Game meats

Eating an anti-aging diet of at least 60% alkaline producing food to 40% acid producing can sometimes be a daunting task.  It helps if you know how to cook.  For those of you who don’t, I recommend you buy my first book, volume one of the Cooking Skills for Life series,  As Good As It Gets.  If you can’t cook from scratch you will be dependent on prepared and processed foods, most of which are acid forming due to high fructose corn syrup, table salt, sugar and refined grains that are in most manufactured packaged foods. 

Since all animal protein and grains are acid producing, it makes it difficult for those of us who are used to eating meals based on them as the center of the plate ingredients, to satisfy our need to eat what we were served when growing up.  Well, we don’t have to give them up and become vegetarians.  We just need to eat fewer and smarter.  Most of us eat far too much protein anyway.  So, it just means instead of an 8 or 12 ounce potion of steak, cut it down to 4 or 5 ounces and load up on a variety of vegetables and alkaline sauces you can make to accompany it like salsa verde, tomato salsa fresca, sauces made from chilis, herbs and fruits like blueberries, figs, lemons and cherries.  There is another way as well, and that is to choose animal protein wisely.  Not all meat is equal.  One of the less acidic varieties is game meats. 

These animals are considered hunting animals, and forage or graze for their food.  Having lived in Maine for 25 years, I am familiar with the meat of the deer and moose, and have on occasion tried bison.  They are all leaner than the traditional meat cuts of beef, lamb and pork.  All three make an excellent chili when cooked in an acid like tomatoes and wine, paired with chili peppers and cooked using a long, slow stewing method.  Rabbit was one of my favorite dishes when growing up, and ever since culinary school I have had a love affair with duck, but I am unfamiliar with the likes of ostrich, elk, alligator, kangaroo and yak.  Although less acidic producing than beef or pork, game meats are still nonetheless on the acid producing side and therefore, like all of the other animal proteins, should be eaten in a portion size equal to the size of your fist, or smaller if you have a fist like mine, and should never equal more than 40% of the plate, even less if grains are included.  And as always, cook and pair the animal protein with as many alkaline forming ingredients as possible.  Here I use chilis, sour cherries, herbs and shitake mushrooms to boost the alkalinity and pair the venison with a plateful of garlic sautéed broccoli rabe and a side of great northern white beans and caramelized onion.

Eat smart, America!

 Chocolate, chili, cherry venison

Yield  :   4 servings          

Preparation Time :  45 minutes 

Cooking Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients

1 1 to 1- 1/2-pound venison loin, cut in two to four equal pieces for more even cooking and more exposed surface for marinating   

2 cups red wine

3 bay leaves

2 sprigs of thyme (remove some leaves for garnish)

1 ancho chili, seeds removed and crumbled

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 cups beef stock

1/4 cup dark chocolate (minimum cocoa of 70%)

Sea salt

Crushed black pepper

Garlic granules

Canola oil

16 ounces of shitakes, sliced

Sour cherries, crushed with seed removed

Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions

In a large stainless mixing bowl, combine the wine, bay leaves, thyme, garlic and ancho chili.  Add the meat , cover and marinate in refrigerator overnight.  Turn the pieces part way through.  Remove and pat dry.  Let the venison come to room temperature before cooking.  Do not discard the marinade.

In a sauce pan combine the marinade and beef stock.  Bring it to a boil and let it reduce by half then half again to the desired consistency of a sauce.  Remove the bay leaves, garlic and thyme.  Add the chocolate then puree to blend in the chili.  Stir in the cherries and set the sauce aside, keeping it warm. 

Pat each piece of loin with salt, pepper and garlic granules.  Coat the bottom of a sauté pan with canola oil.  When the oil ripples, add the venison pieces and brown on all sides.  The pan must be hot enough for the meat to sizzle when placed in the oil.  When all sides are caramelized, move the pan into the oven at 425 degrees and roast for 5 to 10 minutes uncovered.  The meat should be served rare on the inside.  Remove it when the temperature reaches 115 degrees and let it rest while the temperature reaches 120.  Cut it into thin slices, against the grain on a diagonal.    

For the mushrooms, add a small amount of canola oil to the same pan.  Cook quickly over high heat and serve.  The mushrooms will pick up all the little bit of caramelized venison from the bottom of the pan. 

Recommended Service:   Make a bed of garlic sautéed broccoli rabe.  Place the venison slices on top, cover with mushrooms and drizzle with chocolate, chili, cherry sauce.  Garnish with thyme leaves and lemon wedges.   Serve with a side of white beans and caramelized onions.  A glass of Zinfandel wine is an excellent accompaniment to the chocolate, chili, cherry venison. 

Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB

P.S.Both my first book AS GOOD AS IT GETS, COOKING SKILLS FOR LIFE, VOLUME 1 $ 4.99  and my current book EAT SMART, AMERICA, AN ANTI-AGING DIET PRIMER  $ 2.99 are 

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