From the Forest to the Plate

A few months back my wife,  Karen, said that our son, Christian, was interested in hunting after he'd read the Marjorie Kinnan Rawling's novel "The Yearling" and she signed him up for a hunter safety course. The wonderfully rare trait that both my boys have is that when they have an interest they see it through to completion and mastery. Hunting was no exception. I watched Christian take on hunting with diligence and maturity beyond his age of twelve, almost thirteen. When I heard about a youth hunt in Tallahassee, I was interested in going with Christian but had no idea what to expect. I actually thought it would be a "redneck" type thing and maybe a little creepy. But as us parents know, we'll do anything for our kids.

The day of the hunt I was exhausted since I had a class the previous day so when I was warned to dress warmly, I overlooked it. I went through my clothes looking for fashionable hunting clothing: greens and camos.  Christian, on the other hand, was careful as a good scout to make sure he was prepared for what he needed for a winter camp-out. I grabbed a thin olive jacket along with short sleeve shirts and we packed the car with tent and camping equipment and headed for Tallahassee.

When we arrived at the hunting camp site, we learned from the hunt master that Christian needed to qualify. We followed the four wheel drives to a field with targets set up in the distance. I was beginning to feel a bit out of place having the impression that everyone was experienced hunter types. The hunt master had each youth come up to a wooden shooting stand and gave them three initial opportunities to hit a target. He used a scope to measure the success of each boy and critiqued them guiding them with "a little more to the right" or "six inches lower" until they shot to his approval. One boy missed the target entirely and was told to wait to last for more training. When Christian came up the hunt master asked him if he had shot a high powered rifle before and he honestly said "no". The hunt master reached for a 308 rifle with scope and gave Christian some quick instructions and told him to shoot the gun. I watched from behind as Christian confidently held the large heavy weapon and took a shot with a startling bang. The hunt master said to aim 4 inches lower and gave him another try. Upon making his second try the hunt master exclaimed "great! Do that tomorrow and you'll be fine." They brought his paper target to him and we saw that he made a bullseye.

 Afterward we went back to the campsite and set up our tent it was already getting very cold and I was shivering. They made hot dogs and hamburgers as we ate around a fire and talked to other youth and their dads, I could tell that we were not the only novice hunters which made me feel better. We went to our tents to go to bed while the temp was around 30 degrees and dropping. I was starting to wonder how sleeping was going to feel. Although I fell asleep pretty quickly since we had sleeping bags were rated for temps in the 200's,  I woke up at about 2 am and couldn't get back to sleep as my feet were frozen. Five AM came quickly as my phone alarm went off  after about 4 hours of sleep. Christian was awake too at that point and he said he hardly slept either. We went to our car and turned the heat on to thaw our bodies.
The first hunt started at 6 am and the land owner volunteered to take us to our hunting area and we accepted. He drove us through rough terrain and stopped in the middle of the forest. He then directed us to go about 30 yards down into the thicket and a ways to the left. We thanked him and began our trek into the woods. It took us about 20 minutes to find the site since it was still dark and the blind that we were to remain in during the hunt was, of course, camouflaged and nearly invisible. The early morning hunt consisted of Christian and I freezing our butts off wondering if we would see anything in the camo tent that we sat inside. We loaded the 308 rifle and left the safety on and watched for a few hours. Then Christian whispered that he saw two deer running through a thicket nearby yet I saw nothing. We waited in the extreme cold and Christian finally said that he wanted to get out in the sun to stretch which I was fine with. We got out and walked around. The only sound was of wood ducks quaking and flapping in a nearby pond. As we walked I suddenly saw a yearling appear ahead on the trail and turned to draw Christian's attention to it.we hurriedly ran into the camo tent and watched as we both new it was just a yearling but I told Christian that the mother couldn't be far. All of a sudden the doe jumped out of the woods and into the clearing facing us as we watched. Christian then moved his safety to the fire position but too late as the doe jumped quickly back into the thicket. We agreed to wait and see if they come back since we didn't want to disrupt our cover. I day dreamed about the experience as we waited thinking that the young deer would probably have died without the protection of the mother. I was quietly glad that they ran to safety. That was a wise and protective mother! At 10:30 am we waited for the truck to come and get us as we pack up our chairs and unloaded the gun putting it back in the bag.

The remaining morning consisted of sitting around the fire until lunch which was make-your-own sandwiches.  We had some opportunities to chat with the other youth and their parents as well as the hunt volunteers. It was an enlightening experience for me because these were not what I expected everyone seemed pretty normal with careers such as lawyers and doctors, not what I had preconceived at all.

The afternoon hunt began at about 3 pm as trucks took the hunters and chaperons to their hunting sites. The driver told us to be sure and pee prior to going into the hunting area so as not to disturb the site. We arrived at the buck blind in a beautiful clearing surrounded by trees as the sun created an ambient shade and the warmth made the temperature in the upper 50s. We sat in near silence for about two hours interrupted once with Christian exclaiming quietly that he saw a deer in the distance clearing. We agreed that it was too far and should wait and see if it comes closer. We waited until about 5 pm with nothing except squirrels playing and armadillos rooting. Then it happened, a lone doe walked into the clearing slowly about 60 yards away or so. I saw it first and told Christian to take off his safety. He looked at the deer in his site and waited and then fired. I watched the doe as it was hit and it immediately fell to the ground. At that moment I was so proud of Christian and we ran to the deer to inspect it. He hit the deer perfectly behind the shoulder and near the spine the deer died instantly. On the other side there was a five  inch circle where the bullet exited. I called the hunt master and he arrived shortly to inspect the deer. He reached into the bullet wound with his finger and took some blood and painted it on Christians cheeks excited with his first kill. He then told Christian that he had to drag the deer to the truck.

We arrived back at camp and everyone there congratulated Christian as we took the deer to a skinning hook at the back of the camp. We watched as they hung the deer up and taught Christian to skin and butcher the deer allowing him to participate with his sharp Gerber knife that he got for Christmas. We were both filled with adrenaline as the huntmaster exclaimed that this teenage deer was going to be very tender. We left shortly thereafter since we didn't want to spend another frigid night in the tent. As we drove 3 hours back to Ocala we called our family to tell them of Christian's success. We brought back the meat and the fur since Christian wanted to tan the hide.

The next day, Christian and I butchered the meat and that night roasted the fore legs. They tasted amazing. We both learned a lot from this hunting trip and had a great bonding experience that I'll remember forever.

A Tour of Italy

Potato Gnocchi
Ingredients
2 pounds (about 4) potatoes preferably Yukon golds
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Directions
Peel and cut the potatoes into large pieces. Boil them until fork tender then remove from water and drain.  Put the potatoes in a large bowl with salt, baking powder, and egg white. Add the flour a little at a time and mix with your hands until the mixture forms a rough dough. Do not over-work the dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough for 1 or 2 minutes until smooth, adding a little bit more flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking.

Break off a piece of the dough and roll it back and forth into a rope, about the thickness of your index finger. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Gently roll each piece down a wooden gnocchi board while pressing a small dimple with your finger. The gnocchi should be slightly curved and marked with ridges. This will allow the pillows to hold sauce when served.

Boil the gnocchi in batches in plenty of salted water. The gnocchi are done about 2 minutes after they float to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon, and serve. If not cooking immediately, place the gnocchi in a single layer on a baking pan dusted with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Ingredients
24 leaves of sage
½ cup butter
sea salt and black pepper to taste
fresh grated parmesan cheese
Directions
In a sauce pan brown the butter then add the pasta to the pan. Sauté and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with sage and Parmesan cheese.

Roasted portobello mushroom with polenta
Ingredients
4 portobello mushrooms
¼ cup olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
Directions
Toss the mushrooms in the oil, salt and pepper and place in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Polenta
Ingredients
3 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup polenta
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup mascarpone or cream cheese
parmesan cheese to garnish
Directions
In a saucepot, on high heat add the water and cream and bring to a boil. Next add the polenta and whisk constantly until the granules become a bit creamy. Add salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Lower the heat and incorporate the butter and simmer for 30 minutes. Finish by adding the mascarpone and garnish with the cheese.

Pesto Genovese
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound dried or fresh farfalle pasta
Directions
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, salt, and pepper and process for a few seconds until the basil is chopped. Add the cheese, pine nuts, and garlic and, while the processor is running, add the oil in a thin, steady stream until a mostly smooth sauce is formed. Transfer pesto to a bowl and set aside. (Note: Pesto may be made 1 day in advance and kept, refrigerated, in an airtight container, until ready to use. If making in advance, be sure to cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent the pesto from darkening. Pesto may also be frozen in the same manner in small quantities for use at a later date.)

Zabaglione with berries
Ingredients
6 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
marsala or other wine
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
In a baine marie heat the eggs, wine and vanilla whisking constantly. Thicken the mixture and place in the refrigerator for an hour. Next whip the heavy cream unitl hard peaks form, Fold the two mixtures together and garnish with fresh berries.

One Pot Meals

Here are the recipes from my class "One Pot Meals"
I started with a variation of bread salad, then made a super easy New England Clam Bake. Beef Bourguignon
and much easier than Julia Childs' version and I will warrant just as good. Then my Mammas Cobbler it's really great! Enjoy!



La Vera Panzanella
8-10 servings

Ingredients:
8 slices of day old Tuscan bread diced
about a half cup of water as needed  with 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tsp dried oregano, salt and black pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 romaine heart chopped
½ cup baby arugula
½ head of radicchio optional
1 red onion sliced thin
2 lbs of ripe tomatoes chopped coarsely
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Place the bread in a large bowl and drizzle with cold water mixture until the bread has absorbed the water. (8-10 minutes). Drain the bread by squeezing it in the palm of your hand gently without mashing it, but keeping it slightly moist. Chop basil and the remaining greens and place in bowl with bread. Add the onions and tomatoes. Toss gently until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Toss gently. Season with salt and pepper and toss again. Can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours ahead of serving.

New England Clambake

Ingredients
4 ears of corn
1 lb smoked sausage
12 new potatoes cut in half
8 small onions cut in half
48 clams
1.5 lbs un-peeled shrimp
2 lemons cut into wedges

Directions
Arrange the corn, potatoes, and onions in a steamer basket over boiling water in a Dutch oven. Top with clams and shrimp. Cover and steam for 30 minutes. Serve with butter and lemon.

Beef Bourguignon
Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 oz bacon diced
2 lbs stewing beef cut into cubes
1 carrot cut on bias
4 shallots bias cut
15 pearl onions
4 garlic cloves minced
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
16 oz dry red wine
3 cups beef stock
1 Tablespoon tomato product
2 bay leaves
1 cup mushrooms quatered
1 Tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat oven to 350 F and a burner on medium heat. In a heavy skillet add olive oil and brown the bacon. Next season the beef and dredge with flour. Add the butter to skillet then beef and sauté until browned evenly. Add the carrots, mushrooms, shallots and onions and cook until tender. Add tomato, thyme and garlic and cook until aromatic.  Deglaze with wine then add the stock. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer on the stove. Next cover the skillet and cook for 2.5 to 3 hours until beef is tender.



Mammas Fruit Cobbler

Ingredients
¾ cup salted butter
1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
2 cups fruit
¾ cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
¾ cup whole milk

Directions
Heat oven to 350 F and melt half cup of the butter in an 8-inch casserole dish. In a sauce pan combine the remaining butter, sugar and cook until melted. Next add the fruit and coat with the sugar butter mixture. In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt and mix in the milk to form the batter. Pour the fruit in the casserole dish then drizzle the batter on top. Bake for an hour until crisp. Top with whipped cream to serve.

How to make the best Calamari

Its better to buy small rings of calamari its more tender. Marinate the calamari in whole milk for 24 hours. Then drain the calamari and dust in all purpose flour with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
Heat oil to 350 F. drop the calamari in the oil after you remove excess flour. Fry the calamari only until the water cooks off and the oil fries quietly, don't shake off the flour as it's frying. This should take about 6 seconds. Next pull the calamari out using a basket or strainer. And let it sit for about 3 seconds. Then drop the calamari in again this time shaking the calamari to separate it maybe once. Fry the calamari until it is barely golden and then remove from the oil and let it dry in the basket before placing into a paper towel to remove excess oil.
I really prefer just a little lemon squeezed on the calamari but marinara sauce is good also or tarter sauce. See below:
Marinara Sauce:
16 oz San Marzano canned tomatoes crushed with a whip then put back in juice.
1 onion diced
4 cloves of garlic chopped
3 Anchovies
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1 Tablespoon butter.
Salt and black pepper to taste
In a sauce pan heat the oil and saute the onion until translucent, then add the garlic and cook until golden or aromatic. Next add the anchovy and mash it with a spoon or tongs. Then add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the sugar if necessary to cut the acidity
Next add the herbs and season with salt and pepper. cook for about an hour then finish with some butter.

Tartar Sauce
1 cup mashed potato
1/4 cup  mayonaise
3 Tablespoons roasted garlic
1 Tablespoon chopped chives
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons minced red onion
In a mixer add the potatoes and mix using a whip attachment.
Next add the mayonnaise and remaining ingredients. Chill for at least an hour before serving.