"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Friday, October 23, 2009

Jim & Jamie In The Kitchen

Tonight my husband, Jim, prepared dinner following one of Jamie Oliver's recipes. I asked him especially because venison is almost always cooked by him. Venison is deer meat. My husband is a hunter and any venison in our freezer is there because my husband was successful in his hunt.Not only does my husband hunt and kill the deer , he cuts and wraps the deer for the freezer. Thus, all venison we cook is thankfully received from God, and thereafter preserved and prepared by my dear husband. Jamie Oliver aptly named this dish : "Wild Mushroom & Venison Stroganoff For Two Lucky People" (If venison is not available to you, I think any beef fillet would do nicely) because the ingredients and flavors were a very pleasant surprise to us!
(above:My husband in the kitchen) Wild Mushroom & Venison for Two Lucky People
You will need:
  • 7 ounces white rice
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 med. red onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 11 ounces venison loin, fat and sinews removed, trimmed and sliced into finger-sized pieces
  • sea salt & freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 9 ounces mixed exciting, robust mushrooms, wiped clean, torn into bite-sized pieces ( we only had supermarket mushrooms, exciting enough for us)
  • a small bunch of fresh flat-leafed parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped, stalks finely chopped
  • a knob of butter ( don't you just love the way the Brits describe this?)
  • a good splash of brandy
  • zest of 1/2 of a lemon
  • 1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
  • a few little gherkins ( pickles) sliced
"This venison stroganoff is absolutely fantastic , of course you can use the more traditional beef fillet instead of venison, and any mushrooms you like, but there's something about venison and wild mushrooms that works so well together. Have a go at this and you'll know what I mean." J. Oliver "Cook the rice according to the package instructions until it's just undercooked and drain in a colander. Put the rice back into the pan, cover with aluminum foil and leave to one side to steam~this will give you incredibly light and fluffy rice." "Heat a large frying pan on a medium heat and pour in a glug of extra virgin olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes until softened and golden. Remove from the heat and spoon the onions and garlic out of the pan onto a plate. Keep to one side." "Season the meat well with salt, pepper and the paprika. Rub and massage these flavorings into the meat. Place the frying pan back on a high heat and pour in some more olive oil.Add the mushrooms and fry for a few more minutes until they start to brown.Then add the meat and fry for a minute or two before adding the parsley stalks ( you can do this in two pans or in batches if your pan is not big enough) and the cooked onion and garlic. Toss and add the butter and brandy." "You don't have to light the hot brandy, but flaming does give an interesting flavor so I always like to do this. Once the flames die down, or after a couple of minutes of simmering, stir in the lemon zest and all but 1 tablespoon of the creme fraiche and season to taste. Continue simmering for a few minutes. Any longer than this and the meat will toughen up~it doesn't need long, as it's been cut up so small." "Serve your fluffy rice on one big plate and your stroganoff on another. Simply spoon the remaining creme fraiche over the stroganoff, then sprinkle over the sliced gherkins* and the parsley leaves. Eat at once!"
*My husband and I almost did NOT add the sliced pickles. However, I am learning from following the recipes as precisely as possible that things I would have normally ignored because they seem yucky to me might not be as yucky as I imagined and here Jamie Oliver is RIGHT! We did add the gherkins ( pickles) and were very, very pleasantly surprised. Be sure you add pickles to this dish whether you use venison or beef. You'll be glad you did!The lemon zest also contributed to the taste experience, for the better. My husband did a wonderful job of preparing this dish following Jamie Oliver's recipe and if you are fortunate to have a bit of venison or beef this is well worth your time. I am giving you an A+ Jamie and Jim! Jamie well-named this dish " for two lucky people", and WE are!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always look forward to Friday's here! This sounds very good and like you, I would not imagine pickles with it! So glad you and Jim enjoyed your dinner together. I hope you and the family will enjoy a beautiful weekend.

Susie said...

Hey Kathy,

First off I love how homey your kitchen looks. It made me just want to come in and pull up a chair.

How lucky your hubbie doesn't mind cooking. Wish mine would, but at least he does clean afterwards.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Vickie said...

Kathy - your kitchen looks so cozy and homey!

We love venison at our house. I have 3 guys here who love to hunt, fish, you name it! THat sounds like a great recipe for venison. I'll have to "have a go" with that recipe. I've got several little packages of backstrap in the freezer.

FYI - we've already done grasshoppers this year.... ;o)

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

Kathy,
This wild vension meat sounds really good. I never knew a good way to cook deer meat. Thanks for sharing this with us. Our neighbor is a hunter and usually shares deer meat with us. Now we'll know how to prepare it. Thanks for the recipe.

Julie Harward said...

How neat to have a husband that like to cook..I was raised on venison..this looks very good!
Come say hi :D

Deanna said...

May you have a wonderful week-end!!!
Food like this is enough to make me hungry.
This is a neat post and your kitchen with hubby in it is sure a nice place to prepare these gourmet meals to enjoy.
God bless,
d

audrey y said...

It looks scrumptious! Now, all I have to do is find the guy to cook it. Seriously, I'm sure it is delicious

Audrey

Leslie said...

How nice that your husband prepared such a wonderful meal. It must have been even that much more special since he also hunted and prepared the venison too. I love beef Stroganoff, my mom used to make it for us when I was growing up, so it is one of those comfort foods for me. What a surprise with the gherkins added. I have never tasted venison but would like to try it one day. Thank you for sharing all of these terrific recipes from Jamie Oliver's book.

A. Joy said...

Yes, Dad looks nice with hanging pots on his head like in your photo. =) Tom would probably like this meal. Looks like nothing I've ever seen or eaten before! Good ol' Jamie Oliver.

Flower said...

My husband is a hunter and we do have venison in the freezer. Too bad he doesn't cook it because I'm at a loss. I do have a very good meatball recipe and I marinate the meat in pickle juice before cooking it. It's not a warm fuzzy dinner for me..when it's done! :)) I will look up Jamie's cookbook on Amazon right now!!
Thanks for your thoughts on technology. It's just going to be ok if we lose it all! We will do have such rich lives...including our family, friends and bloggy friends!! I am grateful to not "feel addicted" to participating in the fun!

Mary Bergfeld said...

How great is that and aren't you a lucky gal. It sounds delicious and I love your kitchen. It's always so nice when others occasionally help with the cooking.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

This looks delicious but I'm not sure about the pickles...on the side, absolutely, but on top...not sure about that one -smile-.
We don't hunt but have friends who hunt and give us venison; we eat the meat and the dogs love the bones.

Mary said...

Kathy, I love your cooking with Jamie series. This particular recipe sounds excellent.

Your kitchen looks warm and inviting, and with your husband cooking, filled with love.

Blessings! Isn't life beautiful!

Shelley said...

That's a great hubby you have that will cook you a nice meal! I'll have to hang onto that recipe. Deer season for my hubby opens up Nov. 15th.

Connie said...

That sounded delicious, Kathy. You two are lucky people indeed, I think. :-)
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

KathyB. said...

Mildred, thank-you. It is nice to have quiet evenings with Jim..and to eat the meals he cooks!

Susie,if you're in the area just give me a call and you are very welcome to pull up a chair and have a meal and a chat with us. We'd love it!

Vickie, venison is a treat and luxury meal in many parts of the world so you all are eating rich!And it really IS a good recipe for venison...don't forget the lemon.( so your handsome son sings, plays the guitar AND hunts? Sounds like a star Nashville needs.

Brenda Kay, we eat a lot of venison and we have served venison to people who really thought they would NOT like it and they were pleasantly and deliciously surprised.

Julie, my husband LOVES to cook and he really is a very good cook. I am good at cleaning the kitchen up after he cooks.

Deanna, thank-you. We set the kitchen up so people can visit while the cook is working...that way no one misses out when we have people over for dinner.

Audrey, hmm...wonder where we can find him? I should have Jim make the next meal to share at our potluck.

Leslie, the gherkins in a recipe were a surprise to us, a VERY GOOD surprise. The lemon added a zing too that enhanced the flavor.

A.Joy, we have a bit more venison in the freezer so we should have you over for the next venison meal and prepare it A la Jamie Oliver..thank-you so much for giving me this cookbook for my birthday.

Flower, you will love this cook book with your gardens and access to so many of the fresh ingredients he uses in his recipes. And yes, people are important, above and beyond technology, convenience, etc. Last night Blogger had issues and I thought I had lost all my blog posts forever. After 10 minutes of being distressed I realized it would be a loss, but it would be O.K. I do have a life , a big life outside of blogging....like you do too!

Mary, I am lucky. My husband cooks the best things to eat and that means he buys good ingredients and kitchen gadgets and necessities to accommodate good cooking. I am still the clean-up crew though and I am happy to do it for such great meals.

Sandra, we weren't sure either, but you HAVE to try it..really!You will be pleasantly surprised, we both were.

Mary, my husband does fill the kitchen with good food and love. I should have known he would long before we were married because one of our first dates , when I was 16 and he 17,he convinced his family to disappear ( and they are a family with 6 kids) so he could prepare a wonderful meal for me.

Hope your husband gets his deer, he already has his 'dear'! Health reports cite venison as a VERY healthy meat...we have a few good recipes for venison, and my husband prepares them all.

Daisy, thank-you. I feel lucky very often, and my husband helps with that.

Eggs In My Pocket said...

This sounds so good. Got the chance to catch up and read your other posts....your little ones are so precious....and moles can be such a problem, but they have the cutest little feet! blessings,Kathleen

The Tiquehunters Wife said...

Dear Kathy,
Just wanted to thank you for your lovely thoughts and kind words left at the cabin!
My husband and nephew both hunt and we look forward to the venison also. It helped feed my family.(My husband and I were privileged to be used by God in a small way as- houseparents in a ministry for abused children-it was during those years we met our "nephew" Walt, and adopted daughter, Crystal. We had 10 children plus my three--The venison came in very handy!)
The guys are out hunting this morning--I hope I'll be using this great sounding recipe soon!
Love your kitchen!
Have a wonderful weekend and Blessings to you!
Claudia O.

Jo said...

Mmmmmm....! I always get hungry when I visit you. That is a fabulous recipe. My father used to hunt venison occasionally to (living on Vancouver Island), and my mother was a great cook, and she used to make venison stew.

What an absolutely wonderful kitchen you have. I have a lamp in my kitchen too. I much prefer it to an overhead light, and it makes it look so cozy.