Masoor Dal & Raita

When possible, Dave and I avoid mass produced meats, opting to eat mostly fish or else obtain or meats from farmers we know such as Deep Roots Meats and Running River Ranch.

Also, I just like to try to cut out meat now and then. Yup!  Me... Queen Carnivore of the World... reduces meat from her diet.

Not because I buy into the evangelical preachings of PETA, or because I believe ZOMG animal fats are POISON (I'm pretty sure the human race would have died out long ago if that were the case). My reasons are simply because the meat "industry" is destroying part of our human culture (farming), and killing off entire species and replacing them with quite unnatural meat producing science projects. Creatures that are treated just like that, a product, an invention. I just want to do my part to help support those farmers who are literally fighting the fight to keep some quite ancient traditions, and breeds, alive. The less I support the habit and buy the cheap stuff regularly at the supermarket, the more of a treat it becomes and I appreciate why it is more expensive to buy the grass fed, pasture raised stuff every now and then.. instead of every day.

/soapbox

All of this brings us to one of our favorites, which will probably become a staple as Dave is a huge curry fan! So flavorful and so filling. I've decided there is something mentally wrong with people who don't like Indian food!! ;)


Masoor Dal

1 cup red lentils
1 half large onion, diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ginger root, minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato puree
2 cup peas

Method

Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear, put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender - approx 30 minutes.
While the lentils are cooking: In a saucepan, saute the onions and garlic in vegetable oil.
While the onions are cooking, combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well. When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the onions and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the tomato puree and reduce heat, allow the curry base to simmer until the lentils are ready.
Drain the lentils and mix them and the peas into curry base and serve immediately.

Cucumber and Tomato Raita

This recipe is ridiculous easy... you pretty much don't even need a recipe.

I use greek yogurt, about a cup, dice up about a quarter of a cucumber and a quarter of a tomato
and blend it into the yogurt, adding a bit of water until its a consistency I like.

You can mix all sorts of stuff into a raita for different flavors, cilantro, cumin, even fruit. It is usually served to help soften the blow of the spicy curry. ;)

Chicken Pot Pie

So... usually on Sundays we roast a whole chicken. Just the two of us usually only finish off half of it, the other half usually going into my salads for lunch. 

Dave loves chicken pot pie. I guess its the closest thing to any sort of meat pie (btw, Sweeny Todd... AWESOME movie) that is easily accessible here in the States. Cracker Barrel, apparently, is the Mecca of Pot Pie.

I even went so far as making the pie crust from scratch using the "Good for Everything" pie crust recipe from Dorrie Greenspans "Baking" book. Its a damn fine pie crust. As if I needed an excuse to use my new mixer *grins with glee*

Filling

1 half of a cooked chicken, cut into pieces
2 sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
3 stalks sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1 chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions, celery and carrots in butter until soft and translucent. 

Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and thyme. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Stir in peas and cooked chicken.

Pour hot liquid mixture into oven-proof bowl (we used soup crocks). Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Fried Gator

One reason to love living in Florida...and in this case... befriending a very unique breed of hunter.

After our regular outing to the Central Florida Highland Games a while back, and playing at the archery range for a little bit, I decided I'd like to get back into archery. So I hopped in my little car and scooted myself over to an Archery Shop I'd driven past several times.

After picking out a bow (and noticing some beautiful hand-made ones)... testing it, and deciding to buy it, I paused and looked at all of the trophies on the walls.

Some of you might not know I work with leather, so I thought to myself, they must do something with these hides. So combined with the fact that I had just had a conversation with a Highland Cattle farmer about how he has to waste his beautiful hides because he can't find a tanner in the country to make it worth anything to him... but said he would sell untanned hides to me if I could learn to, or find someone, to tan them for me, I was spurred to ask.

And out from the back of the shop came a most unique fellow. Not only does he tan all sorts of hides, from deer to gator.. and even more bizarre, fish and frog, he even collects bark from trees to make his own tannin's  as well as builds bows from the horns and bones of the animals his family hunts.

Truly.. nothing of the animals these people hunt go to waste. The way it should be. I love these people. And that's not because he offered to teach me tanning... or hooked me up with some fresh gator.... which is what this post is actually all about! Who'da thunk it right?

So yea... after about 2 hours of awesome conversation with this gem of a man.... and we got on the subject of cooking... he rushed off and back again with a frozen chunk of fresh wild Florida gator.

Very cool. I had only ever had silly little "gator bites"... made from farmed gator... that probably wasn't even raised in Florida and was god knows how old. Leaving little in the flavor department.

This gator was fantastic.... and did not "taste like chicken".... if I could compare it to anything, the texture was more like frog... and had a flavor closer to catfish... which you probably know I adore, since we eat it every single week.

I cooked it pretty much like I would fry chicken (or chicken livers... or catfish!)....

Marinated it in 2 beaten eggs with a generous amount of cayenne and garlic powder for about 2 hours.

Then, dredged each piece in salted and peppered flour and fried til nice and golden in some oil in my iron pan.

I also made the dipping sauce.... about a cup of mayo, squirt of ketchup, spoonful of brown mustard, 2 spoonfuls of horseradish, several shakes of Franks hotsauce, some more cayenne, and a few shakes of garlic powder. Yea... I didnt get too specific, just kept messing with it til I got a flavor I liked. :)

Hopefully everyone gets to meet a person as awesome as this guy!

Heart(y) Stew

One interesting thing I have noticed with the fall of the economy, is some more unusual bits of meat for the American market, cheap, offal being sold in our regular supermarket. I would have never have imagined finding ox heart, chicken feet, or kidneys outside of ethnic markets this time last year. But now, they are popping up in my little white bread Publix, and it gives me warm fuzzies.

So I jumped at the chance to try ox heart, which I'd never had before, and at $2.30 for a whole one.... how can you argue?

I chose a very simple recipe, as I really wanted to get a feel for the flavor of heart. And let me tell you, it is fantastic. More like very lean beef than offal, with a very very slight kidney-like flavor and texture. But I am betting if you were feeding it to people with a palate that isn't used to the flavor of kidney (like most of us yanks)... they would have no idea they are not eating plain ol beef. Which I think could be a huge help to families struggling, to cut corners with such a large nutritious piece of meat, at such a bargain price!

Heart Stew

Ingredients

1 whole ox heart, cut into cubes
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
flour for dredging (can omit if you're going paleo!)
salt and pepper 2 TBS each
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
olive oil
1 cup oxtail soup
1 pint beer

Method

Dredge heart in flour mixed with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot like a french oven, once hot, sautee heart in oil until browned on all sides.
Add onions, carrots and celery, stir until onions begin to go transparent, adding oil if necessary.

Add oxtail soup, beer, bay leaves and thyme.Bring to a boil.
Cover and cook in oven for 4-6 hours at 250 degrees, or until heart is at desired tenderness.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

They'll never know what they're eating. But they'll know it tastes wonderful, and warm, and filling. :)

Southern Fried Chicken Livers

Fried chicken livers always was, and probably always will be, one of my favorite methods of consuming innards.

Crispy and with a little kick on the outside, and meltingly soft and mild on the inside, it really just makes you think that people who claim they don't like offal must have never had it like this!

The house smells sooooo good while these bad boys are frying up! I have to remind myself not to nom them straight out of the pan or else risk molten chicken liver bits burning off my tongue on contact. These guys retain their heat! Always best consumed with a healthy dollop of mashed potatoes and nice vinegary greens.

Southern Fried Chicken Livers
1/2 lb chicken livers
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Flour, for dredging
Shortening, for frying

Melt shortening in a 12-inch cast iron skillet or heavy fry pan over medium heat.

Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Liberally season livers with this mixture. Dredge livers in flour and shake off excess.

Place livers into the pan and fry until cooked through, turning once.... dont overcook them, or they'll turn out chewy and bitter.

Drain livers on a rack over a sheet pan lined with paper towels.