I developed this recipe to be used with wild or farmed turkey, chicken, or any wild or cultivated upland game bird.  Just keep in mind that smaller birds will need less time in the brine, as well as less cooking time.

Brining really elevates this simple preparation and ensures that the meat will stay super juicy and flavourful. It’s a slight variation of my standard brine recipe that I use for Thanksgiving turkey and my killer version of Huli Huli chicken. Depending on what type of protein I’m cooking, I just adjust the spices I use in the brine, but keep the salt and sugar quantities consistent. It’s very customizable, so use what you like and what you have on hand, and feel free to experiment.  

Turkey legs can be a bit tough—especially wild turkey—so I smoke these at a lower temperature and for longer than I would need to for chicken. By cooking them this way, you end up with really juicy, tender meat and a dark golden smokey exterior.

As with most smoked food, the flavours will mellow and will be even better the next day. Leftovers are a perfect addition to a picnic lunch or in smoked turkey soup with kale and black eyed peas.

Brine Ingredients:

• 1/2 (2L) gallon water
• 1/2 (2L) ice
• 1 cup kosher salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 6 whole cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 medium onion chopped 
• 3 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves
• 8 leaves of fresh sage
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice

Method:

Start by making the brine the night before you plan to cook your turkey. Boil 1/2 gallon (2L) of water in a large pot. Once the water has come to a boil, turn the heat to low and add in the rest of the brine ingredients. Stir well to dissolve the salt and sugar. Once dissolved, turn off the heat and set aside to infuse. After at least ten minutes, add the ice to chill your brine. Transfer the brine to a large food-safe container with a lid, then add your turkey legs to the brine and leave in the fridge overnight.  

In the morning, pull the turkey legs out of the brine and give them a quick rinse in water to remove any excess brine, as well as the aromatics that are likely stuck to your turkey. Pat dry with a paper towel, put on a baking rack, and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to smoke your turkey legs.   

Pull the turkey out of the refrigerator about an hour before you are ready to cook. This will allow them to come up to room temperature. During this time, warm up your smoker or grill so that it’s ready when the turkey is. Keep the temperature at 180F for 2 hours and then turn up the heat to 225F for another 2-3 hours. You may need more or less time based on your setup, but you are looking for deliciously dark brown skin and an internal temperature that reads at least 165F. My turkey legs took about 5 hours to slowly smoke, but if yours aren’t quite ready, just leave them on a bit longer. If you are impatient, you can always pop them in your oven at 250F to bump them into the fully cooked zone.  

Let the legs rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. They are delicious eaten as is, or used to flavour soups or a pot of beans.  

The post Thanksgiving Smoked Turkey Legs – Tiffany Bader appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

Gremolata is typically made with parsley, lemon and garlic, and added to osso buco and other braised meat dishes. I love to tweak the ingredients in my gremolata to brighten and balance dishes that are rich like stews.  

Instead of parsley, I’ve used fresh dandelion greens in this recipe. Dandelions are native to Eurasia, but were brought to North America, Australia, New Zealand, South America and India (basically wherever Europeans migrated). It’s amazing to think that this prolific weed was originally planted in European gardens to be used as a salad green.

I think people underestimate and overlook dandelions, as they are super healthy and can be used in a variety of ways. If the greens are picked before the plant flowers, they are an amazing salad or cooked green. The flowers can be used to make infused vinegars, wine, beer, tea, balms, salves etc. The roots can be used for teas and medicines. Dandelions are full of vitamin C, beta carotene and other trace nutrients. The greens are collected in spring and used as a classic liver tonic, mild diuretic, blood toner and help to ease eczema and joint pain.  

I’ve substituted the usual parsley for dandelions here to utilise this often overlooked weed. Hopefully the next time you see them growing beside your vegetables, you’ll throw them in your salad bowl instead of your compost.

Ingredients

• 1 cup loosely packed dandelion greens – washed and dried well. Will end up about 1/2 cup once finely chopped
• lemon zest from one lemon
• 1 clove garlic – skin removed
• squeeze of lemon juice
• salt to taste

Method

Finely chop the dandelion greens and set aside in a bowl. Wash the lemon and zest and finely mince or zest the peeled garlic clove. It’s not traditional, but I like to add a squeeze of the lemon for a bit more acidity and fresh lemon flavour. Add a pinch of salt and give the ingredients a good mix. 

When your braised/stewed dish is cooked and ready to eat, top with a couple spoonfuls of gremolata to finish. This won’t last long, so use up within a day.

The post Brighten Your Braised Dishes: Dandelion Gremolata Recipe by Tiffany Bader appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

A couple of things about this recipe: one, it’s inspired by Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon. If you aren’t familiar with her, Julia Child was a genius; a proponent of eating and living well, and an inspiration for chefs and home cooks alike. If you’ve watched the movie “Julie and Julia”, forget everything you saw and read her books, or watch an episode of “The French Chef” instead. Second point: I’ve tweaked her original recipe in a few ways, adding or substituting a few ingredients to make it my own, which I imagine, would make Julia proud.

The biggest change in my recipe below is the substitution of lean stewing beef for black bear neck meat.  If you do not have black bear meat in your freezer or fridge, you can substitute neck meat from another large game animal or beef, but please try to source neck meat. Neck meat tends to be a tough cut, full of a connective tissue called collagen. It’s the perfect cut to use for slow braises and stews, as the collagen breaks down over the long, slow cooking period. As the collagen breaks down, it dissolves and surrounds the muscle fibres in gelatine, creating a succulent mouthfeel. This cut is  popular in many asian cuisines, so if you don’t have game meat and can’t find it at your local butcher, check out a Chinese, Thai or Vietnamese grocery store as they will likely have it.

Another ingredient that I use here is black garlic, which can be easily made, or purchased from specialty food stores. It’s time intensive to make yourself, so ensure you have some on hand before proceeding or substitute caramelized garlic or even just regular garlic instead. The flavour will be different and won’t have the intense roasted caramelized richness from the black garlic but it will still be delicious.

Lastly, I add morels because they pop up in the woods roughly the same time of the year as the bears, and pair very nicely with the rich deep flavours in this stew. You can use fresh or dried morels and can substitute other wild mushrooms or cultivated ones if you prefer. The deep earthy richness of the morels is best, so use them if you are lucky enough to have them.

Because this is a very rich stew, I like to serve it with gremolata to brighten it up and to add balance to the dish. It’s not essential, but is a very nice addition.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter/olive oil/bear fat – whatever type of fat you like to use
• 3 lbs bear neck meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks 
• 1 large leek, cleaned and sliced down the middle lengthwise and then cut into 1inch pieces
• 12 cloves of black garlic, or caramelized garlic. Use only two minced cloves if using fresh garlic
• 1 cup of fresh or dried morel mushrooms, or other wild dried mushrooms
• 3 large potatoes – medium waxy like a Yukon Gold or Kennebec  – cut into large chunks
• 2 tbsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp freshly cracked pepper
• 1 tsp spanish paprika (optional)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 cups of red wine – something that you would drink, not cooking wine
• 2-3 cups of water, vegetable stock or beef stock
• 1 cup peas – can use fresh or frozen if fresh are not available
• couple of sprigs of fresh thyme
• two bay leaves

Method

Start by cutting your meat into cubes and seasoning with the salt and pepper. Heat up a dutch oven and add 1/4 of your fat of choice into the pan. When the fat is shimmering, add 1/4 of the meat to the pot and leave it alone. If you move it around too much to start, the meat won’t be able to brown properly. Once it’s browned, turn the pieces over and continue until the meat is caramelized all around. You don’t need to worry about cooking the meat all the way through at this point, just browning it. Keep an eye on the heat level as you don’t want to burn your meat, but need it to be hot to ensure proper browning. Remove the meat once browned and set aside on a large plate or bowl. Add more oil and another batch of meat and continue working in batches until the meat is all browned.

Once the meat is all browned, turn down the heat to medium, add a bit more oil if needed and add the leeks, carrots, thyme, bay leaves and, if using fresh garlic, add it at this time. If you are using whole black or caramelized garlic cloves, you will add them at a later step. Once the vegetables are cooked through ( 4-5 minutes) add the flour and paprika (if using), and stir well to cook through for an additional two minutes. Add the wine and stir to release all the browned bits and mix the flour-covered vegetables around. Reduce the wine for a minute and then add the black/caramelized garlic (if using), the dried or fresh morels, the chopped potatoes and the seared meat. Add the additional liquid (water or stock) until almost covering the meat and vegetables. Give everything a stir to combine, then put the lid on your dutch oven. Place it in the oven at 300*F for about two and a half to four hours, depending on your oven and meat. Pull out the dutch oven and taste a bit of meat at two hours to check if it’s tender. If not, pop it back in the oven until it is.  

When your meat is tender, remove it from the oven and taste for final seasoning. Add the peas and stir to combine, then place the lid back on for a couple minutes. Serve in large bowls with a generous sprinkling of the gremolata on top.   

The stew is even better the next day and freezes well if you want to portion out for later meals.

The post Elevate Your Stew: Black Bear Bourguignon with Morels and Gremolata appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

By Tiffany Bader:

As with my previous recipe for homemade ricotta cheese, you should use good quality, non-UHT milk for this. Many organic milks in Canada don’t work well for yogurt or cheese, and I suspect it’s due to the extra pasteurization processes that the milk is subject to. Additionally, low fat or skim milk isn’t ideal for this either. Typically commercially made low fat yogurts require thickening agents or gelatine to ensure that it’s set properly. They usually don’t taste nearly as good as a full fat yogurt, so producers will add loads of artificial flavourings and sugar to make up for it. By using a high fat milk (raw milk is best), you can ensure that it will set well and be very creamy, thick and delicious.  

This yogurt doesn’t use any fillers, stabilizers or other added junk; it’s just milk and plain (non flavoured) live bacteria yogurt. You can use a commercially made yogurt as your starter for this recipe, just make sure that it says “live bacteria culture” in the ingredient list.  

Also, don’t use flavoured, low fat or non-dairy yogurt for your starter. The live bacteria cultures in the yogurt are added to the heated milk, which then slowly turn your milk into yogurt.  Moving ahead with new batches, just make sure to reserve a bit of your yogurt to use as the starter for next time.  

Equipment

• Large non-reactive pot (dutch ovens work very well and help retain their heat)
• Thermometer (helpful, but not absolutely necessary)

Ingredients

• 2L whole milk (3.25% milk fat is ideal)
• 125ml live bacteria yogurt (about 1/2 cup)

Method

Heat your milk in a clean nonreactive pot over medium heat until the milk reaches 195*F. When the milk starts to froth and get a lot of tiny bubbles you are ready. Set the milk aside and allow it to cool until it reaches 110*F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the correct temperature this way: if the milk has cooled enough so that you can just hold your (clean) finger in the hot milk for 10 seconds, it is ready for the next step.  

Measure out your plain live bacteria yogurt in a bowl and add a few spoonfuls of the heated milk. Stir to combine and thin out the yogurt-milk mix, then pour it all back into the warm milk and stir well to mix completely.  

If you have a dedicated yogurt maker, proofer, rice cooker or instant pot, feel free to follow the manufacturer directions for culturing yogurt and use those items, however, you do not need any of these devices to make yogurt. You can just wrap the pot of cultured warm milk in towels and it put into your oven overnight with the oven light left on. You do not need to leave the oven turned on as the milk will stay warm with the lid on and with the towel wrapped around it for insulation. If your kitchen is cold, you can turn the oven on to its lowest setting and let it warm up for 10 minutes. Make sure you turn the oven off before you put your pot into the oven and do not turn it back on while the yogurt is culturing!  

If you have the ability to control the temperature exactly through a yogurt maker etc., please keep it at 104-108 degrees. Don’t stress if it’s a bit cooler, it will just take a bit longer to set.

Leave it alone for a minimum of 5 hours (I always leave it overnight when culturing in my oven). After that time, check to make sure it’s set. A longer time will make the yogurt taste more tangy. Put it into the refrigerator for at least three hours to chill. It will be ready to eat at this time.

When you are getting to the end of your supply of yogurt, make sure to save some to use in the next batch.
Enjoy!

The post How to Make Your Own Yogurt – Tiffany Bader appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

By Tiffany Bader:

Falafel are a deep fried patty primarily made with fava beans or chickpeas. They are addictively crispy on the outside with a fluffy and moist interior. Many falafel recipes call for parsley or cilantro to be added to the mix, but I like to substitute whichever foraged greens are in season. Parsley and cilantro or mint will all work very well, but chickweed is growing like gangbusters right now, so I’m using it here to add a great flavour, colour and loads of vitamins to an already super healthy food.

A Note About the Ingredients

Common chickweed is a sprawling plant that prefers cool damp weather. Look for areas of disturbance to find it growing. It has small white flowers, with 5 petals that look like hearts. The petals will almost look like 10 petals because of their deep notching. The leaves are small, green and oval shaped, coming to a pointed tip. When you pull the stem apart, you will find a stretchy inner string.

Another common edible variety is mouse ear chickweed, which looks very similar to the common chickweed variety. Mouse ear chickweed leaves and stems are covered all over with fuzzy hairs, with its leaves resembling mouse ears. This variety is delicious and edible, but most people prepare it cooked due to the unpleasant fuzziness if eaten raw.

You cannot use canned chickpeas for this recipe. Dry chickpeas soaked overnight will ensure that you have a light and fluffy interior of your falafel. Everyone’s chickpeas will be different, which is why I give a quantity of soaked chickpeas for the recipe. Generally speaking though, aim for 1 cup of dried chickpeas to end up being about 3 cups of soaked chickpeas.  

I use chickpea flour (aka gram flour or besan), but you can substitute all purpose flour if that’s all you have on hand. It’s important to include the flour (chickpea or all purpose wheat flour) because the chickweed can add a considerable amount of liquid to the mix. The addition of the flour helps ensure that the falafel mix doesn’t break apart when frying.

Before blending the ingredients, make sure to give the larger items (onions, serrano pepper and chickweed) a rough chop to ensure that everything blends together evenly.

I use a blend of canola and non-virgin olive oil for its combination of flavour and higher smoking point, but you can use whatever oil you like, just make sure it has a high smoke point. 

Equipment Needed

• Food processor or blender (food processor is preferred)

• Fryer, dutch oven or deep cast iron frying pan 

Ingredients

• 3 cup soaked chickpeas (start with 1 cup dried)

• 1/2 cup onion

• 2 cup chickweed (common or mouse ear) well packed into the measuring cup.

• 1 serrano pepper (can use jalapeño or cayenne pepper)

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2 tsp cumin ground

• 1 tsp coriander ground

• 2 tsp salt

• 4 tbsp chickpea or gram flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

Method

Roughly chop the onions, serrano pepper and chickweed. Put all of the ingredients into the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles very coarse sand. You want some texture to the mix, but not pieces so large that the chickpeas won’t cook completely or so coarse in texture that the mixture will break apart when frying.  Take a spatula to stir the mix to make sure that it is mixed thoroughly.  If you have a small food processor, you can blend the mix in smaller batches and then combine together in a bowl.

After the ingredients are well chopped in a food processor, set aside the mix to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes–up to an hour or two is great. This will help the mix hold together when you are frying it.  

Pull your falafel mixture out of the refrigerator and shape it into balls or flat patties. If the mixture feels too wet to come together, you can add another teaspoon of chickpea flour. It won’t be like bread dough, so only add a little bit at a time.  

I always fry falafel because it ends up crispier and more evenly cooked, but you can shallow fry or even bake them. Heat the oil to 350*F and fry a few at a time until golden brown all over. Don’t overcrowd your fryer or pan as it will drop the temperature of the oil and lead to greasy falafel.  They will take about two minutes to cook, depending on how large or small you’ve made them. Once they are done, remove them from the oil and set aside on a cooling rack or on paper towels so the oil can drain off.  

You can eat the falafel once cooked with no accompaniments, but they are even better dipped into toum, or other middle eastern dips or sauces. They are also great tucked into a pita with veggies and middle eastern pickles and sauce of your choice.

Enjoy!

The post Wild Greens Falafel: A Fresh Twist on a Classic Recipe appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a beautiful sprawling herb that can be found in yards, pastures and forests around the world. Commonly deemed a weed, most gardeners aren’t aware of its nutritional value and refreshing taste. It’s a welcome addition to soups, salads, green drinks, pastas, sandwiches and more. It gets its name because it’s most often used as chicken food.

There are many chickweed lookalikes, however, two very distinguishing features set it apart. When in bloom, chickweed flowers have five delicate heart-like petals, each with a deep slit down the middle. Chickweed also has a single line of fine hair running up each stem. All parts of the plant are edible, but it’s best to avoid copious amounts if pregnant.

Here are some fantastic recipes by Tiffany Bader. All of these sauces are amazing with grilled meats or fish.  

Chickichurri 

• 1/2 cup finely chopped chickweed. You can substitute this for other herbs or foraged greens like sheep’s or wood sorrel, plantain, bittercress, dandelion greens, blanched stinging nettles, lambs lettuce, ramps, etc.  
• 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 1 small jalapeño or serrano chili – depending on your appetite for spice, you can add more or remove the seeds from the centre of the chilli to make it less spicy
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2  large shallot finely chopped, if the shallot is very small, use a whole one
  
  Chop up the herbs by hand – don’t use your blender as you want the sauce to be chunky and not a smooth paste. Mix all ingredients and benefits by allowing the sauce to sit for 10 minutes before eating.

ChickZhoug

• 2 cups of fresh chickweed. You can substitute this for other herbs or foraged greens like sheep’s or wood sorrel, plantain, bittercress, dandelion greens, blanched stinging nettles, lambs lettuce, ramps, etc.
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 whole jalapeños
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup olive oil
  
  This sauce can be made in the food processor or blender and should be like a less chunky and thinner pesto sauce. Blend the garlic first, then add all of the ingredients and blend until no large chunks remain. Stop a couple of times to scrape down the sides of your blender to ensure that everything is chopped well.

Kenyan inspired coconut and chickweed chutney (Naryal ni)

• 1/2 cup of fresh chickweed. You can substitute this for other herbs or foraged greens like sheep’s or wood sorrel, plantain, bittercress, dandelion greens, blanched stinging nettles, lambs lettuce, ramps, etc.
• 1 whole jalapeño
• 1 cup desiccated coconut – unsweetened
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• Water – start with 1/4 cup and add more if needed

Put the garlic in a blender or food processor and process until well chopped. Add the jalapeño and process again until well chopped. Add the herbs, lime juice and sea salt and process well. Add the coconut last and process a bit further until well chopped but not completely smooth. You want the chutney to be chunky. If the sauce is too thick, add water to help it combine. Season to taste and add more salt and lime juice if needed. The sauce absorbs liquid as it sits, so you may need to add more water later. Traditional recipes call for lemon juice, much more coconut and less herbs but i prefer it a bit chunkier with a the fresh brightness that lime juice brings. 

The post Three Delicious Chickweed Recipes You Can Make Today – Tiffany Bader appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

By Tiffany Bader:

Ricotta is commercially made from the leftover whey in the cheese making process and literally translates to “recooked.” The process I am describing here is different, but will give very similar results and can be made in a home kitchen very easily. This recipe was developed to take the mystery and fear out of cheese making, it’s really as simple as heating up milk and adding an acid once the milk comes to temperature.  After that you just scoop out the curds and drain away the excess whey until you get to the texture you like. There are just a few tips and tricks to remember to help ensure success.

Most importantly, you will need to use milk that is fresh and not UHT (ultra heat treated), as it will not curdle properly. In Canada where I live, I find that many brands of organic milk don’t work well, so I just use regular (non-organic) milk and it works very well. If you are lucky enough to live somewhere where you have access to raw milk, please use that as it will give you an incredibly flavored cheese. If you have concerns about raw milk, just use pasteurized commercially sold milk instead.

Many recipes call for lemon juice for the acid in ricotta, but I much prefer using white vinegar. Vinegar provides a consistent acid level which will give you more predictable results. Some lemons are more sour than others and tend to give inconsistent results. I often find that I have to add more lemon juice when I use it, so now I just use vinegar and never have issues.

I also find that that by heating the milk slowly at medium heat works better than if I heat it up more quickly on high heat. I don’t know the science behind why this occurs, or if it’s just some strange juju that happens in my kitchen, but it just seems to work better for me so I encourage you to follow suit.

You will need some basic equipment to make the ricotta, but most items should be in your kitchen or can be easily obtained. You will need a large non-reactive pot to warm the milk (ie. not aluminum), ladle, spatula, strainer, large bowl, thermometer and cheese cloth.

Ingredients

• 4 liters whole milk 

• 1 liter full fat whipping cream (un-whipped)

• 1 tablespoon sea salt 

• 6 tablespoons white vinegar

Method

Pour the whole milk, whipping cream and salt into a large metal pot. Turn the heat on medium and keep an eye on it, stirring occasionally to ensure that the milk doesn’t scorch or stick on the bottom of the pot or boil over.

Heat the milk until it gets to 185 degrees Fahrenheit and then turn the heat down to low. Add the vinegar and stir very slowly and gently with the spatula for another minute. You should start to see the curds begin to form a bit and the whey will begin to separate. The whey looks like watery milk with a yellow tinge to it. After a minute of gentle stirring, remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid and set aside for 30 minutes.  

After 30 minutes, you will need to remove the curds from the whey. Set up a large bowl or pot with a strainer on top lined with three single layers of cheese cloth. To prevent breaking up the curds too much and ruining the texture of the cheese, gently scoop out the curds with a ladle and place in the strainer.  When you’ve removed most of the curds, slowly pour the leftover curds and whey through the strainer.  Allow the cheese to drain for at least an hour to two hours. If your strainer has smaller holes or if you’ve put more layers of cheese cloth this may take a bit longer. 

If you are planning to use the ricotta for the Tortelloni with Ricotta and Nettles recipe on Anchored Outdoors, you want the ricotta to be about the same texture as commercial ricotta. This recipe will make more than you need for the stuffing. The extra cheese is fantastic topped on crostini with sea salt and good olive oil drizzled on top.  

The post Make Your Own Ricotta Cheese – Tiffany Bader appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

By Tiffany Bader:

The process of kneading dough with your hands, rolling it out and then shaping it, can be incredibly relaxing and therapeutic. A word of warning though, please don’t attempt to throw this together on a Tuesday night when you have toddlers running around underfoot or a soccer practice to a rush off to. It likely won’t be relaxing or enjoyable and you may never attempt this recipe again, which would be a real shame. Take my word for it, find a lazy Sunday, turn on some music, pour yourself a mug of hot tea or a glass of wine, roll up your sleeves and immerse yourself in the process. If you do it right, it’s meal prep and meditation all rolled into one.  

Once you get this recipe under your belt, feel free to substitute any other greens you like for the nettles.  Just use whatever is in season or what you like to eat and make the pasta your own. 

I use all-purpose flour, plus some semolina in this recipe but you can omit the semolina if you don’t have it. The semolina gives a bit more texture to the pasta, which I love, but dough made with entirely all-purpose flour works very well, so do that if you prefer. If you can get your hands on Italian 00 flour, you can substitute that for the all-purpose flour. 00 flour is milled more finely than all-purpose and has a higher protein content. Protein means better gluten formation, which leads to better, chewier pasta. Just be aware that 00 flour will likely be “thirstier” than all purpose flour, so start with 1/2 cup less and add more if needed when mixing. Keep in mind that everyone’s flour is going to be different. Flour will vary by brand, the humidity in your kitchen and even throughout the seasons. So trust yourself and use your judgement when making the dough—you may need more or less flour than I’ve suggested here. Once you’ve mixed the dough, but before you’ve started kneading, you want your dough to be a cohesive mass that is still slightly sticky. Once you start to knead, toss additional flour on your table as you go if needed if it keeps sticking to your hands or the table. After about 10 minutes of kneading by hand, the pasta dough should be supple and elastic and bouncy to the touch. It shouldn’t be wet or sticky anymore when you are handling it.  

The only source of moisture in the dough is eggs, and a lot of them at that. It leads to a deeply yellow dough that is very high in protein. By adding additional fat or non-protein rich liquid like water, you just end up shortening gluten strands and reducing the stretchy/elastic capability of the dough. An elastic and thin dough will be perfect to hold together the delicate and soft filling.

Pasta Dough Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose (AP) flour

• 1/4 cup semolina flour (you can just increase the AP flour to 2 1/2 if you don’t have semolina)

• 3 whole large eggs

• 4 egg yolks from large eggs

• 2 teaspoons sea salt

• Additional AP flour for kneading and rolling if needed.

• Tortelloni Filling Ingredients:

• 400g ricotta

• 115g chopped blanched nettles, drained of liquid

• 115g finely grated fresh parmesan

• 1 large egg

• Generous pinch fresh ground black pepper.

• Couple of grates of fresh nutmeg (optional).

Method

Measure all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine. Pour the mixed dry ingredients directly onto a clean counter top and make a well or hole in the middle of the pile. Crack and separate the four yolks into a bowl and reserve the whites for another use. Crack the remaining three whole eggs into the same bowl and mix well with a fork or whisk. 

Pour the eggs into the well (hole in the center of your flour) and with a fork slowly combine the eggs into the flour. You should do this slowly, incorporating a little bit of flour at a time, in case you don’t need to use all of the flour. You will get to a point where the fork just isn’t going to combine the flour and eggs together well anymore and at that point use your hands to continue mixing the dough.  

Once you have a semi-cohesive mass you can start kneading. Add additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to your counter too much. Go easy though, as you can always add more flour to the dough as you knead, adding liquid to an overly dry dough is much more difficult. If you have added too much flour and the dough is crumbly, spritz a bit of water on the outside to moisten it. Knead the dough by hand for about ten minutes or until the dough looks uniform and is bouncy when you press your finger into it.  

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour to let the gluten relax before rolling through in the pasta machine. If you are in a rush, you can roll it out immediately, but it’s much easier to roll the dough if you have let it rest for a bit, and the texture will be better as well. You can leave the pasta for longer until you roll it, up to a few days. 

Nettles

When picking and handling fresh nettles, it’s best to use gloves to protect yourself from the stingers.  Trim the nettles of any leaves that aren’t tender and fresh. It’s best to use the top two sets of leaves on the plant to help ensure that the nettles won’t be stringy or tough. Wash the nettles in lots of fresh cold water to remove any sand or bugs. Set a large pot of heavily salted water on to boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, toss the nettles into the water to cook. After they have cooked for two minutes, strain the nettles and immediately plunge them into a large bowl of ice water. The ice water will set the bright green color of the nettles and stop the cooking process. Once the nettles are cold, remove them from the ice bath. You can safely handle them with your bare hands without worry of being stung now that they are cooked. Drain the nettles and press out all excess water. Chop well and set aside.

Filling

Put the ricotta, chopped nettles and grated parmesan in a bowl. Crack the egg into a small bowl, and mix well with a fork. Add the egg to the other filling ingredients and mix to combine. Add a generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper and a few grates of fresh nutmeg if you desire. Give the filling a really thorough mix to make sure that everything is well combined. Set the bowl aside until you are ready to fill your tortelloni. Learn how to make your own ricotta here!

Rolling & Shaping the Dough

After your dough has had a chance to rest, set up your pasta machine. Alternatively, you can roll out your dough by hand with a rolling pin or a wine bottle if that’s all you have on hand.  

Toss a bit of flour on the dough and roll it through on the largest setting (number 1) on the flat pasta rollers. Fold the dough in thirds once it has rolled through once and press together. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll through again on setting 1. Repeat the folding process, turn 90 degrees and roll through one last time on 1 setting. You only need to do the folding in thirds routine when you first begin on the number 1 setting. Toss more flour on the dough as needed to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the rollers or your hands too much. You don’t want your pasta sticking together after you’ve rolled it out so you can be generous with the flour here. If you find that you have used too much flour, you can simply shake or brush off the excess. 

Turn the setting down to 2 and roll the pasta sheet through again. Dust with flour if needed and continue rolling the sheet down each setting until you get to number 6. If the sheet of pasta gets too long and unwieldy, just cut it into smaller, more manageable pieces. Toss flour on the additional pieces and set aside. Once you get to number 6 if you can hold up the dough and see your hand through it, you’ve gone far enough. If the dough is easy to handle and it’s still a bit too thick, roll it again on the 7 setting.  Thinner will give you a more delicate end product, but it will be a bit more difficult to work with. Go to whatever thickness you are comfortable working with. 

Lay the sheet(s) of pasta on your work surface and begin cutting into circles with a round cookie cutter that is at about 3 inches diameter. 

Once your circles are all cut you can take the leftover dough and re-roll out into a sheet again and cut more circles.  As you are cutting the pasta into individual circles, make sure that you are covering the dough with a towel so that it doesn’t get dried out. 

Take a small spoonful of the filling mixture and place into the center of the dough. This will take a bit of trial and error to figure out the sweet spot for the quantity of filling. You want to fit as much as possible in the pasta, while still able to close and seal it, without the filling oozing out of the seam. Set up a small dish of water beside you, and before you begin the seal the tortelloni, dip your fingertips in the water and gently apply a small amount of water around the outside rim of the pasta. You are doing this so that when you fold your pasta in half to seal it the wet areas of the pasta will stick together and seal. Gently fold the pasta over the filling to make sure you aren’t trapping any air pockets inside. Then take each end of the folded circle and press together in the middle to make the tortelloni.   

Toss a thin layer of semolina or flour on a sheet pan and place the finished tortelloni on the pan. The flour will prevent the pasta from sticking to the sheet pan. Place a tea towel on top so they don’t get dried out as you work.  

When you are finished shaping the pasta and ready to cook, put a large pot of heavily salted water on to boil. Once boiling, gently add the pasta and cook only for a couple of minutes maximum. Turn down the temperature so that you don’t agitate the pasta too much and break them as they cook. Fresh pasta cooks very quickly, so taste to make sure you cook it to your liking. Gently strain the tortelloni and serve simply with melted butter and grated Parmesan and fresh herbs. If you prefer, you can use olive oil or another light sauce but keep it simple so you don’t mask the delicate flavors of your pasta.

The post Stinging Nettle and Ricotta Tortelloni – Tiffany Bader appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

By Tiffany Bader:

Kofta/kofte/kafta/kufta—however it’s spelled, they are really just a meatball or kebab with Middle Eastern flavors. They are made and adapted in many different regions; some grilled, some baked in the oven in a tomato or curry sauce. They contain spices, fresh herbs, onions, garlic and ginger, and are combined in a multitude of ways, depending on the person preparing it. Some people add bread crumbs or bulgur wheat, but I like to keep it simple; focusing on using quality meat, a few spices, herbs and onions to ensure that the flavor of the meat is not overtaken. Traditionally, a combination of beef and lamb is used; however, I find that it works very well with game meat.

When shaping the kofta, it’s important to mix the meat and other ingredients well, which will ensure that the kofta don’t break apart when grilling. You are not making delicate meatballs, you want it mixed together to the point that the meat becomes sticky. Once the meat is mixed and formed into whatever shape you prefer, it’s beneficial to let the mixture sit for a few hours, or overnight if you can, to let the flavors marry and it will make the kofta less delicate when grilling. 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground moose—you can use whatever ground meat you like or have on hand, but these kofta are excellent made with game.

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated

• 1 small red onion, finely minced

• 1 cup lightly packed flat leaf parsley, minced

• 1 tablespoon ground coriander

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon sumac—if you can’t find sumac, feel free to omit or just add the same amount of lemon zest.

• 2 tablespoons Urfa pepper—if you can’t find Urfa pepper, you can substitute cayenne, Aleppo or ancho but keep in mind these other chilies are spicier than the Urfa.

• Sea salt

Method

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix together well with your hands for a few minutes.  Once the meat has become sticky and almost bouncy to the touch you are done. Shape the meat onto flat metal skewers if you have them, or into whatever shape works best for you. As the meat is quite sticky, forming the meat is much easier with wet hands. The kofta will benefit by resting in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight if possible so the flavors can marry and the meat will be easier to cook.

Heat a grill until very hot and cook the kofta until fully cooked through. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes and top with additional ground sumac or lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. You can eat the kofta in a naan wrap, topped with garlic sauce (toum), chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, flat leaf parsley and cucumbers.

Stay tuned for an upcoming episode with Travis and Tiffany Bader from SilverCore Training! 

The post Wild Game Kofta: A Middle Eastern Classic with a Twist appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.

By Tiffany Bader:

This naan bread is quick and simple to prepare, but more importantly, is far superior to anything you will buy in the store. The finished product is light and fluffy and fantastic used as a wrap or just slathered in melted ghee and eaten straight.

Bittercress is a weed I have been fighting in my garden for years and years before I caught my toddler son munching on handfuls of it straight out of the dirt. He said it was great, and after some research, I realized it was edible and delicious and have been giving it the freedom to grow ever since. It’s part of the mustard family, so its delicate leaves are fresh and spicy, have lots of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and beta carotene. It grows everywhere, on all continents except Antarctica, and is one of the only green things I can still find in my garden throughout most of the winter. Visually, it looks much like other cresses, but grows in a dense basal rosette that can have many stems and eventually develops petite white flowers.   

For eating bittercress, I usually treat it like I would cultivated or wild watercress, and add it to salads, sauces like pesto or chimichurri or cooked in soup. My favorite use for it so far though, is to mix it in naan bread dough, to give it a bright, peppery kick.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 teaspoon white sugar

• 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon nigella seeds (optional)

• 2 tablespoons bittercress, finely minced—you can substitute chickweed, nettles, fresh mint, cilantro or parsley.

• 3 tablespoons plain full-fat yogurt

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup warm tap water 

Method

Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, stir together all of the wet ingredients and the minced bittercress. Add only 1/2 cup of water to start. The water should be about room temperature. If you place a finger in the water, you should not feel any temperature change—it shouldn’t feel hot or cold to the touch.  

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. This is a very wet dough, if it’s too dry and shaggy, add the additional 1/2 cup of water. Once it has come together as a solid mass, continue to knead the dough on a flour-dusted countertop.  

This dough is not meant to be kneaded as long as other bread doughs. You should knead it until the dough is soft and supple and all ingredients are incorporated. This should only take a couple of minutes.  

Place the dough back into your mixing bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap and a towel and place in a warm area to rise for about 90 minutes to 2 hours. Once the dough has doubled in bulk, you are ready to shape and cook your naan.

Liberally dust your work surface with flour. Scrape the dough from the bowl and shape into six even sized rounds.  

Heat a grill, or cast iron pan and cook naan one at a time. It should puff up a bit and start to brown. After about 90 seconds, flip it over and cook another 2 minutes or so. Your cooking surface will be particular to you, so use your judgement. If it’s cooking too quickly or slowly, adjust the heat accordingly.  

As each naan cooks, wrap them in a tea towel so they stay warm and soft. Be sure to check out Tiffany’s other delicious recipes for wild game kofta and garlic sauce! They pair perfectly with this delicious naan!

The post Wild Naan with Garden-Fresh Bittercress appeared first on Anchored Outdoors.