Never Fail Chicken (Beef, Elk, Pork, Venison) Stew

1 to 1-1/2# excellent quality meat - cut in small cubes

extra virgin olive oil and butter

1 lg. onion - part minced and part chopped

3 stalks celery - chopped

3-4 carrots - cut into chunks

2 potatoes - cut in cubes

4-6c water

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 pkg. dry onion soup

Saute' the meat and minced onion in olive oil and butter.  When brown, add a little water, chicken or beef stock, or wine. Saute' and brown again, repeating several times.  Add chopped vegetables, stir and saute' another 15 minutes or so until the onions are translucent.  Add the remaining 3 ingredients, stir well then cover and simmer an hour or so.  Serve in big bowls with crusty bread. . .Lin

Turkey-Elk Red Sauce with Pasta

1# ground turkey

1# ground elk

2 T olive oil

1/2 t ground red and black pepper

2 t ground rosemary and pink Himalayan salt

5 lg. cloves garlic - some minced, some chopped

1 med.-lg. onion - some minced, some chopped

1 lg. can diced tomatoes

1 sm. can tomato paste

1 26oz. jar pasta sauce - not shown

5 oz. sliced, drained kalamata olives

12 oz. dry pasta (brown rice spaghetti pasta shown

~ but I used a medium chunky pasta instead)

Combine, saute' and brown first 5 ingredients with the minced garlic and onion, simmering, cooking and stirring for about 30 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer another hour or more.  Meanwhile, at the end of the sauce cooking time, cook the pasta to the al dente' stage, drain and arrange in a bowl.  Top with the sauce and shaved fresh Parmesan cheese.  Pairs nicely with a fresh green salad.  Leftovers keep well, refrigerated, for several days. . .Lin 

Elk Roast With Vegetables

1 can cream of mushroom soup*

1 can water*

1 pkg. powdered onion soup*

fresh ground black pepper*

4 heirloom carrots - scrubbed

2# (grass fed) elk roast

2 lg. potatoes - peeled

1 lg. sweet potato - peeled

1 sm. head green cabbage

3 lg. cloves fresh garlic - smashed

In your crock pot, combine first four ingredients. Slice carrots, potatoes and cabbage in half. Coat the carrots with the soup mixture and put cut side down in the bottom of the pot. Coat the meat and potatoes as well, arrange everything in the pot and cook on medium or low until done. *This mixture can be used with chicken, venison, beef, lamb and buffalo with excellent results every time. . .Lin

Beef Stroganoff - for a big group

Last year I made Venison Stroganoff for a special man I was dating and it turned out horrible!  I now know it was because the venison I used was not good quality - given to me by another man I had dated.  Not good karma!  I suspect the deer was older, or the kill was not quick and clean.  Since then I made another stroganoff using the most wonderful venison I've ever had.  It was amazing!   This one also turned out very well and can be made with beef, venison, elk or even chicken.

1# wide noodles

1¾# very thin sliced beef

½ c butter

2T   balsamic vinegar

3 onions – chopped and sliced

1 very large clove of Elephant garlic – sliced

1# sliced mushrooms

~ optional: 3-4 spring onions – sliced

8oz sour cream

Cook the noodles while sauteing the beef in butter and vinegar. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Simmer until the onions become translucent. Add enough beef flavored Better Than Bullion – about 3T – to flavor it well. If you're a fan of onions, add 3 or 4 Spring Onions sliced. If the gravy needs thickening, combine 2T flour with water making a paste and add to the simmering meat pot. At the very end, stir in sour cream, combine with noodles. Serve now or transfer to a small turkey roaster. If you're taking this to a friend's house, heat the covered pan in a conventional oven at 300° 15-20 minutes when you arrive. Pairs great with a big tossed salad. . .Lin

Elk Stroganoff

8-10 oz   leftover Elk roast

12 oz      leftover gravy

(see Wednesday's post)

1 med    onion - 1/4 and slice

3/4 c±    sour cream

8oz        wide noodles

Slice and cube Elk.  Combine with onion in a non-stick pan, saute' in a little butter or olive oil for a few minutes.  Add gravy and fresh ground pepper.  Simmer, covered about 5 minutes.  Pour in 1/4-1/2c wine now if mixture is too thick - red or white.  Add sour cream, heat another minute or so, serve over noodles cooked according to package directions.

This was the best and easiest stroganoff I've ever made.  I think the key is using leftover meat and gravy.  It was more tender the second day and had a lot of flavor.  8oz fresh sliced mushrooms also would be great in this recipe - added with the onions.  Shown here with a vegetable medley I put together of almonds, sunflower seeds, onions, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, red peppers and sweet potatoes.  The Stroganoff serves 2-4. . .Lin

First-Snowfall-Of-The-Winter Elk Roast

We're so lucky to have an Elk Ranch not far from here.  I bought this roast from them at one of our Wednesday Downtown Markets this summer.  Tonight seems like the perfect night for it.  This never-fail 'recipe' is one I use for all good quality lean red meat roasts.  It also works well for pork and chicken.

2-3#     roast - beef, pork loin, elk, venison

                         or boneless chicken breasts

1 can   cream of:  Campbell's mushroom, (onion, 

             asparagus, celery, chicken, etc.) soup

1 pkg  Lipton's dry onion soup

Put fresh (or frozen-thawed) meat into crock pot.  Mix soup, 1 can of water and dry soup together and pour over the meat.  Cover and cook on high until it's a bubbling mass.  Turn the heat down, move the meat around a little so it doesn't stick.  Check in an hour or two, move it around again and add water or a little wine if needed.  Cook on low-medium just so there's a little bubbling going on - for 3-5 hours.  Serve with roasted potatoes, onions, carrots - or - steamed vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes, using the soup-liquid in the pan for gravy.  Put the roast on a cutting board and let it rest, covered for 5 minutes before slicing.  MmmMmm Good!  :o)

Today's vegetables were an assortment I combined then cooked separately from the meat.  Fresh sliced peppers, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes and frozen green beans, minimally cooked then buttered. . .Lin