John Cesters Poultry & Game Meat

Venison & Game Meat Melbourne

Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey

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INGREDIENTS
  • 2 kg turkey breast Turkey-Breast1
  • 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
  • 1 onion (brown, yellow or white), unpeeled, cut in half
  • 1 lemon, cut in half
  • 5 sprigs of thyme (or 2 tsp dried thyme leaves)
Rub
  • 1½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1½ tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 5 grinds of black pepper
  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
Gravy
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Place Rub ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.
  2. Pat the turkey dry all over with paper towels. Slather with the Rub, using most for the side and top.
  3. Place the garlic, onion, thyme and 1 half lemon face down in the slow cooker. Place the turkey breast on top so it is elevated.
  4. Squeeze over the remaining ½ lemon and then push it down the side.
  5. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
  6. Remove turkey from the slow cooker and let it rest for 20 minutes before crisping the skin.
Crisp the Skin
  1. Preheat gril/broiler to high.
  2. Place an oven shelf 30cm / 1 foot from the heat source.
  3. Remove turkey breast from the slow cooker into a heatproof serving dish.
  4. Place on the oven shelf and broil for 3 to 5 minutes until the skin is crispy. Keep an eye on it – it browns very quickly!
  5. Serve immediately with gravy on the side.
Gravy
  1. There should be quite alot of liquid and fat in the slow cooker (see photo of turkey in the slow cooker).
  2. Scoop off ¼ cup fat from the surface and place into a medium saucepan.
  3. Scoop off as much of the remaining fat as you can and place into a separate bowl – reserve for another use (or keep as a back up or discard).
  4. Then pour the remaining liquid from the slow cooker (and the onions etc) through a sieve into a large bowl. Use a potato masher or spoon to mush the onions etc to extract as much flavour out of them as possible. I usually even get my hands in there to mush it up.
  5. Heat the fat in the saucepan over medium high heat. Add the flour and stir until combined. Stir for 2 minutes until the mixture browns slightly (this is how you give the gravy some colour, otherwise it is a pale golden colour).
  6. Lower the heat to medium low and add 2 cups of the juice you strained in the previous step and use a whisk to combine. As it simmers, it will thicken – this will happen quickly. Add the chicken stock to get the consistency to your liking.
  7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Remove the saucepan from the stove. If your gravy has lumps in it, strain before serving.

(Recipe Tin Eats, 2013)

Kangaroo Stroganoff

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Ingredientskangaroo_s_m1888138

  • 2 tablespoons low-salt tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
  • 1/2 cup low-fat light sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 cup homemade chicken stock
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons of cornflour, gluten- free, combined with a little cold water to make a smooth paste
  • 250g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced thinly
  • 1 medium onion, sliced finely
  • 500g kangaroo fillet
  • 100ml red wine
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped finely
  • 2 cups zucchini, sliced and steamed
  • 2 cups carrot, sliced and steamed

Method

In a small bowl combine the sour cream, tomato paste, paprika and mustard. Finely slice the onions and set aside. Slice the mushrooms and add the grated garlic cloves and set aside. Cut off any sinew from the kangaroo fillet and cut the meat into thin slices, across the grain. Place in a bowl and add freshly grated black pepper to taste, mix through and set aside.

In a non-stick fry pan, add 1 tbsp oil and add the sliced onions, gently cook on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. When the onion starts to brown turn up the heat and add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the onions and mushrooms and set aside. With the heat up high add half of the kangaroo fillet and quickly fry for 1-2 minutes, remove from the pan and add the remainder of the kangaroo and repeat. Turn down the heat and add red wine, let the wine almost evaporate totally and add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and return the mushroom and onion mixture to the pam. When simmering: add the cornflour and water mixture and cook until thickened. Add the sour cream mixture and stir until combined. Add the kangaroo fillets and toss through. Remove from the heat and serve straight away.

Serve with steamed vegetables and hot noodles tossed in freshly chopped parsley or steamed rice.

(ABC.net.au, 2013)

Slow Cooker Duck Confit

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what is it?
Confit is a cooking term for when food is cooked in grease, oil or sugar water, at a lower temperature than deep frying.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 8 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
  • 3 bay leaves, lightly crushed
  • 1 tablespoon white peppercorns, lightly crushed
  • 2 teaspoons juniper berries, lightly crushed
  • 6 whole duck legs *WE HAVE THESE IN STORE*
  • 5 1/2 cups duck fat *WE HAVE IN STORE*

Instructions

  1. Combine the salt, thyme leaves, bay leaves, peppercorns, and juniper berries in a small bowl and stir to mix thoroughly.
  2. Rinse the duck legs and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a large baking dish and spread the salt rub on all sides, distributing the entire rub evenly over the legs. Cover and place in the refrigerator to cure overnight, at least 12 hours.
  3. When ready to cook the legs, place our rendered duck fat in a slow cooker and melt on high. Rinse the legs under cold water and pat dry. Once the fat has melted, carefully add the legs and cook at a simmer. (Monitor the heat and lower it if the fat is creating more than one or two bubbles every minute.)
  4. Cook until the meat is very tender and pulls away to expose the bones, about 4 hours. Remove the legs from the fat and serve immediately or place on a wire rack to cool. Once the legs and fat have cooled, the legs can be returned to the fat and stored in the refrigerator for several weeks. To use the confit, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature until the fat has become liquid, about 1 hour.

Chicken & Vegetable Soup

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Ingredients

8 cups water
2 1/2 cups chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
1 1/2 cups cubed parsnip
1 1/2 cups cubed carrot
1 1/2 cups cubed turnip
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill (optional)
125grams egg noodles

chicken-soup-ck-1696604-xPreparation

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Remove and discard skin from chicken; trim excess fat. Split chicken in half lengthwise; place in a Dutch oven. Cover with 8 cups water; bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes. Skim fat from surface of broth; discard fat. Add celery and next 4 ingredients (through turnip) to pan, stirring well; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken; let stand 10 minutes. Remove chicken from bones; shred chicken with 2 forks to yield 6 cups meat. Discard bones. Simmer vegetable mixture 10 minutes or until tender. Return shredded chicken to pan. Stir in salt, pepper, and dill, if desired.

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Place 1/2 cup noodles in each of 8 bowls; top each serving with 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture.

(My Recipes.com, 2013)

GNOCCHI WITH DUCK RAGÙ AND PORCINI MUSHROOMS

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You’ll need

100 gmparmesan, finely gratedGourmet-Tipo-0034275
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
125 gm pecorino pepato, shaved 
Duck and porcini ragù
6 duck Marylands (250gm-300gm each), skin seasoned with sea salt 1 hour before cooking
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp crushed garlic (3-4 cloves)
2 sage sprigs1thyme sprig
1 fresh bay leaf
10 gm dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 250ml warm water for 1 hour
100 gmtomato paste
125 mldry white wine
750 ml (3 cups) of our homemade chicken stock 
Gnocchi
1 kg floury potatoes (such as sebago or russet Burbank), scrubbed
200 gm (1⅓ cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
30 gm finely grated parmesan
1 small egg yolk
Pinch of finely grated nutmeg

Method

  • 01 For duck ragù, preheat oven to 150C. Heat a casserole over medium heat, then add duck skin-side down and fry until browned and fat renders (5-6 minutes). Turn and fry until browned (2-3 minutes), then set aside. Add carrot, onion, garlic and herbs to pan, and sauté until vegetables are tender (5-8 minutes). Meanwhile, gently lift porcini from liquid (reserve liquid) with a slotted spoon; leaving any grit settled at the bottom. Coarsely chop mushrooms, add to vegetables and sauté until softened (3-4 minutes). Add tomato paste and cook until colour deepens (2-3 minutes). Deglaze pan with wine and stir until thickened (4-5 minutes). Add stock and three-quarters of the strained mushroom liquid, and bring to the boil. Season to taste, add duck, cover with a lid or foil and braise in the oven until meat falls from the bone (1¾-2¼ hours). Uncover, rest for 15 minutes, then remove duck legs and, when cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones in chunks and stir into sauce. Discard herbs.
  • 02 For gnocchi, bring potatoes to a simmer in a large saucepan of cold salted water and cook until tender (40-50 minutes). Drain then, when cool enough to handle, peel, pass through a drum sieve or potato ricer and refrigerate, covered with a tea towel, until cold (2-3 hours). Combine 660gm potato with remaining ingredients and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl and mix lightly until smooth. (Take care not to overwork dough or the gnocchi will become dense.) Divide dough into 4 pieces and roll each on a lightly floured surface to 1cm-diameter ropes, then cut into 1.5cm pieces.
  • 03 Cook gnocchi in batches in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until they rise to the surface (1-2 minutes), then drain (if you are not using gnocchi right away, refresh them in iced water, drain, lightly coat in oil and refrigerate in an airtight container up to a day). Add gnocchi to ragù with parmesan and parsley, toss to coat, then serve scattered with pecorino pepato.

(Gourmet Traveller, 2016)