golden. Add garlic and cook a few minutes longer- being careful not to burn the garlic. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a simmer. Stir occasionally while the mixture cooks down. Depending on the variety of tomato and how thick you want the sauce this can take 20-30 minutes. I like to cook this in a pretty big skillet to have more surface area and cook the sauce down more quickly. If you are only cooking a pound of tomatoes this process is finished in 15 minutes or so, maybe even sooner. Add salt and pepper and the fresh herbs. Cook a minute or two longer. Toss the sauce with the pasta and finish with grated cheese, if you like. If you are using dried herbs add them  5-10 minutes before the sauce is done cooking. They need a little time to rehydrate.

* To skin the tomatoes just drop them in boiling water for a minute or so. Pull out and place in a bowl of cold water until cool enough to handle. Using a small, sharp knife cut out the core and the skins will just slip off.

Dilly Green Beans

In cooking class last night we made dilly green beans. These are one of my favorite pickles.  I like pretty much any type of pickle and I love green beans so no surprises there. If you have an abundance of green beans you might consider making a batch of these to enjoy year round.  While the recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes per jar- feel free to add more for a spicier version.

Dilly Green Beans

4 lbs. table‑perfect whole green beans

1 3/4 t. crushed dried hot red pepper

3 1/2 t. dried dill seed or seven fresh dill heads

7 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled

5 c. vinegar

5 c. water

1/2 c. less 1 T. pickling salt

Wash beans thoroughly.  Remove stems and tips, and cut them as much as possible in uniform lengths to allow them to stand upright in canning jar, coming to the shoulder of the jar.  have jars clean and very hot, and lids and sealers ready in scalding water.  In each jar place one dill head or 1/2 t. dill seed, add one garlic clove, and 1/4 t. crushed hot red pepper.  Pack beans upright in jars, leaving 1 inch of head room.  Heat together the water, vinegar and salt.  When the mixture boils, pour it over the beans, filling each jar to 1/2 inch from the top.  Run a plastic knife down and around to remove trapped air.  Adjust lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, start timing after the water in the canner returns to a boil.  Remove jars.  …Wait at least 2 weeks for these beans to develop their flavor.  Yield: 7 pints

Source:  Putting Food By

Creamy Tomato Sauce with Cheese on Rainbow Pasta

If you re looking for another way to use all those tomatoes here is a recipe you might like.  You can use fresh or canned. It combines tomatoes with a cheese sauce to make a great version of mac and cheese.

Creamy Tomato Sauce with Cheese

3 T. Butter or oil

3 T. flour

¾ c. milk

½ c. chicken or vegetable broth

1 (14 ½ oz.) can diced tomatoes or 2 cups peeled and diced fresh tomatoes*

½ t. red pepper flakes

½ t. pepper

1 t. oregano

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. grated Romano cheese

Hot cooked pasta

Combine butter and flour in pan and stir together over medium heat. Add milk and broth and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes and seasonings and simmer 5 minutes. Add cheeses; stir until melted and smooth. Serve tossed in hot pasta.

* You can drain the tomatoes, if you like. I prefer to leave them with all their juices to flavor the sauce. You can add a little more flour if you like a thicker sauce.

Marinated Tomato Salad

Sometimes less is more, especially when it comes to fresh produce. I could eat fresh tomatoes all day just off the vine. Still, if you want a simple way to dress them up a little you might want to try this simple, yet tasty, tomato salad.

Marinated Tomato Salad

3 large tomatoes, cut in wedges, or 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1 T. olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2-3 basil leaves, cut into thin strips

2 T. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and serve at room temperature. Serves 4-6.