Liver and Onions with Bacon

We have been very fortunate to have a few deer to put in the freezer this hunting season. So it's been back to "The Shop" to cut it up, then a jaunt back to Mom's kitchen to wrap and label. Dad even bought a new little freezer this year to store the extra meat in, which means we have certainly been blessed with meat to last us quite a while.

Our family has always taken it upon ourselves to cut up our own venison, then we bring it to our local Locker Plant to have the scraps made into burger, deer sticks, summer sausage, and Polish sausage. The steaks, tenderloins, stew meat, and roasts are wrapped and popped in the freezer while we wait for the rest to be ready, thinking about that first juicy burger that will hit our plate soon.

Mom's a bit squeamish about all the blood involved, and has to take a break now and then, but she's a trooper for sure. She is a "Professional Meat Wrapper", and beyond the "Neck Soup with Barley" that Dad makes out of the neck meat right away, she is the creator of all the yummy meals that use what Dad worked so hard to provide for us.

It's a family event that has been mastered over my Dad's 62 years of deer hunting.  He wields the knife and saw like the pro that he is.  He has not missed a year in the woods since he was 10 years old, and he now takes The Kid and I out with him to pass on his legacy. I can't imagine a better man to teach us.

Back in the day, when I was a younger gal, Mom would use the liver from the deer to make "Liver and Onions". Nowadays, you have to worry about diseases, and it's not recommended that you use the organ meat from a deer. But let me tell you, if a friend or family member happens to buy a cow, and is willing to bring us the liver, the skillet is comin' out folks.

Liver and onions is one of those dishes your kids are gonna freak out about.  In my house we have a rule, The Kid has to try ONE BITE of something new, as much as he doesn't think he will like it. Then if it's as gross as he figures, he doesn't have to eat any more of it. Happily this rule has lead to him to liking A LOT of foods that he never would have known he really liked. He even enjoys some of Grandpa's creations that even I can't swallow, like radish sandwiches and raw onions. 

If you are so inclined, and you have no health issues (liver is high in cholesterol and iron), dietary or personal preferences that would keep you from making this dish, give it a go. Just the fact that it's smothered in bacon and onions makes you want to at least try a bite.  This is a dish we only get to make once every few years or so, and to say we enjoy it is an understatement.

We have found that serving liver with a bit of classic yellow mustard gives it an awesome tang, and cuts back on the gamey flavor of the meat.  Our side dish is always boiled potatoes, topped with melted butter and some salt and pepper.

LIVER AND ONIONS WITH BACON               Printable Version

Beef liver

1 lb. bacon

1 large yellow onion

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Boiled potatoes

Classic yellow mustard

Separate the bacon into slices.  Slice up the yellow onion. In a large skillet, fry the bacon and onions until the bacon is cooked and the onions are soft.  Remove from the pan to a plate, leaving the bacon drippings in the pan.

Stir together the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.  Slice the beef liver into 1/4" thick slices.  Dip the liver in the flour mixture and coat both sides.  Fry in the bacon grease until browned on both sides.  Add the cooked bacon and onions back into the pan.

Pour onto a large platter.  Serve with a squirt of yellow mustard for dipping the liver, and boiled potatoes with butter.

Ducks and Pheasant and Geese, Oh My!

The majority of our meals come from the land and the water that surrounds us.  But during a few special months of the year, our meals come from the AIR.

From my Great-Great Grandpa George and Grandma Ethel...

to my dad and brother...

we enjoy bird hunting, and LOVE bird eating.

Dad used to hand harvest wild rice every Summer, and it would be used in this recipe for "Partridge Hot Dish". Wild rice can be purchased in the grocery store, just look for the kind that isn't commercially made. Commercially made wild rice is almost black in color, and tastes NOTHING like the brown wild rice that is hand harvested. Believe me, it's worth every extra penny to get the real stuff.  

This hot dish can be made with any kind of bird; grouse, pheasant, goose, duck. Some boneless chicken breasts would even work in a pinch. As long as you have a bed of wild rice to nestle it into, it will be wonderful.

Crack open a can of cranberry sauce to serve along side this for a little zing.

Partridge Hot Dish                              Printable Version

Two birds, cleaned and cut up into chunks

Olive oil

1 c. onions, diced

1 c. celery, diced

1 c. cooked wild rice

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 c.water

1 can peas

1 can mushrooms

4 Tbsp. soy sauce

Measure 1/2 cup of wild rice into a large glass bowl. Wash and rinse it with cold water until the water is no longer cloudy.  Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the wild rice, then reduce the heat to maintain a low boil. Cook until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes.  Drain the rice in a fine-mesh colander so as not to lose any grains down the drain.  Pour 1 cup of the cooked rice into a large bowl. You can use what's left for another dish, or just sprinkle it with some salt and pepper and eat it as a side.

In a medium skillet, add olive oil, onions and celery and cook until both are soft and nicely browned.  Add this to the bowl of wild rice. Stir in the cream of mushroom soup, water, peas, mushrooms, and soy sauce.

Brown the partridge in olive oil.  Stir it into the wild rice mixture.

Coat a 2 qt. baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and spread the mixture into it. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.  Serve with cranberry sauce on the side.

Swiss Steak with Mushrooms

I had to do some digging for this recipe, because even though our family's meals over the years have always revolved around venison, we haven't been lucky enough to have a freezer full of it for a while.  Mom reminded me how to cook it properly, and argued with me about adding sherry to the sauce, but agreed it might be a nice touch; she will be trying it that way "next time". I use all of our family recipes to a "T", but I like to add a little of my own flair to the pot sometimes.

"Swiss Steak with Mushrooms" utilizes one of the tougher cuts of venison, round steak. But after beating it into submission and simmering it for an hour with some sauteed mushrooms and onions, it turns into a melt-in your-mouth meal.

Some people don't like venison because they say it's too tough, or too "gamey", but cooked this way, it's amazing. You will become a venison fan overnight.

You can add a dash of sherry to the sauce before you start the simmering process, or go the Meatballs and Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy route and add a can of mushroom soup and some milk to produce a thicker gravy after it's done simmering.

Good luck in the woods this weekend!

Swiss Steak with Mushrooms                    Printable Version

Fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
Medium yellow onion, sliced
Olive or vegetable oil
Round steak
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Sherry (optional)

In a large frying pan, add the olive or vegetable oil.  Add in the sliced mushrooms and onions and cook until the onions are soft.  Remove from the pan into a bowl, leaving any drippings behind.  You will add these back in later in the cooking process.

Pound the round steak to about 1/4" thickness with a meat tenderizer. In a shallow dish, mix together the flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the pieces of meat in the flour mixture. Add a bit more oil to the frying pan and brown the meat until almost cooked through (it's good to leave venison a little red in the middle, it will continue cooking in the sauce). Pour the cooked mushrooms and onions back into the pan, cover with water, stir in a dash of sherry if you wish, and let it simmer on low for about an hour, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed so the pan doesn't get dry.

Serve the steak right from the pan with the sauce, or remove the meat to a plate and add a can of mushroom soup and some milk to the pan to make a thicker gravy. Heat the soup through before serving the gravy over mashed potatoes.