Venison Mincemeat

Mincemeat

(Photo Source)

Originally, mincemeat contained real meat. The kind you buy in a jar now does not have meat in it. Granny K. made 'real' mincemeat and that is where Opa developed his love for Mincemeat Pie.  A little history on mincemeat in general:

English recipes from the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries describe a mixture of meat and fruit used as a pie filling. These early recipes included vinegars and wines, but by the 18th century, distilled spirits, frequently brandy, were being used instead. The use of spices like clove, nutmeg, mace and cinnamon was common in late medieval and renaissance meat dishes. The increase of sweetness from added sugars, and those produced from fermentation, made mincemeat less a savoury dinner course and helped to direct its use toward desserts.

By the mid-twentieth century the term was also used to describe a similar mixture that does not include meat, but that might include animal fat in the form of suet or butter, but could also substitute solid vegetable fats, making it vegetarian. Many recipes continue to include suet, venison, minced beef sirloin or minced heart, along with dried fruit, spices, chopped apple, and fresh citrus peel. Zante currants, candied fruits, citron, and brandy, rum, or other liquor. Mincemeat is aged to deepen flavours, activate the preserving effect of alcohol, which over time changes the overall texture of the mixture by breaking down the meat proteins. Preserved mincemeat may be stored for up to ten years.

Mincemeat can be produced at home, often using a family recipe that varies by region or ancestry. Commercial preparations, primarily without meat, packaged in jars, foil lined boxes, or tins are commonly available.

Mincemeat is frequently consumed during the Christmas holiday season when mince pies or mincemeat tarts are served. In the northeast United States, mincemeat pies are also a traditional part of the Thanksgiving holiday, sometimes served with a piece of Cheddar cheese. (Source: Wikipedia)

When I found a recipe for venison mincemeat in the Virginia Wildlife Magazine, it was a happy day! The recipe is fairly straightforward. Although it calls for ground venison, real mincemeat had minced (very small) meat so that is what I'm going to do to make this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground deer meat (or elk or bison) or used meat minced very finely.
• 2 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/4 lb. butter (1 stick)
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 8 oz. raisins
• 5 oz. currants
• 1-1/2 cup of sweet, fresh apple cider
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons mace
• 3 Tablespoons brandy

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, except brandy, in a large deep kettle and boil slowly uncovered for two hours.
2. After the mixture cools, add brandy.
3. Pour mincemeat into jars or plastic containers and freeze until ready to use. 
4. Makes 2 quarts or pies.

Opa's Baked Spaghetti

Opa LOVES baked spaghetti. It is one of his very favorite things. He and Oma had a little restaurant they would go to every couple of weeks just so he could have their baked spaghetti. I've been there once or twice myself so I saw what he was eating ….. looked like spaghetti with a lot of cheese on top to me ….. but evidently they 'did something else' too because when Oma melted cheese on spaghetti at home, it just wasn't the same.

Then a very unhappy event occurred. The little restaurant closed. A search for a new place to have baked spaghetti was not successful ….. either the restaurants had 'regular' spaghetti or the supposed 'baked' spaghetti did not past muster.

One Friday night, I thought “hmmm.... baked spaghetti would be just the thing” for a special treat and I started looking around to see what we had 'on hand' without a trip to the grocery store. We had a 13.5 oz box of thin wheat spaghetti, 2 (24 oz.) jars of spaghetti sauce (one veggi, one meat-flavored), a package (8 oz.) of mozzarella cheese slices and onion, garlic & Mrs. Dash's Seasoning Blend – Italian Medley.

I got online & started looking for baked spaghetti recipes – I finally found one that looked pretty good, but it had ricotta cheese in it ….. Oma said 'no way, no ricotta'. I also knew (from seeing Opa eat his favorite baked spaghetti) that it did not have ricotta in it. So ….. recipe in hand for a general guide, the modifications and cooking began. When Opa walked by, I told him I was making 'baked spaghetti' ….. his eyes lit up and he said “Really? Baked Spaghetti?? Oh boy!” I think he approved of the final product - he ate a very large piece! We'll be making 'baked spaghetti again in the near future. Here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

• You will need about 6 cups of spaghetti sauce or 2 (24 oz.) jars. Use what you really like because that is going to be the flavor of your baked spaghetti. You can add meat or sauteed veggies or both. Spice it up to your heart's desire.
• 1 lb. ground beef (we just happened to have some in the freezer – you could definitely use ground turkey, venison, sausage - whatever floats your boat)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 teaspoons garlic (out of a jar 'cause that's what we had – I prefer fresh garlic & probably would have used 2-3 cloves, minced fine)
• 3 Tablespoons Mrs. Dash's Seasoning Blend – Italian Medley
• 1 box (13.5 oz) of thin wheat spaghetti (if you use regular, it would probably be a 16 oz box – that's ok)
• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese. We used an 8 oz. package of mozzarella cheese slices (there were 12) because that is what we had on hand. For a future batch, I think grated would be a better choice … for the top, at least.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. In a large pan, saute onions and ground beef until the onions are soft and the meat is cooked through.
3. Add the garlic to the onions/beef the last minute or two – if the garlic gets overdone (begins to brown), it will be bitter.
4. Add the two jars of sauce to the meat mixture & season to taste with whatever you like – I added 3 tablespoons of Mrs. Dash's Seasoning Blend – Italian Medley.
5. Put the sauce on 'simmer' and while that is happening, cook the spaghetti per the instructions.
6. Cut the butter into tablespoons size pieces and put in a large bowl.
7. Beat the two eggs & measure out your parmesan.
8. When the spaghetti is done, drain it well and put it in the large bowl with the butter – mix until the butter is all melted and has coated the spaghetti.
9. Add the eggs & parmesan, mixing well to coat the spaghetti.
10. In the 9 x 13 pan, layer half the spaghetti.
11. Add half the spaghetti sauce on top.
12. Layer half the mozzarella (6 slices …. or grated) on top of the sauce.
13. Repeat the spaghetti & sauce layers (reserve the very top cheese layer for later).
14. Put foil over the top and crimp the edges down.
15. Bake the spaghetti for 40 minutes.
16. Take the foil off and put on the last cheese layer.
17. Return to the oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until cheese has melted and begins to get little golden patches or the color is to your liking, then take it out of the oven & serve.

Cooking Notes:

• This baked spaghetti cuts into blocks so it makes a pretty presentation.
• You can add a ricotta layer if you like …. makes it more like a spaghetti 'lasagna'.
• Mrs. Dash's Seasoning Blend – Italian Medley makes a fabulous dipping sauce for bread …. just put a teaspoon/tablespoon on a small plate, pour on the olive oil and give it a stir, then wait a couple of minutes for the spices to soak up the oil and soften a bit .... dip in your bread & enjoy! This beats anything I've ever had in a restaurant.

Escalloped Salsify

I talked to Opa this morning and asked him of all the food his mom cooked, what were his favorites? He had two right off the top of his head: macaroni & cheese (the 'real' stuff, no out-of-the-box back in those days!) and salsify. So what in the heck (you are probably asking at this moment) is salsify?

Salsify is a carrot-like root vegetable with a mild oyster taste. Here's the Wikipedia description:

Tragopogon, also known as salsify or goatsbeard, is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family Asteraceae that has over 140 species, including the vegetable known as salsify, as well as a number of common wild flowers, some of which are usually regarded as weeds. The vegetable called salsify is usually the root of purple salsify, Tragopogon porrifolius; the root is described as having the taste of oysters (hence the alternative common name "oyster plant" for some species in this genus), but more insipid with a touch of sweetness. The young shoots of purple salsify can also be eaten, as well as young leaves

Here's a picture of what salsify looks like:

I remember eating Granny's salsify side dish and I guess I have similar tastebuds to Opa - I loved the stuff. It was made very much like macaroni & cheese, but without the cheese, if that makes any sense. I do remember that she used crushed saltine crackers rather than bread crumbs for her casserole toppings (macaroni & cheese and the salsify).

In researching some vintage recipes, I found one that sounds like what she used to make if you substitute the crushed saltines for the bread crumbs. It is found in Vaughan's Vegetable Cook Book (1919) and it is called 'Escalloped Salsify':

Instructions

Cook salsify in salted water until tender, alternate it in a baking dish with bread crumbs seasoned with pepper and salt, and dot with butter. Moisten it with cream or milk and a little melted butter, cover the top with bread crumbs dotted with butter, and bake a light brown.

Opa said he hasn't had salsify in a very long time - not since his mother was still cooking. Now comes the challenge ...... find some salsify seeds to plant in the garden this fall!