Walleye and Jumbo Yellow Perch thru the Ice in ND

My good friend Ross and I will get together tomorrow and cook and eat his North Dakota walleye and jumbo yellow perch caught thru the ice last wk about 20 miles south of Bismarck .

We will cook and talk of old times 40 years ago or so when we were boy scout camp counsellors together.

It will be a traditional shore lunch to which we add onions, garlic and jalapenos to the beans and fried potatoes. We will season the fish fillets with salt,pepper and garlic and flour and fry them in olive oil till they are golden about 3 minutes and flip and do 2 minutes,remove from pan, pour off excess oil, add white wine, reduce, add butter and chopped parsley and tarragon and pour over fillets when plated. Add garlic and red pepper as desired to the pan.This is exquisite and memorable.

Swedish Meatballs with Venison, Other Options

Swedish Meatballs have been a lifelong tradition in my family, especially during the holiday season.

As with other generally bland foods that I grew up eating, I tweak the recipe to make it more interesting. I like to know that I am actually eating when I am eating.

Mom's meatballs included salt, pepper and onions, as well as of course the ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs and milk.. Perhaps nutmeg, also, which is traditional.

I add garlic and cayenne pepper and worcestershire as well as allspice.Not so much as to dominate, but just enough to add layers of flavor and complexity to the meatballs. Enough so you can taste it, but maybe not identify the flavor.

You can use different ground meat mixtures, for example half venison and half pork, or one third each of venison, beef and pork. I have done half hamburger and half ground chicken or turkey. I have included finely chopped mushrooms and sage. Variations are myriad.

In the photo , I made a pan gravy with beef and chicken stock and instead of stirring sour cream into the gravy, which is traditional, I served the meatballs w/ the sour cream on top of the meatballs and added cranberries, minced cayenne pepper and dill. It was great.

Venison Chili with Polenta and Refried Beans

This is the photo that should have been w/ the previous chili posting. Good looking with layers of flavor and depth.

Check out Lake Country Magazine Jan/Feb, 2012 issue for this same photo, text and the complete recipe.

Happy New Year.I intend to blog often and regularly with photos and perhaps video - one of several New Years resolutions.

Tip The Cook

It is the time of the year to tip your cook. If you are eating at a restaurant and your meal is exceptional - steak or fish cooked just right, etc, consider tipping the cook(s). Ask your server how many cooks are on the "line" - those that are cooking your meal per order, typically 2 or 3 or four. Send them back 5 bucks a piece. 5 bucks is a lot of money for a cook - they get about 10 bucks an hour, maybe 12 if it's a really good restaurant. 5 bucks is almost a pack of smokes or a beer after work. It will be much appreciated. They will be high fiving on the" line."

Merry Christmas!

A Single Man

One good thing about not being married or having a live in girlfriend is you get to clean your ducks and fish and deermeat in your kitchen where it is warm and you have a large maple chopping block island. Plus easy access to all the tools of the trade.

Lucky me, kind of... .

Me, My best friend, My Daughter, and a Duck,Best meal ever

So I did it.I cooked those wild Mn mallard duck breasts as in my previous post and it was the best meat of any kind that I have eaten in 60 plus years of eating meat and believe me as a hunter and professional chef in the business, I've had access to and have cooked and eaten a lot of meats, domestic and wild.

I recall a leg of organic lamb done on a weber at Tim and Beth's in NW Wisconsin, and a number of venison chops braised w/ onions, mushrooms and brandy
that have come close.

But nothing quite like this.

Beyond your dog getting a surprise chicken bone, your 1st girlfriend and your first kiss, or your best wife and your best time w/ her,beyond just palate and taste and memory to a deep in your chest satisfaction.This was complete. You could ask for nothing more.

Dark and wet and cold outdoors so I did them indoors on a black cast iron pan on the stove top in olive oil. Seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, skin side down on med heat till crisp - 4 to 5 minutes, flipped and sauced w/ the orange marmalade sauce/glaze( added worcestershire,and soy sauce to previous recipe) and cooked for about 2 minutes and the breasts were med rare.

Sliced duck breasts a quarter inch thin at an angle and layed out on a plate and covered w/ additional sauce. Served with butternut squash and warm fresh baked whole wheat bread w/ butter. The breast medallions melted like butter in my mouth. Herbed, sweet and sour, spicy, complex, deep.Wow.

Brandy, dark chocolate, and espresso for dessert.







herbed, spiced

They Shoot You Eat

Gotta love it when you have friends that are good at shooting ducks but they don't want to clean them and they give them to you.

Rick showed up at the bar/restaurant that I work at the other day and said the guys don't want to clean the ducks they shot but he knows who does and that was me. I said you're right and he gave me 4 mallards. Boy oh boy lucky me.

I put them in the walkin cooler and two days later I brought them home and plucked the breasts and boned them out and skinned the wings and legs. The wings and legs will make a luscious broth which will be incorporated into a reduced sauce involving red wine, balsamic vinegar, garlic, hot peppers and orange marmalade, as well as cilantro and parsley.

Cook the duck breasts med rare on your weber over charcoal or preferably local maple or oak and glaze with the sauce. Nothing better. Serve with butternut squash seasoned w/ butter, brown sugar and ginger. Accompany w/ Sam Adams or a cabernet.