What should my wife and i take as a side dish?!
Answers: this saturday is the last day of flintlock season for deer here in PA. my one buddy will have his 2nd annual coup de grace party. we will be eating venison (of course), wild turkey breast cutlets and squirrel stew. (but then again, soome of the turkey cutlets will be from the gobbler i donated to the "garage fund" as well as the big doe i got last saturday.)
not sure how the meat will be prepared, so its hard to choose a side dish well...
sausage and cornbread stuffing sounds like it would work..
~~~~~~FRESH GREEN BEANS IN GARLIC SAUCE
1 1/2 lbs. green beans
4 oz. fresh Shitake mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
pinch of fresh basil and oregano, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs (optional)
8 cloves garlic, peeled
In a saucepan, bring 5 cups water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Add fresh green beans (strings and ends removed). Boil beans for 4-5 minutes, until tender but not overcooked. When tender, shock beans in a bowl of ice water to prevent overcooking and retain bright green color. Remove after 30 seconds and let drain in colander.
In a large heavy bottom skillet, heat olive oil with cloves of garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until garlic becomes tan, but not brown. Mash garlic into oil with the tines of a fork. Add cooled beans, parsley, butter and remaining ingredients. Toss with cheese and bread crumbs (optional) and serve when butter has melted.
Cook's Note: Garlic cloves may be removed before serving, or left in for added flavor, as desired. Garlic can be pureed or pressed through a sieve, but this will eliminate the "roasted" garlic flavor which characterizes this dish. May be served either warm or cold (if served cold, omit butter).
Variations: A strip of lean bacon or Pancetta may be sautéed in olive oil before adding garlic, then crumbled in. For a piquant flavor, the beans may be served cold, as a salad, and dressed with a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon or balsamic vinegar.
*********PINTO BEAN CASSEROLE
1 package tortilla chips (9 ounces)
2 cans pinto beans, (15 ounces each) rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce, sour cream and salsa, optional
Crush tortilla chips and sprinkle into a greases 13 X 9 X 2 baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Pour over chips. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 18-25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with lettuce, sour cream and salsa if desired.
Cornbread Stuffing Recipe
Your Ingredients:
1 skillet of cornbread, crumbled (about 4 cups, recipe follows)
3-4 cups chicken stock, more or less
1/2-stick butter, melted
2-cups cooked finely chopped turkey or venison meat (necks, gizzards, livers, meat from the carcass of the turkey, etc.)
1-pound of sage sausage
2 medium onions, washed and chopped
3 scallions, washed and chopped (with green tops)
4 ribs celery, washed and chopped
1 large red bell pepper, washed and chopped
2 tbsp fresh sage, minced
2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/4-cup fresh parsley, minced
2 Granny Smith apples, washed, cored, peeled and chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
PREHEAT oven to 350-degrees F.
PLACE crumbled cornbread in a large bowl and set aside.
HEAT a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage to the pan. As the sausage cooks, crumble it with a fork so that it browns evenly.
ADD the finely chopped turkey/venison meats, onions, scallions, celery, red bell pepper, sage, thyme, rosemary, and parsley to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes more to blend the flavors.
REMOVE pan from the heat and pour sausage mixture into the bowl on top of the cornbread.
ADD chicken stock and melted butter and stir ingredients with a spoon or you can use your clean hands to mix ingredients like making a meatloaf.
ADD the apples and cranberries, salt and pepper and blend well. Add more stock as needed until you get a really moist stuffing. Remember to add enough stock because it will dry out in the oven faster than it would if you were stuffing it inside a turkey.
TRANSFER stuffing to a 9×13-inch baking pan and bake until stuffing is heated through and golden, about 60-90 minutes.
Cornbread Recipe
Your Ingredients:
6-tbsp bacon drippings
3-cups yellow corn meal
1/4-cup all-purpose flour
1-tbsp baking powder
1-tsp baking soda
1-tsp salt
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups buttermilk (more or less)
**3-tbsp butter (see below)
PREHEAT oven to 450-degrees F.
PLACE the 6-tbsp of bacon drippings in a 10-12” cast-iron skillet and let it melt in the oven for a couple of minutes. (or you can use a 9×13” baking pan)
REMOVE from oven (please don’t forget about it!) and place the skillet on top of the stove. Swirl the drippings around in the pan to make sure that the entire pan and sides are covered.
IN a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
USING a wire whisk, blend dry ingredients thoroughly.
MAKE a well in the center of the cornmeal mixture and pour in the melted bacon drippings. Using a fork, mix it a bit with a little of the surrounding cornmeal mixture. You want to cool off the drippings before you add the eggs.
ADD the eggs and break them up with the fork.
USING a wooden spoon, begin adding the buttermilk and stir until you have a nice thick batter. The batter shouldn’t be too thick or as thin as pancake batter, but somewhere in between.
POUR the batter into the prepared skillet and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes.
REMOVE from oven and allow cornbread to rest and cool for a couple of minutes before using it for stuffing.
If you aren't using it for stuffing, when it comes out of the oven...
PLACE a plate over the top of the skillet and invert the bread onto the plate. If it sticks, just run a small knife around the edges.
**Rub the butter over the entire top of the cornbread.
Always Enjoy!
YourSmilingChef
http://www.yoursmilingchef.com
Wild Rice Dasserole
1 Box Uncle Ben long grain & wild rice (Original)
1 can Beef Broth
1 Can French Onion Soup
1 can Mushrooms
1 stick Margerine
Stir & Bake 1 hour @ 350 degreees (Very Good)
wild rice casserole with mushrooms sounds "earthy" enough.
Sounds like fun. With all those heavy meat dishes, why not take a huge salad and bring several dressings. Take everything chopped, or sliced and diced in seperate containers. Toss it all together when you're about ready to serve it.
Or a fruit tray of berries, melon, and pineapple slices.