I Sugges this Recipes

Showing posts with label apricot. Show all posts

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Sweet Apricot and Curry Venison Kebabs

Feast your eyes (and stomachs) to another great recipe from Martenique Scott of the Omuwiwe Hunting Lodge in Namibia: venison kebabs marinated in curry, turmeric, apricot and onions. Thin slices of beef fat, which dripped and charred over a hot fire, added sweet juicy flavors to neighboring venison cubes. There were definitely no leftovers!

To the right is the original dish made with oryx, sent to us from Namibia. Thank you to the Omuwiwe Hunting Lodge for sending us this wonderful recipe. It was one of the best venison dishes weve ever made!

And thank you to my best friend Briana for coming over to cook with us. Briana is new to wild game, so Rick and I are very glad that she liked it!

Prep/Marinating Time: at least 4 hours

Cooking Time: about 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Marinade

- 1 tbs. oil
- 1 large onion, chopped

- 1 cup of white wine vinegar

- 1 cup of water

- 2 tbs. sugar

- 2 tbs. mild/hot curry powder (we used mild)

- 1 tsp. kosher salt

- 4 tbs. apricot preserves

- 1/2 tbs. turmeric

- 1 tbs. corn starch (plus 1-2 tbs. of water to make a slurry)

Kebab

- 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. of venison roast

- 1 large onion

- about 1/4 lb. beef fat, cubed/sliced

- about 12 wooden skewers, give or take (pre-soaked in water to prevent burning)

I. Marinade

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tbs. of oil. Fry chopped onion until softened and slightly golden.

Then add all other marinade ingredients, except the corn starch. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, whisk 1 tbs. of corn starch into 1-2 tbs. of water, making sure there are no lumps.

Add the slurry to marinade and mix well.

Simmer marinade for another 5 minutes, or until thickened.

*Always allow cooked marinades/brines to cool completely before adding to raw meat.

II. Assembling Kebabs

Dont see meat like this at the supermarket!

1. Clean venison roast of all silver skin and fat. Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

2. Run beef fat under cold water. Rinse off any blood. Then cut into thin cubes or slices.

You are welcome to omit the fat. However, it will really take away from this dish. Remember, fat is flavor.

We didnt find any beef fat for sale at the grocery store. However, we asked the butcher and he gave us the fat for free. So just ask your butcher. He may have some scraps left behind.

3. Slice and quarter onion, like so.

4. In a medium-sized bowl, combine cubed venison and beef fat. Add 3/4 of the cooled marinade and mix well with your hands. Reserve the rest of the marinade for basting.

5. Marinade for 4 hours, covered in the refrigerator.

Remove from fridge one hour prior to grilling to allow the meat to come to room temperature.

While you wait, enjoy a refreshing drink...

Or some yummy strawberries...

To feed your ungrateful 50-year-old pet turtle, who will not eat it.

He stuck his tongue out at us and crawled behind the shed.

After 4 hours, its time to make some kebabs!

My best friend Briana was our "guest hands" for the week.

6. With wooden skewers (or metal), skewer onion, meat, fat, onion, meat, fat, and so on.

It got quite messy. Be careful not to get any of it on your furniture or clothes. It stains.

We ran out of meat, so Rick made a "fat stick."

7. Arrange on a hot grill and cook about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until about medium-rare to medium. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

Baste with remaining marinade.

Your backyard will smell like heaven.

Serve with your favorites sides and some red wine. We had bottles of zinfandel and Merlot.

The charred beef fat just melts in your mouth... and will give your venison a sweet juiciness that its never had before.

We hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

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Sunday, March 9, 2014

SANDRAS APRICOT DIJON GLAZED PORK CHOPS

Super moist and delicious
method in which to prepare pork chops
for a quick and easy family meal...

Servings (4)
Prep: 5 mins. |
Cook: 25 mins.

INGREDIENTS:

Pork Chops:
4 pork chops, 1/2" thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into rings
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Apricot-Dijon Glaze:
1 (11.5 oz. can) apricot nector (I prefer Kern’s)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning herb blend

METHOD:

Trim excess fat from chops, and sprinkle with kosher salt and ground pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil oil, and sear chops on both sides. Remove chops to a plate. Reduce heat to medium, add onions, and cook, while occasionally stirring, until translucent. Slide onions to one side of skillet, and return chops to to the other side.

Combine apricot-dijon glaze ingredients in a small bowl, then pour over chops and onions.

Cover skillet and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, until meat is tender and cooked through (turning the chops mid-way), or until center reaches 155 degrees.

--(I like to serve the glazed pork chops with steamed brown rice, and sautéed zucchini & yellow squash.)--

**IMPORTANT**: If using thicker than 1” chops, cook covered over medium-low heat for 30 minutes (turning the chops mid-way), or until center reaches 155 degrees.

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TIP: This apricot-dijon sauce is also wonderful with halibut, salmon, chicken, or adding to pork roast to thicken drippings for gravy.