Indonesian Style Beef Liver (Sambal Goreng Hati)

I discovered this recipe while searching for liver recipes. I adapted this after reading several recipes. I found one recipe in English and had to use Google translate for the rest, which yeilded some entertaining results such as: "If necessary, add a little oil within blender to simplify the process of destruction". I can't get fresh galangal in my area, so I had to use galangal powder. I tweaked the recipe a bit and I've never had this traditionally prepared, so I don't know how authentic this recipe is. However, it is delicious. This is a great recipe if you're still trying to get used to the taste of liver because the sauce has a very strong flavor. You might want to add some cayenne to it if your red chillies aren't spicy enough. I used purple potatoes for this, but any small potato will do.

6-8 small potatoes
1 lbs Beef liver
1 cup chopped shallots
4 cloves of garlic
4 red chilies
1 inch of fresh ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp galangal
1/2 tsp corriander
1/4 tsp lemongrass
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp coconut oil (divided)
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp coconut aminos
1 Tbsp tamarind paste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast potatoes for abut 30 minutes.

In a small food processor, combine shallots, ginger, garlic, cayenne, coriander, lemongrass and salt. Puree into a paste.

Cut liver into small chunks or strips. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in pan. brown liver, then set aside.

Add more oil to the pan and cook potatoes until brown. Add the paste and salt. and cook for 3-5 minutes until the spices become fragrant.

Add the coconut milk, aminos, and tamarind paste. Bring to a boil. Add the liver back to te pan and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes to reduce the sauce. Remove from heat and serve.

Blood Orange Lamb Chops

1 1/2 lbs Lamb Chops
1 blood orange, zested and juiced
1 meyer lemon, zested and juiced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
1/2 Tbsp rosemary
1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves
5-6 sprigs fresh time
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp corriander

Combine all ingredients in a zip lock bag or some other seal able container. Marinate for 24-48 hours. Grill for about 5-10 minutes on each side depending on thickness and desired temperature. Makes 2 servings.

Braciole

 Braciole (pronounced bra-jole) is an Italian dish. It consists of steak that's pounded thin and stuffed. This version is gluten and dairy free, but it's typically made with breadcrumbs and cheese.


Ingredients:
1.5 lbs round or flank steak
7-9 slices of pancetta
Pesto
Marinara
salt and pepper
Some type of fat

Pound steak until 1/8 - 1/4" thin. Add salt and pepper. Spread pesto over steak then layer pancetta. Roll tightly and tie with kitchen twine. In a cast iron pan, add fat or oil and brown meat  Place in slowcooker the tomato sauce (make the sauce first). Set on low for 6-8 hours. Slice and serve over spaghetti squash or other pasta alternative.


For the Pesto:
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup arugula
1/2 cup fresh basil
1 oz walnuts or pine nuts
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp brewer's yeast (optional)
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in mini food processor.



Marinara:
1-2 Tbsp olive oil or other fat
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 28 oz can of tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oil in large pan. add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic saute for about a minute, then add fennel seeds and saute for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add to the crock pot along with canned tomatoes, tomato past and seasoning. 

Awesome Burgers

Yes, this recipe is for hamburgers. Something so simple yet complex. I like my meat well seasoned. I usually use 85% lean, but sometimes I'll mix 75% lean beef with 90% lean bison. I shape them into 1/3lb burgers. Sometimes 1/2 lb if I'm really hungry. Also notice, I don't waste my money on gluten free buns or waste my time on lettuce wraps. I eat it with a fork and knife. You can't fit all those awesome toppings in a lettuce wrap anyway and you would have to dislocate your jaw to eat that on a bun. Check out my recipe for paleo Worcestershire Sauce.

1 lb ground beef (85% lean)
1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (Optional)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground fennel
1/4 tsp salt
a pinch of ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Grill or pan fry. Top with whatever you like. I like mushrooms and onions.

Liverwurst Nori Rolls

This might be my strangest recipe yet. Even stranger than Bacon Crusted Pumpkin Pie. When I was a kid I loved liverwurst sandwiches. Is that weird? If you're looking for a way to enjoy the health benefits of liver, but you don't like the odd texture, this recipe is for you. If you need a good sauerkraut recipe, checkout this one from Balanced Bites. I usually just make mine with cabbage and salt, but if you can't imagine eating liverwurst without rye bread, you can add rye seeds to your kraut.

2 Nori sheets
3 oz of liverwurst (I get mine from U.S. Wellness Meats)
1/2 cup sauerkraut
1/2 an avocado
Spicy mustard (to dip the rolls in)

You'll also need a small bowl with water and a rolling mat. In my Sardine Nori Roll recipe, there are step by step instructions on how to roll sushi. Or you can check out this link.

Greek Style Lamb Balls

Lamb is my favorite meat.

1 lbs Ground Lamb
1 lemon, zested
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp Balsamic or Red Wine Vinegar
2 tsp Penzey's Lamb Seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp rosemary (dried or fresh)
1/2 tsp salt
Olive oil

Place ground lamb in a bowl and add vinegar, garlic, salt, and herbs. Zest lemon into the bowl and set aside the rest of the lemon for later. Combine ingredients thoroughly shape into balls. Grill meatballs for about 10 minutes, preferable over charcoal or wood, but gas works too. When meat balls are done, squeeze lemon juice and drizzle olive oil and serve.

Pastelon (Plantain Lasagna)

This is a weekend recipe. It seriously took me 3 hours to make, I thought it would only take 2. Frying the plantains was the most time consuming because I used a deep fryer. If you're feeling ambitious, you might want to prepare it on the weekend and then stick it in the fridge to have during the week because it tastes awesome the next day (and it's easier to cut when it's cool).

Coconut oil
6 ripe plantains
2 lbs ground beef or pork
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
black pepper
red pepper (optional)
2 bell peppers (any color, I used red), chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 eggs

Cut plantains in half and then slice them lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. If deep frying, fry them in a single layer (or else they'll stick) until golden brown for about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and set aside on paper towels. If pan frying, fry them in enough coconut oil to cover them and fry them until golden brown on each side. Set aside on paper towel.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large cast iron pan, brown meat. When meat starts to brown, add onions and peppers and saute until soft. Add seasoning and combine thoroughly.

Line a large baking dish with one layer of fried plantains. Add the meat, using a slotted spoon so the meat isn't too greasy. Press meat down so that it's level, then top with the rest of the plantains. Beat eggs, and pour over the top evenly. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Makes 6 servings.

Cocoa Nib Crusted Rack of Lamb

Christmas dinner. I was originally going to use walnuts for this, but my walnuts were rancid. I eat nuts so infrequently that most of my nuts were rancid. I did have hazelnuts that were still in the shell, so I used those. From now on, I will only buy nuts in a shell!

1 1/2 lbs rack of lamb

Marinade:
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Chocolate Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp red wine
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cinn
1/2 tsppaprika
1/2 tsp anise seeds
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cumin

Marinate over night.

Crust
3 Tbsp Cocoa Nibs
1 1/2 oz nuts
1 Tbsp coffee grounds
2 tsp cinn
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp anise seeds
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil

Combine all of the crust ingredients in a mini food processor. 

Sear marinated lamb on a grill using direct heat or in a cast iron pan. After the lamb is seared (about 5 mins on each side) then add the crust. Heat oven or grill to 400 degrees. If you're grilling, line an aluminum pan with aluminum foil and use indirect heat to roast lamb until desired temperature is reached. If using an oven put lamb in cast iron or roasting pan and roast until desired temperature is reached. If you like it rare, it's not going to take long at all. I wanted the crust to cook, so I let mine get to medium. I prefer my red meat rare, though.

Bolognese Sauce

I was so diligent about taking pics through out the cooking process, but I forgot to take a picture of the finished sauce. It tasted too freakin good, I just wanted to eat it. F--- pictures. I want to enjoy my food. Needless to say I had to make it again just to take pictures.

1 lbs ground beef (I used 15/85)
1 onion
3 large red bell peppers, roasted
5 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp Oregano, separated
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup fresh basil finely chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil, separated
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
1 6oz can of tomato paste
1 lb of cherry, grape or roma tomatoes, smoked.
 Salt, pepper to taste

In a large pan, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Saute onions until translucent, add garlic. After about a minute, add 1 Tbsp of oregano, thyme, fennel, salt, pepper and heat for 30 seconds, then add beef. Brown beef then remove from heat.

In a slow cooker or Dutch oven, add beef mixture, canned tomatoes, basil, 1 Tbsp oregano and vinegar then put on low heat. In a food processor, puree the red peppers. Add to slow cooker, then add tomatoes, 1 tbsp of olive oil and tomato paste. Cook on high for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve over zucchini linguini or spaghetti squash or whatever.

One week later, my kitchen still smelled like Bolognese.

Lamb Satay with Sunbutter Sauce

I used to make Chicken Satay all the time. For a while it was my signature dish. I adapted my Chicken Satay Recipe from "365 Great Barbecue & Grilling Recipes" by Lonnie Gandara. My parents had  the complete series of "365 Ways" cookbooks and I think they used "365 Ways to Cook Chicken" every day for a year. Growing up, we ate chicken so much I'm surprised I don't cluck. My dad used to make "chicken and sauce" almost every night. The sauce was always a different color, sometimes it was red, sometimes it was yellow, but it always consisted of onions, bell peppers and a ton of garlic. It was almost always served with brown rice and a salad with balsamic vinaigrette. My dad was consistent.

I took the grilling cookbook with me when I left home because I fucking love to grill. Then I became a vegetarian. That lasted a year; I'm over it. This recipe is an adaption from that book, which I no longer posses. (I think I gave it back to my parents). I used lamb instead of chicken and made the marinade more lamb adapted (i.e. cinnamon for a stronger and earthier flavor). To make it paleo, I eschewed the peanut butter in the dipping sauce and replaced it with sun butter. You could probably use cashew butter instead. Almond butter would work well too.

1 lbs lamb cut into cubes
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp lemon grass
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne

Combine all ingredients and marinade for an hour or longer. 

1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/8 cup onion, minced
1 tsp garlic minced
1 tsp  red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
Juice 1/2 lime
1 Tbsp coconut aminos
1/4 cup Sunbutter
2 Tbsp coconut milk

Heat oil in a small sauce pan. Add onion and saute until translucent, then add garlic, red pepper flakes and cumin. after about 5-10 minutes, add lime juice and aminos. let that simmer for about 5 minutes then stir in Sunbutter and then coconut milk and remove from flame. Serve warm. stir in water or more coconut milk if you want a thinner sauce.

Beef Jerky

Some like it hot, some like it hot.

Food doesn't get any more awesome than this. Beef jerky is a convenient, portable snack and what makes it better than other convenient portable snacks it that it's made of delicious red meat. And you can make your own paleo kits! I make mine with dried beet and sweet potato chips. Taste the rainbow.  My recipe is a bit spicy so if you don't like it hot, cut back on the cayenne.

2 lbs Flank Steak
1/3 cup Worcestershire
1/3 cup Coconut aminos
2 Tbsp Fig Balsamic
2 Tbsp Chipotle Tobasco
1 Tbsp Chili 9000
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp chipotle powder

Slice steak into strips 1/2 inch thick. Combine all ingredients in a ziplock bag and mix up well. Marinate for 12-24 hours. Place strips on food dehydrator trays and dry at 155 degrees for 24 hours. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

Roo-gan Josh

Rogan Josh is an Indian Dish traditionally served with lamb. I just happened to have a small stockpile of kangaroo rumps that I ordered from Marx Foods. They only ship in bulk. I have a big freezer because I have the dream that one day I will actually go hunting for deer or javelina and I'll need some place to put it. But in the meantime, it's easier to sit at my computer and order exotic meats in bulk and have them shipped overnight.

Kangaroo is extremely lean so you're going to need to add some fat. I used lamb tallow, but coconut oil would also work.

3-4 lbs of kangaroo rump, cut into cubes
4Tbsp Penzey's Rogan Josh seasoning or make your own
1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp fat, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Brown the kangaroo in a cast iron skillet using 1 Tbsp of fat. I did it in 3 batches (1 tsp of fat at a time) because it was alot of freaking meat. Put meat in crock pot with all the other ingredients, except the shredded, dessicated, unsweetened coconut. Cook on low for 6 hours and add the coconut if you need to thicken up the stew.

Pastrami

Pastrami is like beef bacon, cured in brine for a week and then smoked to tasty perfection and sliced thin. Use it to top a boar burger or fry it up with some eggs. It goes nicely with sauerkraut and pickles.

1-2 lbs Brisket
4 cups water
3 tbsp kosher salt

Pickling Spice:
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp black peppercorn
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground clove
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground allspice

Bring water to a boil and add salt until dissolved. Remove from heat and pickling spice ingredients. Let steep for 1 hour. Put meat in a glass baking dish and cover with brine (pickling spice and water mixture). cover and leave in fridge for at least a week, turning half way through the brining process.

Smoke at 200-250 for 2 hours, turning once. Use a mild wood, such as maple. Once done let cool. Freeze pastrami to make slicing easier. I use an electric meat slicer.

Ropa Vieja

Ropa Vieja is a traditional Cuban dish. It literally means "old clothes" and is probably called that because you cook it for a long time that the meat falls apart. It's freakin awesome with mashed plantains (aka Mofongo).

2 lbs flank steak
1/4 cup balsmic vinegar
2 cups beef broth
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried cilantro or 1 tsp fresh
1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate the steak in the balsmic vinegar and pepper over night. You could put some garlic in there too. I didn't because I was being lazy.

Put meat with vinegar in crock put. Add all the other ingredients. cook on low for 10 hours. Shred beef with 2 forks and cook for another 2 hours. Serve with plantains and something green.

Anteloaf

Oh look it's a meatloaf recipe. How can I make this meatloaf recipe standout amongst the billions of recipes out there? Let me give it a clever name!

I buy game meat at Sprouts. I don't actually have the wherewithal to hunt for myself. I should change that. A rifle would be nice. Antelope, like other game meats, is very lean so it should be mixed with a nice fatty farm animal like beef, lamb or pork so it doesn't come out too dry. I used 85% lean beef and it came out nice and moist and it doesn't really need sauce. A little sauce wouldn't hurt though.

I had to make this into 5 mini meatloaves instead of one big one because I left my meatloaf pan at Nikos's house. It's probably better this way because they cook faster, they're more portable and I can give him one or two to take home.

2 lbs Ground antelope
1 lbs ground beef (85%)
2 eggs
1 red onion, finely chopped
16 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 can tomato paste
1 date, pitted
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp crushed brown mustard seed
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp horseradish
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground fennel

In a large mixing bowl combine meat, eggs and garlic.

in a mini food processor combine vinegar, tomato paste, salt, pepper, spices and date. blend until date is completely blended. Put tomato-date mush in mixing bowl. Since the mini processor was already dirty, I threw the onion in there and chopped it finely in there. the same could be done with the garlic.

Bake at 350 Degrees. take out of the oven when the fork test comes out clean. Cooking times will vary.

Calf Liver Pate

I can't believe I actually made this. Who eats liver anymore? When I was a kid I really liked liverwurst. Then I realized what it was made of. How offal.

I adapted this recipe from the Simply Recipes recipe linked from Cave Girl Eats. I changed the recipe for several reasons. I only had 1/2 lb of liver, I only had ground beef dethawed and I wanted a greasy hamburger for dinner last night so I used 4 oz for my burger and threw the rest in the pate. I also added fennel and thyme because I like to add those to everything. I added mushrooms too.

3/4 lbs ground beef (I used 85%)
1/2 lbs calf liver
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
5 oz brown mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground fennel
1 pinch ground cloves
Enough bacon to line the baking dish

Preheat oven 350 degrees

In a food processor, puree vinegar, garlic, mushrooms, and onion together. Add spices and liver and puree all together. You can put the beef in the food processor if you have room, or combine it in a separate bowl using an egg beater.

Line a baking dish with bacon. (I didn't use parchment, but it might be a good idea.) pour liver-meat mixture into dish and then top with more bacon. Bake for about an hour. Then turn on broiler and crisp the bacon on top for a couple of minutes.

Pork Burgers with Beef Bacon

I bought beef bacon the other day and I am in love. I've been putting it in my omelets ever since. I was trying to think of other things I could eat it with. Bacon Cheeseburgers are an American Classic, but I don't eat cheese (well, rarely) because I'm a lactard. I thought putting beef bacon on a beef burger would be redundant, so this seemed like the only solution.

I went to Whole Foods and explained to Andy, the seafood guy that I wasn't buying any seafood because I had made crab cakes for lunch and I was making Pork Burgers with Beef Bacon for dinner. He was floored. He thought it was an awesome idea and he would be thinking about it all night. He didn't even know Whole Foods stocked beef bacon. So I brought him to the bacon section to show him. . . and they were out of beef bacon so he started to curse me.

The whole way home I was trying to decide what seasoning to use for the burgers. I thought Turkish Seasoning would be hilarious, but I went with Tsardust Memories instead. Whatever seasoning you choose is irrelevant because these burgers are transcendentally awesome by the mere juxtaposition of the beef and the pork.

I was only able to buy 3/4 of a lb of ground pork because that was all they had.

3/4 lb ground pork (do yourself a favor and double the recipe)
2 tsp seasoning of some sort
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or Red Apple Balsamic if you happen to have it)
beef bacon

combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Shape into patties. Grill baby, grill. Cook beef bacon and put on burgers.

I did mine with homemade ketchup, grilled onion, roasted red peppers and avocado.

Gyros

There are things I like about living in Arizona: It never snows, I can afford my mortgage payment, I can grill 90% of the time (and when I can't it's because it's too windy, not because it's too cold.) and my job is pretty cool most of the time. However, I was born and raised in New York City and spent a few years living inside the D.C. Beltway, so I'm more accustomed to things like great restaurants and ethnic diversity - things you can't find in Arizona. In NYC, every diner is open 24-7 and you can get gyros any time of the day. And there was that place, Fontanas, on Northern Blvd that had the best gyros. You could watch them cut slivers of lamb off a slab of gyro meat on a stick. This recipe was inspired by homesickness. I did a google search and found Alton Brown's gyro recipe. It had a video. I recommend you watch it. I didn't do mine exactly like his, but close enough. Close enough to wonder why they heck mine fell off the spit and his didn't. It got messy. I ended up cooking it on foil on the grill and flipping it on four sides. It tasted awesome, but the presentation was lacking. I just couldn't slice it thin enough.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground lamb
1.5 Tbsp Penzey's Lamb Seasoning
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed.

Place chopped onion in food processor until it turns to mush. Strain excess liquid. You want it as dry as possible. put onion back in food processor with garlic, lamb and seasoning and process for about 5-10 minutes, scraping the sides periodically.

Set plastic wrap on counter and place lamb on plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably more.

When ready, put meat on spit and roast over fire for about 30-45 minutes.

Slice thin and serve with tzatziki. I made Spinach Scallion Pancakes to have instead of pita bread.

Bison Stuffed Tiger Pumpkin

Bisons and Tigers and Bears, OH MY! Well, not so much bears. Sometimes I even impress myself with my cooking skillz. It's a shame that this isn't a year round recipe. If you can't find Tiger Pumpkins, then any mini pumpkin will do. The pumpkins I used are about 3 inches in diameter. I got them at Trader Joe's. I bought them because they were esthetically pleasing. It's a pumpkin, so it can't possibly taste bad. This recipe is pretty easy. Cutting the tops off the pumpkin and scooping out the seeds is a bit time consuming, but doesn't take too long. I think the recipe took about an hour all together.

I fell in love with a grill

Ingredients:
6 Tiger Pumpkins
1 lbs ground bison
1 pablano pepper
1 red bell pepper
1/2 an onion
5 cloves of garlic, mas o menos
1 Tbsp coconut oil (any fat will do)
2 tsp Penzey's Arizona Dreaming (you can sub chili seasoning, fajita seasoning, adobo, whatever.)
salt to taste






Roast the pablano and red pepper. I had the smoker going, so I smoked mine. YUM! While that's going, heat the coconut oil in a large pan. Saute the onions. When they become translucent, add the garlic cook for a minute then seasoning and salt. Add the bison and brown, breaking it up into little pieces. Remove from heat and set aside in a mixing bowl.

Put the peppers in a mini food processor or finely chop by hand. Add the peppers to the mixing bowl and mix. With a sharp knife, score a circle on the tops of each pumpkin to pop off the top. Keep the tops. Scoop out the seeds. Fill each pumpkin with equal amounts of meat. Put the tops back on and bake or grill at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Let cool and enjoy. They are a great portion size for kids but if you're a big eater, you might want to eat two at a time. For me, one is filling enough so they make a good lunch or snack.

The skin isn't edible, so you're going to have to cut it off or scoop out the meaty pumpkiny goodness. If they're cooked long enough, the skin will peel off easily. Since I grilled mine, the bottoms were really tender.

Smoked Bambi Bitkis (Meatballs)

Bitkis are Russian Meatballs. The seasoning in this recipe you're more likely to find in sausage, but that seemed entirely too complicated. Instead I decided to make meatballs and smoke them.

I make my own coconut milk and this has almost nothing to do with this recipe. I only do 1 coconut per week. Although 1 coconut only yields about 1 - 1.5 cups of coconut milk, what you're left with is about 2 cups of shredded coconut. There's only so much I can do with that since I live alone, don't eat sweets and don't like children. I used to just throw shells in the compost heap, until I saw this and I suddenly wished for this elderly Asian woman to adopt me. So I threw the shells onto the coals in my smoker.

1 lbs ground venison (you can sub beef or pork)
1 Tbsp Penzeys Tsardust Memories
1-2 Tbsp Fat of choice (I used macadamia nut oil)
1/2 Tbsp Caraway seeds
1 tsp crushed brown mustard seeds

Mix in bowl, make into balls, smoke. Venison is very lean which is why I added the mac oil. If you use a fattier meat, you won't have to add any. Another good idea is to get some high fat ground beef and do half beef half venison. Smoke for about an hour, turning only once. I put them on top of aluminum foil so they don't stick to the grill. If you bake them or pan fry them instead of smoking them, 1 Tbsp of oil will suffice, but with smoking you have to worry about them drying out, so err on the side of caution. Using an animal fat is probably a better idea than an oil, but I don't have any.

I made a mushroom sauce to go with this.