Dominican Albondigas

For the meatballs

• 2 lb [0.9 kg] ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup day-old fine breadcrumbs
• 1 small onion , diced or grated
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 garlic clove , crushed

For the sauce

• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small onion , diced
• 2 garlic cloves , chopped
• 1 bell pepper , diced
• 2 tablespoons of capers
• 6 big tomatoes , chopped
• 1 1/2 cup of tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon of dry oregano
• 1 teaspoon of salt , or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper , or to taste

Instructions

For the meatballs

• Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs and knead with your hands until it is well-mixed.
• Put two tablespoons of this mixture in the palm of your hand and roll into balls. Repeat until all the mixture is used.

For the sauce

• In a heavy saucepan heat the oil over low heat. Add the onions and cook and stir until the onions become translucent.
• Stir in garlic, pepper and capers. Stir until heated through. Pour in tomato sauce and stir in tomatoes. Add water.
• Simmer until it breaks the boil. Carefully place the meatballs into the sauce. Simmer covered until cooked throughout (about 10 mins), turning them regularly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with rice of your choice.

Moose Stew

http://www.thegreybell.com/rich-and-hearty-moose-stew/

I added some potatoes to this recipe, then thickened it at the end. First I tried tapioca, which didn't seem to be working so I went with cornstarch and that did it. Delicious stew and a great way to use up moose meat.

WILD GAME MEATBALLS

Serves 4-5 people

1/2 cup white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into large pieces

1/4 cup milk

1 pound wild game like caribou, moose, elk or venison
1 pound hot Italian sausage (you can sub in bison or ground beef, but increase the salt by 1/4 teaspoon and add a 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds and a fat pinch of red pepper flakes)
1/2 med onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup basil, chopped

1 egg, beaten1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In the bottom of the bowl you plan to make meatballs in, soak the bread in milk. Cover a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Measure all the ingredients into the bowl with the milk-soaked bread. Then, with clean hands, combine all the ingredients. Roll roughly 20 meatballs, each about the size of a pingpong ball, and place on the parchment. Bake for 25 minutes, or until browned.

I put these in a slow cooker with marinara sauce on warm after cooking. Served over papardelle with shaved parmesan. These are spicy, delicious meatballs!

Moose Fajitas

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lbs moose stew meat, cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 -2 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt (Mr. Prime Beef seasoning salt works great!)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• tri-color bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 6 -8 flour tortillas
• shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
• salsa (optional)
• guacamole (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• Using the wok, heat the oil and stir-fry the meat, veggies, lemon juice and spices. Add garlic. Done!

GREEKLOAF

GREEKLOAF

• 8 extra-large organic eggs, divided
• 3 cups peasant bread or stale Italian bread, coarsely chopped or torn
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 pound ground lamb + 1 lb ground beef
• Sea salt (go easy) and coarse black pepper (go heavier)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 package organic frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained, then separated
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped plus some for garnish

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

Soft boil 6 of the eggs

Soak the bread in the milk for 5 minutes.

Place the lamb in a mixing bowl, then wring out the bread and crumble it over the mixing bowl with your fingertips. Add everything else and mix with hands.

Form a long layer of meatloaf on a baking sheet, pressing down to create a trough in the middle for the eggs. Top with a line of the soft boiled eggs running down the center, then use the remaining meatloaf mixture to encase the eggs in the center of the loaf. Drizzle the loaf with EVOO and roast for 40-45 minutes, then switch on the broiler to crisp up the top for 2-3 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, then garnish with more chopped herbs. (Meat thermometer should read 160; check early to not overcook.)

Baba's Borscht

http://communitytable.parade.com/31711/verafarmiga/babas-borscht/

Blueberry Filet Mignon

I made this for Valentine's Day Dinner 2016. The filets we bought were about 2" thick, so I would cook them in the oven longer than the recipe calls for, an additional 5-10 minutes, as they were just a bit too rare. The sauce is wonderful. Apparently the recipe is an adaptation from a menu item at a restaurant in Florence.

I found the recipe and photo online, and here's the link:

http://www.eatmorefoodproject.com/blueberry-filet-mignon/