Poultry

Just as the name suggests, chicken thighs simply roasted in oven.

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 15 cloves garlic
• Rosemary leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F (205C).
2. Pat the chicken thighs with a paper towel.
3. Sprinkle salt and black pepper over each.
4. Drizzle olive oil over them and rub well.
5. Place thighs in a baking pan. Toss rosemary leaves and garlic in the pan.
6. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375F (190C) and bake for 20 minutes more until tender when poked with a knife.
7. Remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil until serving time.
8. Garnish with fresh rosemary leaves when serving.
    

Red Meat

3 pounds of venison will feed about 4 people, with 3 medallions per portion.

Ingredients

• 3 lb venison backstrap, whole
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 6 oz fresh or frozen blackberries
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• Juice & zest of one lemon
• 2-4 cloves
• 1-2 star anise (optional)
• Thyme sprigs for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350f/180c.
2. Combine salt, pepper, nutmeg in small bowl. Dry off surface of backstrap with paper towels and sprinkle spice mix liberally on top.
3. Heat an oven proof skillet on high. Once smoking hot, place backstrap into skillet to sear, turning every minute or so to make sure all sides are cooked. Then place pan in the oven for 7-10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and pan, place into foil and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing into medallions.
5. To make the sauce - combine berries, sugar, vinegar, zest, juice, cloves and anise in a pan, and bring to boil. Add an optional pinch of salt.
6. After about 5 minutes of boiling, you should be able to 'smash' the berries on the side of the saucepan using a wooden spoon. Continue rapidly simmering sauce a further 5-10 minutes to thicken.
7. Place medallions on a plate, spoon over generous portions of sauce and top with sprigs of thyme.