Rack of Wild Boar

After my wild boar taco night, I had an inclination to cook more wild boar, and I tapped into Artizone, and this Gepperth's Meat Market again for a delivery. I sampled my Facebook friends first to see if  they felt I should make the boar, or instead try some alligator. Boar won.

I had spent the day, a Saturday, working, and was pretty beat after cleaning up the wiring in a switch rack, but I was quickly reinvigorated by the prospect of eating this meal. Thankfully, my wife was willing to help out a bit. She got my roasted potatoes put together and in the oven as I unwound for a few minutes after getting home. I'd saved some of the bacon fat from our breakfast, and had her combine a couple of tablespoons of those drippings with an equal part of olive oil, some Kosciusko beer mustard, dill, and Worcestershire sauce. Once she had those in the oven, I took back over the kitchen.

For the boar, I wanted to try some deep, rich flavors, so I opted for a rub of coarsely ground coffee (Mierisch coffee, for the record), fennel seed, salt, and pepper. I briefly pan-seared the 2 racks in a cast iron skillet, then moved them to finish off in the oven. I also wanted to complement the boar with a good sauce, so I turned to one that I've counted on many times before, with a slight alteration. It is a creamy mustard sauce that emulates one I'll write about more in the future. This time around, I opted for a basic roux, some milk, prepared mustard, ground mustard, roasted mustard seeds, and dill. This is a bit of a variance from my norm, but in addition, and most importantly, I added a bit of white balsamic this time around. It added a bit of sweetness that mellowed the flavor quite nicely. 

The Verdict

On the whole, the meal was good. The two racks were of unequal size, so the one we ate last night was, if anything, a bit more well done than I cared for. The other rack was deliberately underdone, and I served it up tonight as leftovers after a quick sear in the skillet. These were, for me, a bit more tender, but both were satisfying. The fennel was great, and coffee surprisingly mild. They worked well together, but when paired with the mustard sauce, the flavors were far more interesting. I would probably opt for one or the other next time, and not both, if I were to keep the sauce. Or I would keep both and serve with a balsamic or cider reduction next time. That said, I'm sure there will be a next time. I am finding boar a delicious delicacy, and will have to keep it on our menu from time to time.

The potatoes were a real treat, and we found ourselves dipping them in the sauce just as much as we did the meat. Our first night, we had some corn with our meal, and the second night some green beans. There really was no good reason to go crazy with the veggies, so I didn't. We had both meals with some Chilean Carmenere, and it was fine, but I think I'll spend a bit more time picking a better wine the next time I serve boar. 

I know I usually write more about life, but this time through, it is all I can do to just write about the meal. That said, I'm proud to report that BOTH our daughters tried, and seemed to enjoy the meat!

I'll have to plan for the gator down the road a bit. Stay tuned.

Lamb and Pork with Yogurt Mint Sauce

I had planned to offer up some post-holiday entries. Alas, post-holiday has gone on nearly a month, and much good eating is past, much of that blog-worthy, but time has a way of keeping me from this whole blogging endeavor. Tonight, I had to write at least a little something, with the year already three weeks deep, and this meal was certainly worthwhile. I had planned to offer up something about beef barley soup made with the bones from our Christmas Eve dinner, too. Instead, I simply added a comment to that blog post, so if you are interested in what I did, I copied and pasted my reply to a Facebook request I'd had for that follow up explaining the basics of what I ended up making.

Tonight was an interesting night. Our older daughter was in a bit of a "mood," and frankly was trying our collective patience. Getting into cooking mode was a great escape, and I dug in after we all settled into the warmth of our home after a chilly day, picking everyone up, and a quick trip to the grocery store to get a few things I'd forgotten in the weekend shop.  I combined some ground lamb and ground pork with re-hydrated onions (I forgot the onions even on the second trip), salt, pepper, a bit of dill, dried mint, dried cilantro, a really small dash of nutmeg, and a generous addition of za'atar from a wonderful Middle Eastern grocery/bakery nearby in our 'hood. Za'atar is great to have around in general, and I have used it on grilled chicken in the past as well. It makes for a quick grab from the spice rack, and adds a great deal of flavor in a hurry. (Side note: I wrote about using za'atar in a previous post about my attempt at making kefta)

I formed the meat mixture into oblong, flattened meatballs and sauteed them in some olive oil, getting a nice crispy bit of brown on the outside.  I made a bit of plain orzo to serve on the side, which was a great introduction to pasta for our little one. She is feeding herself more and more now, and she negotiated getting the orzo into her mouth with greater ease than I'd have imagined possible.  I did take a shortcut on one front. We keep some nice pouches of quick lentils-in-sauce on hand that we pick up from Costco from time to time, and with a dollop of yogurt, they are just amazing. As I've noted before, I try hard to get good meals on the table as fast as I can on weeknights, so such shortcuts are necessary, but don't have to come at the expense of taste and nutritional value. 

The crowning glory was a quick yogurt-mint sauce. The big plus from the grocery trip was grabbing some fresh mint. I like to keep somewhat bigger pieces of mint when I make this, so a quick chiffonade did the trick, along with a couple of cloves of minced garlic, a splash of lemon juice, salt, and pepper (and of course the yogurt). It always amazes me how simple additions like a nice sauce can transform a meal, and so many yogurt sauces are so easy to make, it's shame I don't make them more often.

The Verdict

I was so glad to dig into this meal. The smell of the kitchen was just intoxicating tonight, and my anticipation had been building all day for this meal (well, all week, really). It did not disappoint! The meat was flavorful and juicy, and the bit of crispy brown had that kind of umami vibe going on; that's the best way I can describe it. The yogurt-mint sauce was as good as I've ever made it, pretty well nailing the proportions. I sometimes go too far with the garlic or lemon juice and have to adjust, rarely getting it this good. I kept the orzo plain, and used it to mix in the sauce from the lentils and the stray yogurt on my plate. 

This meal was a complete success, and I can't wait to make it again.

As for the little ones: 
Some yogurt sauce dripped into the avocado we were feeding to our younger daughter along with her orzo, and I decided to just go ahead and feed it to her anyway. She liked it so much, I even added a bit more for her, and for the first time in a while, she ended up polishing off an entire half an avocado. I am going to go ahead and guess that it was baby-approved. The real delight was, after our older daughter finished up with her "mood attack," and finally settled in to eat, she ended up eating a really nice portion of the meat (for a change). She had hers sans sauce, and she passed on the lentils, opting instead for her usual side of green peas. The orzo was a universal hit; no surprise in our carb-loving family.

We will have at this meal again tomorrow as leftovers, and I'm thinking about opening up some wine for the adventure. If you'd like to make any suggestions, feel free to comment!

Kefta

I was thrilled that the supermarket had some decent-looking ground lamb when I shopped last. It inspired me to make some kefta, one of my favorite treats when I eat at the Old Jerusalem Restaurant near my work. I confess that I have not made many Middle-Eastern dishes over the years, and I needed some guidance on the seasonings. I combed several recipes online, and forged ahead with my own take on the dish. I knew I wouldn't be able to grill these, too, so I had to find a way to get at least a little bit of "crisp" on these puppies.

I used some basics in this one; paprika, cumin, coriander, dried cilantro, salt, pepper, and the smallest bit of cinnamon. But I also added in some za'atar that I was fortunate enough to have found at a nearby middle eastern grocery in the recent past. A fair bit of onion went in as well. To get a bit of a char-like feel, I opted to pan-fry in some peanut oil, then finish cooking in the oven to keep in some of the moisture (thank you, onions!). In hindsight, the only thing I would change is the mince on my onions. They were just a bit too big. I should note that I did mix the lamb with beef, about a 2-1 ratio of lamb to beef. I like the mix when I use the two together, as the beef takes a bit of the edge off the lamb-y-ness for those not as keen on eating lamb. (My half-siblings in Indiana like to say that lamb tastes "hairy" to them...)

I paired this with a brown and wild rice mix (seasoned with dill and garlic) mixed with some peas, and served it with a dollop of creamy goat cheese.

THE VERDICT

Simply delicious. The bonus: the house this morning still had the lingering exotic smell of a "foreign" meal and that delicious aroma that only residual peanut oil can leave behind. I'd say we all enjoyed it, although I have still yet to get our daughter to try any of these more adventurous meals. She's still sticking to chicken, peas, and toast as mainstays for dinner. I think breaking her out of that routine will take some doing, and I hope someday she'll relish these sorts of meals as much as her mom and I do. It was a special treat to share the meal with my mother-in-law who has been a blessing these past 2 weeks, watching our daughter each day as our day care provider is away.  I suppose my biggest regret is that I didn't open some wine for this one....

Back to the Grill

I had a few days away; away from the blog and away from the grill. Mostly, I had a rough week at work, largely due to the erratic weather and power grid, and as a result, had little time to write, to cook, and on most days, no inclination to do anything because it was too blasted chilly for June.

I kept things simple for Sunday dinner, mostly because I have bigger plans for Monday, but also because the grill needed a good cleaning and that was time I could not spend on prep. Early in the afternoon, I cooked up some small red potatoes for a dill potato salad (with lots of chopped Claussen's and dill weed). I soaked some cheddar/jalapeño brats in some Goose Island ale, and left thing alone as I enjoyed time with the family.

The great treat was not the two items that took prep work. It was the asparagus that took almost no effort at all (not that any part of this meal was laborious). A quick pass through some butter, a shot of garlic salt and black pepper, and they went on the grill alongside the brats. The key to good asparagus, in my opinion, is to keep them from going completely limp. I find too many cooks want so badly to have beautiful grill marks on them, perhaps to prove they are grilled, that they overcook the poor veggies into a limp and bitter mess. I pull mine as soon as they begin to droop when lifted in the middle of the stalk with a pair of tongs. Another smattering of butter, garlic salt, and pepper (just in case any of them were missed, of course), and they were ready for the table.

Verdict

Not much more to say. The brats were good. I like sauerkraut on most any grilled sausage, so I added a bit, and it worked pretty well with the jalapeño. My wife can't stand the kraut, so she went without. The potatoes were predictably good. The star, as I mentioned, was that asparagus. Still just a bit firm, but fully cooked and warm throughout, just enough butter and seasoning - I am just sad that we didn't have more.

On a side note, our daughter has returned to eating fish at mealtimes again. She love smoked salmon, it seems, and ate it with some regularity until just around her second birthday. Now, after some time away, she's back. Maybe this means she will start trying other foods again, and maybe I can get her to eat more of what I cook instead of the usual fare she's settled on...