Rouladen With a Twist

Growing up I was spoiled by a mom who prepared what I later recognized to be gourmet meals on a shoestring.  One of my favorites was German Rouladen.  They were always served with a wonderful gravy, rice and red cabbage.
What made this meal less expensive was using a less tender (cheaper) cut of beef.  It seems to me that there is no such thing anymore.  There's still less tender beef and yes, I guess it is cheaper, but it certainly isn't cheap!  My family has been spoiled with the same meal using venison steaks cut from the front leg.  It's a method I highly recommend.
Sometimes, however, I run out of those venison steaks.  Sometimes I have venison scraps left over after butchering.  Yesterday I had squirrels.  My sweetie had already cut them apart before he knew I wanted to stuff them like Rouladen, so I used the back legs and employed the same method I use with venison scraps/chunks.
There's really no limit to what kind of meat you can use, but I'm inclined to use a red meat. Because of the tenderizing cooking method, this even works with "more mature" squirrels whose meat is no longer as tender.
There are two benefits to this method: 1) more meat variety and 2) less work.  Also, this can be done in the crockpot, as I did this last time or on the stove.
This is not a company meal unless you have company who is okay with picking the bones out of their meal as they go.
I will give amounts according to what I prepared, but these are easily altered to suit what you happen to have.

Squirrel Rouladen
8 back legs of squirrels
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 slices bacon, cut in half
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3-4 dill pickles, quartered lengthwise
3-4 carrots, cut into 3" long pieces and quartered lengthwise
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons brown or Dijon-style mustard
1 1/2 cups beef broth
salt and pepper

Preparation for Cooking in a Crockpot
Heat the olive oil in a skillet large enough to hold the squirrel legs.  While you are waiting, wipe the squirrel legs dry (we usually store them in a bowl of ice water).  Salt and pepper them.  When the oil in the skillet is heated sufficiently, quickly brown the meat on both sides.
In the bottom of the crockpot layer half the bacon.  Add the meat.  Layer the meat with half the onion slices, the pickles and carrots, the rest of the onion slices and then the rest of the bacon on top.
Mix the tomato paste and mustard and gradually pour in the broth, stirring to incorporate smoothly.  It may not be necessary to be that methodical, but it makes me feel better.  :-)
At this point you can either store it in the fridge so it will be ready to go the next morning before you go to work or you can plug it in right then if you're preparing it for the same day.  When it's been in the refrigerator all night I like to start it on high for about 1 hour and then switch it to low for about 6-7 hours.  If you need to leave it longer than that, start it on low.
When it has cooked you are ready to serve it as is or you have the option to make a gravy.  Gravy is a must for our family, so the only option is how to make the gravy.  You can either pour the juices into a pan on the stove, stirring in a mixture of flour and water or cornstarch and water and cooking until it thickens or you can start with a roux.  That's my preference.

In a small pot, melt a tablespoon of butter and one of oil (or use all butter if you're not watching your cholesterol).  When it is heated, stir in approximately 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook this mixture until it begins to brown, then quickly stir in the juices from the crockpot.  Stir and cook until thickened.

Comments on Ingredients
Squirrel:  To use whole squirrels, mix the tomato paste and mustard and brush it in the body cavity.  Fill the cavity with onions, carrots and pickles, then wrap it with a slice of bacon.  Secure everything using rouladen clamps, toothpicks or string.  NOTE:  you just lost the benefit of it being less work.
Dill Pickles:  Remember that these pickles contribute to the taste of the meat as well as the gravy.  This is NOT the place to use up pickles you are disappointed in.
Carrots:  Don't take the instructions to quarter them lengthwise too seriously.  If you have thin carrots, just cut them into approximately 3" long pieces and leave them whole or cut in half.
Tomato Paste:  You'll only use approximately half a can of tomato paste.  Put the rest in a freezer container. TIP: if you find you usually only use a tablespoon at a time, place it on wax paper one tablespoon at a time and freeze.  When frozen pop it off the paper and store in an airtight plastic bag in the freezer.  Remove one at a time.
Beef Broth:  In a pinch, use 1 beef bouillon cube to 1 cup of water.

Additional Information
If you cook this on the stovetop, skip browning the meat in a skillet and do it directly in the pot you will use to cook in.  A Dutch oven is great for this.  Make sure it's something with a well-fitting lid.  Cooking time will usually be about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Cajun Spice

Cajun Spice
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Mix together and keep in an airtight container.

Cooking a Good Stock

Whether you are cooking stock to make soup or make gravy, good stock is vital to a quality end product.  It’s worth every bit of extra time it takes for the wonderful end result.  Unfortunately I often don’t have time for that if I haven’t thought a few days ahead.  Also, it’s cheaper to make than to buy.

Price isn’t the only reason for making your own stock.  You control what goes into it, so if you have someone on a sodium restricted diet you can make it without sodium.  You are also more likely know the quality and origin of the ingredients you use.  If fat is an issue, do not remove the fat before cooking.  It provides wonderful flavors.  When done, let it cool and then skim the hardened fat off.

There are four basic kinds of stock: vegetarian (I’ve never made it), chicken/turkey, beef/pork, and fish.  Sometimes one substitutes well for another and sometimes it doesn’t.  More than not, you can get away with it.

The cheapest chicken or turkey stock comes from the cheapest chickens and turkeys.  As my boys would say, “well duh!”  Before we raised our own chickens, I would do my best to watch for sales and then make a really big pot of stock.  Also, after family Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners is a good time to offer to take the carcass off someone’s hands and put it to good use.

There are other good times for cooking stock.  When I have leftover necks and wings from a roasted bird I toss them in the freezer.  When I get a few more, I toss them in with the previous ones.  If there’s celery about to go bad, you guessed it – in the freezer. 

After deboning some thighs and breasts for stir-fry, the bones and whatever is left on them goes in the freezer with the rest of the “stock makings.”  When enough has accumulated and I have a little time, it all comes out of the freezer and the stock cooking begins.  The only drawback is that all that stock has to be stored.

When there’s only a little bit of stock left after making soup, I usually put it in a freezer container and put it in the freezer.  Whether I do this with a little bit or a whole stock-pot full, the end result is usually the same.  It all goes into the freezer and then somehow it gets lost.  I think it might be the same phenomenon as the washer eating socks, but I haven’t proven it yet.

My solution was to start canning the stock.  This post isn’t to teach you or convince you to can your stock.  This really is just about how to make it.  I’m just forewarning you that if you make a lot, have plans for storing it.  If you do decide to freeze it, separate it into multiple containers.  Always label each container with the date and contents.  You won’t remember – you only think you will.

A thick-bottomed stock pot is ideal.  It’s less likely to scorch.  Of course it’s also less likely to scorch if you’re paying attention and not rushing.  I’m sure you’d all believe that I’ve never done that, right?  NOT!

If the meat or vegetables you are using have not previously been cooked, like the leftover turkey I mentioned earlier, you have the option to roast it in the oven at 450º F. for about 30 minutes (if you’re putting them in thawed out and almost room temperature).  The caramelization that occurs really adds flavor and makes for a darker stock.  This step is optional and will depend on the time you have and the end result you want.
You will notice that the recipe calls for apple cider vinegar.  It is not enough to taste it, but it is enough to help leach the calcium out of the bone, improving the nutritional value of the broth.

Keep in mind that there’s lots of room for flexibility here.  I will give ingredients for a chicken stock, but if you have beef, it works the same way.  If you have 6 pounds of chicken, don’t worry.  It will still work.  

Chicken Stock

5 pounds of chicken/chicken bones

2 large onions, peeled and quartered

3 large carrots, washed, tops removed and cut into 2-3 pieces

4 stalks of celery, cut into 2-3 pieces OR

Cut the top 3-4 inches off the top of a fresh bunch of celery

8 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

1 medium bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried sage (or more to taste)
2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme (or more to taste)
2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Put all ingredients into a sufficiently large stock pot and just barely cover with water.  Bring to a boil, but immediately turn down the heat to keep it at a simmer.  Boiling causes more foam, wastes energy and doesn’t speed up the process.

I like to let mine simmer for at least 2 hours. You can simmer the stock with the lid off to cook it down and intensify the flavor.  Some like to skim off the foam periodically.  I don’t find it necessary.  When done cooking, pour it through a strainer and let cool.  Once it’s cooled it becomes very easy to skim off any fats.  I prefer to keep mine for a fuller-flavored broth.  You’re now ready to use, can or freeze it.

If you use a little of the broth to cook some potatoes and add in the leftover vegetables, you can make a wonderful potato soup and nothing gets wasted.  There are plenty of ways to use up whatever meat was still stuck to the bones as well.

If you decide that you want to can your stock, it will be necessary to pressure can it.  For reliable, up-to-date canning instruction visit http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/stock_broth.html.  Note that their instructions are for cooking broth and vary considerably from mine.  This does not affect the time or pressure for canning.

PICKLED GARLIC SCAPES

Many years ago my mom got me started pickling garlic.  They taste good and are a handy way to get a good daily dose of it.  A few years ago we started canning pickled banana peppers thanks to a wonderful recipe we got from our cousin Kathy.  We're majorly hooked on those and recently Don married the two ideas into a wonderful new treat.

There's one other aspect to this new treat.  It's not garlic that's pickled, but the garlic scapes.  Don grows lots of hardneck garlic.  The scapes are the little curling shoots that look like they are about to blossom.  They are very tender and edible.  We ate lots of those in stir-fried dishes.  However, life happened and a few of those little tender scapes were left to grow into bigger blooms.

Garlic Scapes - note the variety of sizes.  There are a
few young little ones in the group.

The outer layer is almost paper thin at this point and you can see little pearls of flavor...miniature garlics. These can be planted and after a few years they will produce garlic.  On the other hand you can cut them, let the plant use all its energy to grow bigger bulbs, and eat the scapes.

Not willing to mix up a batch of brine for just one quart jar of scapes, Don opted for the alternative.  He'd just finished off a jar of pickled peppers and used the brine from them. Some of the stalks are less tender than others.  When we encounter one of those we just eat the tender parts and give the rest to the chickens.  You can avoid that by snapping off the less tender part before pickling.  Bend it a little like you would asparagus and you'll know where to snap it off.

Bring the brine of your choice to a simmer.  Meanwhile, place the scapes into a clean canning jar (sized according to how much you have).  Pour the simmering brine over the scapes and cap the jar.  Refrigerate for at least a week to ripen.

Next time I'll post the recipe for the pickled peppers.  You can use that recipe for peppers, for garlic cloves or scapes.  If you have a favorite pickle or pickled pepper, consider starting by just using the brine from it like we did here.

The pickled scapes in a canning jar.  Look at those
little pearls of garlic in each one.  Yummmm!

Fresh Farm Eggs

Wow the excitement at our house!  Imagine waiting for the big day, watching those hens grow, listening to them starting to cluck like they had something to cluck about and then suddenly there they are:  eggs!  It took a little while to come to my senses and stop making big entrepreneurial plans for those eggs.  There were sixteen beautiful little eggs.
Ah...but nobody said they were all laid on the same day.  Return to reality!  Now everyday will be like Easter because only a few have decided to lay in the nest boxes.  We're learning where their favorite places are and thank goodness my darling has a better eye to find them than I do.
Needless to say we had to have an omelet (or omelette for my English-speaking friends and family) for dinner.  Oh my goodness talk about orange yolks.  You could really tell they are free-ranging hens!  Wow, they eat all the ticks and bugs around the house and then turn around and give me beautiful and delicious eggs.  What a deal!
I know you don't need a recipe to make an omelet, so you're not getting a recipe with this post.  This is just bragging rights today. :-) I just fried some bacon, sautéed fresh onions, garlic and bell peppers and spiced it all with pepper and a little kosher salt.  After beating 11 (yes that many, they are very small) eggs, I beat in some milk and poured it over the mixture in the pan.  You know the rest of the story, I'm sure.  A little grated cheese at the end and it was done. Yummmmmie!  I'm glad to know that eggs from free-range chickens that get plenty of exercise are lower in cholesterol than others.

You only need one ruler to measure an egg, but two to
keep it from rolling off the countertop!

Look at all those tiny egg shells and
that beautiful orange omelet.

Fresh eggs and fresh
produce = two happy campers!