Elk Spag

 

 

 

I was talking to Pete Cardinal the other night and he suggested I start putting recipes I use for wild game on the blog. That's a pretty good idea. I was a chef a long time ago so I do have a few tricks up my sleeves and I have a LOT of wild game but I'm also still in bachelor mode and someone who doesn't really have the resources to get crazy so you'll see that in what I share with you. Pete's wife Sandy, however, is an amazing chef so I'll be hitting her up for some help with this. Mike Kuhnert's fiancé, Courtney is also a lot better chef than I am so I'll hopefully get some input from her as well.

 

It's spaghetti. I know. Not really complicated and not all that difficult to brown up some elk burger and add a can of Ragu to. But there is an end goal in mind and it all comes down to my specialty - spaghetti omelets. They will be featured in a subsequent post but it takes leftover spaghetti so here it goes.

 

I do use a jar of Ragu to start with. You have to remember, I am often cooking for myself and I'm often on the run so I want it to be quick and easy. However, I also like to doctor things up a bit. I brown up about a pound of elk burger with onion, garlic, salt and pepper. You should get the onions to sweat a little in olive oil before you add the burger. Once the burger is browned, (and here's the beauty of using elk; you don't have to strain off the grease,) I add some crushed red pepper, a quarter cup of brown sugar, and a couple teaspoons of fennel seeds. You can mix all that in and let cook for a bit until some of the moisture cooks off. That will give the brown sugar a chance to infuse into the meat and the fennel seeds a chance to soften.

 

Elk burger usually isn't that gamey and actually, I really like to just use it for burgers because it is so good. Some other ground wild meat is a bit stronger in taste so browning it with the onion and garlic can help tame it a little. If I have it, I like to use ground venison or antelope for these types of dishes because you can mask some of the strong flavor. I have so much elk right now though so that's what I'm using.

 

This is where it sounds a little cheesy but trust me, it's legit. I just crack a bottle of Ragu spaghetti sauce and dump it in and simmer for about 20 minutes. I like the chunky garlic, onion and tomato. I know, it's cheating but with a little extra love, it is so delicious and easy. I also use wheat spaghetti noodles. Dish it up and dump a good pile of mozzarella/parmesan blend on top and vwella, elk spag.

 

You got to make enough for left-overs 'cause that's where the real specialty comes from. Make sure you store the noodles separate from the sauce. Look for the spag omelets soon!

 

Keep 'em where they live...