Venison Chili

You know you're a real, official Blogger when your fans start giving you gifts.  Okay, so I probably only have one fan, but she did give me a pretty exciting gift:  two beautiful pounds of ground venison.  Since the only hunting I ever do is for lost keys and my husband's glasses, you would be right in guessing that I have never eaten venison, much less cooked with it.  Thus my excitement--it's not every day that I get to work with such exotic ingredients.  On the other hand, I didn't want to ruin the meat with my inexperience, so I decided to stick with the classics and make a nice, meaty pot of chili.

I wasn't disappointed.  Working with the venison was pretty much like cooking ground beef, but it was leaner and had a deeper, richer taste.  It didn't have a strong gamey flavor, though--just a subtle earthiness.  I tried to shorten the cooking time by condensing some of the steps, but I think you really have to be patient and follow the recipe to make sure the liquids thicken properly.  There's lots of down time, so I was able to make some cornbread and steamed broccoli while I was waiting--it took about an hour and 15 minutes in all.

Venison Chili (slightly modified from this recipe)
Time:  1 hour, 15 minutes
Serves:  4-6

1 pound ground venison
cooking oil
1 cup chopped onion (regular or sweet)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 small)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 3/4 cup chicken broth (or one 14-oz. can)
1 T. tomato paste
1 (15-oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (or use two cans if you like)

Heat a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat.  Drizzle with about 1 tsp. cooking oil.  Add venison; cook 5-7 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.  Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium.  Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno to pot; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.  (Add a little water if mixture starts sticking to pan.)  Stir in chili powder and next 4 ingredients (through pepper).  Add venison, tomatoes, broth, and tomato paste, stirring until well combined; bring to a boil.  Cover; reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.  Add kidney beans; cook, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

In honor of National Soup Month, I hereby present... yet another soup recipe.  Yeah, you're right.  I was going to post it regardless of the month.  But this gives me a really good excuse, don't you think?  Not that I need an excuse.  This stuff is amazing.  Along with Zuppa Toscana (which you should also try if you haven't yet) and beef barley soup (which isn't exactly co-op friendly, unfortunately), this chicken and wild rice soup is definitely one of my favorites.  It comes from my pastor's wife back home, and it's just as delicious as I, a little kid reading Maurice Sendak's Chicken Soup with Rice, once only imagined it could be.

You will need to buy a couple of items for this recipe, but they're both inexpensive and keep well.  Green onions were on sale for $.59 at Scott's/Kroger this week; Meijer also has them for under a dollar.  The leftovers can be sliced and frozen.  Parsley is $.79 at Meijer.  It keeps for two to three weeks if prepped properly:  rinse and pat slightly dry with a paper towel, then strip off the leaves and put them in a zip-top bag lined with paper towel.  Keep the bag in the refrigerator, unsealed.  Every week or so, remove any yellowing leaves and replace the paper towel if it gets too wet.

The original recipe calls for wild rice, but since that's generally out of my budget, I usually use a box of mixed long grain and wild rice (like Rice-A-Roni or Uncle Ben's), which shows up in the co-op pretty often.  Try to get mixes where the seasoning packet is separate, since you're going to add your own fresh seasonings, which taste ten times better and are better for you anyway.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Serves 6
Time: 1 hour

2/3 cup long grain and wild rice (about 1 box; discard seasoning packet)
4-5 cups chicken broth
dash black pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, halved then sliced (or coarsely chopped)
1/2 cup green onions
2 T. butter
1 1/2 cup cooked chicken, cubed
1/2 cup fresh parsley, snipped

In a large saucepan, mix the rice, broth, and pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 40-45 minutes, or until rice is tender.  Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook mushrooms and green onions in butter until tender, but not brown.  Add mushroom mixture, chicken, and parsley to soup.  Heat through.

(I usually serve this with Rustic Herb Bread.  Yum.)

Curried Pumpkin Soup

As much as I love cooking, sometimes all I feel like doing when I get home from work is throwing a bunch of canned food together in a pot and calling it a meal.  And while I usually just laugh at those "recipes" that call for a box of cake mix and a can of frosting, I don't think real cooking requires five-course dinners and countless hours bent over the stove or oven, either.

So here's a tasty soup for those days when all your customers are crabby and your kids are whiney and your hair looks like it got attacked by a cat and all you want is a nice hot meal to toss together before you stay up half the night untangling Christmas lights.  You can get all the ingredients from the co-op, except the seasonings, which you probably have on hand already.  I substituted evaporated milk for the heavy cream.  The leftover evaporated milk can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or two (transfer to a plastic or glass container first).

Curried Pumpkin Soup (from a recent seminary graduate)
Serves 4
Time:  15-20 minutes

1 T. vegetable or canola oil
1 T. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (14.5 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup heavy cream OR evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
coarse salt, to taste

Heat a deep pot over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts, add onion and saute 5 minutes, until tender. Add broth, black beans, tomatoes, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have finally found the perfect homemade broccoli cheese soup recipe.  Yammie over at Yammie's Noshery recently posted a copycat version of Panera's broccoli cheddar soup, and it is amazing.  This is not your typical watery, limp, mass-produced fellowship hall fare.  If you're a broccoli lover (like me), you should try it.  If your husband is sick of cafeteria-style broccoli soup (like mine is), even he might love it (like mine did).  If you hate broccoli, you should 1. try again, because it's awesome, and 2. visit Yammie's blog anyway.  Her posts will make you drool and laugh at the same time (a dangerous combination, I admit).  Not to mention she's a Lutheran, too.

A few notes on making this co-op style:  Make sure you chop and measure your broccoli first, to make sure you have enough.  The co-op broccoli should make about 3/4 recipe.  I made half a recipe, which was about three servings.  Also, you can substitute one part milk plus one part canned evaporated milk for the half-and-half (1 cup milk and 1 cup evaporated milk for a full recipe).  Any leftover evaporated milk can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or two (transfer to a glass or plastic container).

Chicken-Orzo Soup

I think my kitchen has been invaded by soup gnomes.  My recipe binder has a giant section of tasty soups, but no matter how quickly I add a new page, it gets filled right up with new recipes.  No matter what cookbook, magazine, blog, or website I read, some delicious soup jumps out at me and demands to be tasted.  Last fall I made soup almost every day for a month and I still didn't get through all of them.  But since 1. soup is amazing and 2. soup season lasts half the year or more, I've decided it's a good problem to have.  So I went ahead and tried this one.

I found some orzo at the co-op a while ago, so I followed the recipe pretty closely.  I think it would work fine with that tiny star-shaped pasta that has been hogging the shelf for the past couple of weeks, though.  Of course, I used Brakebush chicken (the plain, non-breaded kind), and I had some fresh parsley left over from my stuffed peppers, so I used that too.  The result: a pretty simple chicken noodle soup with a twist.  I will probably be making this again; that is, once I get through the ten other new soup recipes waiting in line.

Chicken-Orzo Soup
Time:  45 minutes to 1 hour
Serves 4

4 cups (32 oz.) chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked orzo or stelline
2 tsp. olive oil
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1/2 onion, diced
3/4 pound plain, non-breaded Brakebush chicken, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/4 cups water (add 1 cup more if you like a thinner soup)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
4 cups spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 T. fresh lemon juice
salt
black pepper

1.  Bring 1 3/4 cups broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add orzo or stelline; cook 10 minutes or until done.  Set aside.

2.  While pasta cooks, heat a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add carrots, celery, and onion; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add chicken and cook 1 minute.  Stir in remaining 2 1/4 cups broth, 1 1/4 cups water, parsley, and thyme; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add orzo, spinach, juice, and salt and pepper to taste; simmer 1 minute.

Slow Cooker Pork and Black Bean Soup

Finally, a recipe that uses those mysterious pork neck bones that always seem to be lurking in the co-op freezer!  The original recipe calls for boneless pork shoulder, but I tried it with pork neck bones and they worked fine.  Use a whole package, as only about half of it is actual meat.  Also, if you've never ventured into the world of pork neck bones, do beware that 1. it is a really gross looking cut of meat, and 2. the bones have a tendency to fall apart in the slow cooker, so you'll need to watch out for rogue shards in the soup.

Almost all of the other ingredients are often available at the co-op.  Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are $1.67 at Kroger/Scott's (in the international/Mexican food section).  They add a flavor that is definitely worth the cost!

Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of diced tomatoes and fresh cilantro ($.50 a bunch at Meijer or Kroger/Scott's) to complement the spicy flavors.  Serve with fresh-based cornbread or corn muffins for a hearty cold-weather meal.

Slow Cooker Pork and Black Bean Soup (based on the recipe here)
Active time:  30 minutes
Total time:  6-1/2 hours to 8-1/2 hours
Serves 6

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (if you use a bouillon-based broth, just reduce the amount of salt)
1 T. chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 2 T. adobo sauce
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg. pork neck bones, thawed and extra fat removed
3-4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (use 4 cans for a thicker soup)
salt
sour cream, diced tomatoes, and/or fresh chopped cilantro, for serving

1.  In a 5- to 6- quart slow cooker, whisk together chicken broth, chipotles and adobo sauce, and cumin; stir in the onion and garlic.
2.  Add the pork and cook, covered, until pork easily pulls apart, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours.
3.  Transfer pork to a bowl or cutting board (use a slotted spoon to remove any loose bone pieces).  Use a spoon to skim extra fat off surface of broth (optional).  Add beans to broth mixture, cover, and continue to cook on high.
4.  Using a fork, break pork into large pieces; discard bones.  Using a handheld immersion blender or a standard blender, puree soup (I like it pretty creamy, but you can leave it more chunky if you wish).
5.  Stir the pork back into the soup and season with 1/2 tsp. salt (optional).  Serve with sour cream, tomatoes, and/or cilantro, if desired.

Tuscan Potato Soup (Zuppa Toscana)

 
Nothing is quite so warm and comforting as a big pot of soup in the fall and all through the winter.  This one is a copycat version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana; it's based on this recipe from a friend of a friend.  Most of the ingredients, including bacon, Italian sausage, potatoes, onion, and garlic, are regularly available from the co-op.  You can sometimes get chicken broth there, too, but I usually just buy a container of bouillon, which is fairly inexpensive and keeps well.  Just reduce the amount of salt if you use bouillon or another high-sodium broth.  As for the other ingredients, kale is less than $1 a bunch, and you can chop the leftovers and freeze them in 2-cup amounts for use the next time you make this or a similar soup.  If you don't have half-and-half, you can also substitute 2% or whole milk plus an ounce or so of cream cheese.

Tuscan Potato Soup (Zuppa Toscana)
Prep time:  30 minutes
Total time:  1 to 1-1/4 hours
Serves:  8

5-1/4 cups chicken broth (or three 14-oz. cans)
9 cups water
3-5 pieces bacon
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
4 large potatoes, skin on and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. olive oil
2/3 cup half-and-half (or 2/3 cup milk plus 1 oz. cream cheese)
1/2 to 1-1/2 tsp. salt (use the larger amount if using homemade broth or stock; otherwise 1/2 tsp. is plenty)
1 tsp. black pepper (or more, to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
2 cups kale leaves, chopped

1.  In a large stock pot combine water, broth, salt, and potatoes and set to a low boil.
2.  In a separate pan fry bacon until slightly crispy and set aside; discard bacon grease.
3.  In the same pan used to cook bacon, add Italian sausage, onion, and olive oil and simmer on low until sausage is browned and the consistency of hamburger.
4.  Chop bacon into small shreds (use food processor to save time) and add to the cooked sausage, then add entire mixture to the soup pot.
5.  Mix garlic, spices, and half-and-half (or milk/cream cheese) into the soup pot and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
6.  Five minutes before serving mix in the chopped kale leaves.