Elk Bourguignon

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs of Elk, Venison or Beef Roast - cubed

5-6 oz. of diced pancetta or bacon

2 tbsp of Olive Oil

1 small onion diced

2 large carrots peeled and sliced

3 cups of French red wine

2 cups of beef broth

2 tbsp of tomato paste

2 garlic cloves diced

1 bouquet Garni of fresh herbs including a 2 bay leafs

Salt and pepper to taste

8 oz of sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms

1-2 cups of frozen pearl onions defrosted

Thicken with 1 tbsp of corn starch and 1 tbsp of water to make a slurry

A sprinkle of Tartufo or herbed salt and a dash of pepper to finish.

Fresh Italian leaf parsley to garnish

Preparation:

1. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to your Dutch Oven with a lid over medium heat.

2. Sauté the pancetta until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is lightly browned. Remove and set aside on a paper towel lined bowl.

2. Cube your beef and generously season with salt and pepper. Add to the Dutch Oven making sure to space it out so it sears and does not steam. Once browned nicely, remove the cubed beef and set aside.

3. Now you can add some more olive oil if needed to sauté your onions, carrots, and garlic over medium heat. Cook these until the onions are translucent, and then add the red wine and deglaze your pan scraping up all of the brown bits on the bottom. Add the beef broth and tomato paste. Stir and add the Bouquet Garni - I tied a bundle of Italian parsley, thyme, and rosemary. Toss in a couple loose bay leaves.

4. Put the lid on the Dutch Oven and set into a 275º oven for two hours.

5. Remove from the oven and set your Dutch Oven on the stove on low to medium heat. Remove the Bouquet Garni and discard.

6. Now you can add the corn starch/water slurry to thicken the stew or a combo of butter and flour if you don’t care about being gluten and dairy free. Let the stew thicken then add the frozen pearl onions and sliced baby bella mushrooms.

7. Garnish with a sprinkle of tartufo salt, pepper and finely chopped Italian leaf parsley.

8. I suggest serving over Horseradish Mashed Potatoes. Enjoy!

Reverse Sear Steak

Ingredients:

Steaks of your choice

Olive Oil

Butter

Salt &Pepper

Steak rub of choice

Fresh herbs of your choice - I like rosemary, sage, thyme and flat leaf parsley

Fresh garlic cloves

Red Wine Vinegar

Red Wine

Preparation:

1. Marinate steaks in a ziplock bag with a little olive oil, a handful of fresh herbs, a splash of red wine vinegar, and several smashed cloves of garlic, and then a cup or so of red wine.

2. Let that sit in the fridge for several hours or over night.

3. Take the steaks out an hour or so before you cook so they get to room temp. 

4. Remove from the marinade bag and dry the steaks and generously season with salt and fresh coarsely ground pepper and your favorite steak rub. 

5. I add a temp probe before I place on a 350F grille until the probe is up to 120° - 125°  for medium rare / flipping the steak halfway through.  

6. On the stove heat up a cast iron grille to a high temp with a stick of butter, several smashed cloves of butter and fresh herbs - rosemary, sage, thyme and flat leaf parsley.  

7. Add the steaks and sear both sides spooning the herbs, garlic and butter over each side as you sear them. Build a nice crust and remove. Tent with foil and let sit for 10 min. 

8. Serve the full steak or slice and serve with finish flake salt or truffle salt and a splash of lemon to bring out the flavor. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash & Chicken Red Chile Enchiladas

Ingredients

1-Rotisserie chicken 

18 corn tortillas

Red Chile (store bought or homemade-Mark’s recipe here)

Olive Oil

1 yellow onion

2 tbs butter

2 packages frozen butternut squash 

10oz shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Small bunch of cilantro

Preparation

• Debone and shred the rotisserie chicken.

• Defrost the butternut squash

• Dice the yellow onion. 

• Melt the butter in a large sauté pan and add the onion. Saute until onions are slightly translucent. Add the butternut squash and cook on medium for about 3 minutes.

• Add the chicken and cook all together for about 10 minutes. 

• Coat a large baking pan with olive oil. Dip the corn tortillas in the Red Chile sauce and slightly overlap them on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

• Add a layer of the butternut squash and chicken.

• Add 3-4 spoonfuls of Red Chile to the top of that layer and repeat another layer.

• End with a top layer of tortillas topped with cheese.

• Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

• Let rest for 5 minutes and serve with Sour Cream, more Chile sauce and cilantro!

Creamy Tuscan Salmon Recipe & Video

This easy, but delicious recipe was introduced to me by my daughter Tiffany when she made it for us while on vacation in Oregon this summer. I was truly blown away, and not just because she did all the cooking. This dish is packed full of flavor and only requires one pan. Prep and cleanup is a breeze and the meal is amazing, I suggest serving it with pasta or rice. Click the button below to watch the YouTube video of Tiffany and I preparing this dish on our monthly virtual cooking class!

Tiffany adapted this recipe from eatwell101.com

Ingredients

3 salmon fillets or 1 half salmon divided

2 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

5 cloves garlic, finely diced

1/4 cup (80ml) vegetable broth

1/4 cup (80ml) white wine

1 tbs Dijon mustard

5 oz (150g) jarred sun-dried tomato in oil

1 1/3 cups heavy cream

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 cups baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 tbs fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Preparation

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon filets on both sides with salt and pepper, and sear in the hot pan, flesh-side down first, for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking. Once salmon filets are cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.

• In the same pan, melt the butter in the remaining cooking juices leftover. Add in the garlic and fry until fragrant (about one minute). Add the sun-dried tomatoes with some of their oil and fry for 1-2 minutes so they release their flavors.

• Then, pour in the vegetable broth and wine, and allow the sauce to reduce down slightly.

• Reduce heat to low, add the heavy cream and Dijon and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally.

• Add the grilled salmon filets back into the pan along with the spinach and grated Parmesan. Allow dish to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts and spinach slightly wilts.

• Serve and spoon the sauce over each filet and sprinkle with parsley.