Fare Exchange: Using venison for meatloaf and homemade hummus

Welcome, cooks and consumers, to Fare Exchange. We would eagerly ask you to add to a couple of discussions, most particularly about game cooking and about favorite foods from favorite food bloggers. Read on to see what others are saying, then it’s your turn. What game do you cook and how do you cook it? What are the best accompaniments and how do you prepare them? Who is your favorite food blogger and what is a favorite recipe from that blog?

Mary Zelle is up first, talking about using venison. “One of our sons-in-law is a hunter. He keeps us supplied in ground venison (Bambi-burger at our house). I make meat- loaves, lasagna and chili in quantity for the freezer. I mix ground venison half-and-half with cheap hamburger. For meatloaf, of course, it is just mixed with other ingredients, shaped, wrapped and frozen. For lasagna or chili, I brown the crumbled meats together, drain the fat through a colander and rinse the meat with hot water. Then I return the meat to the pot and continue the cooking process. It’s great.”

Deborah Gleaton responded with a recipe she found in “Southern Living” this month for Italian Turkey Chili. “I varied this recipe, and I would suggest experimenting with ingredients yourself. I used venison in place of half the turkey.”

Italian Turkey Meatloaf

1 pound sliced button mushrooms

2 cups finely chopped onion

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 (7-ounce) container refrigerated basil pesto

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce

2 (20-ounce) packages lean ground turkey (or use part venison)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Process mushrooms in a food processor until finely ground. Stir together onion, next 5 ingredients, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Combine tomato paste, salt, pepper and 1 can tomato sauce; stir into mushroom mixture.

Add turkey to mixture and combine, using hands, until well blended. Line two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with heavy-duty aluminum foil; coat lightly with cooking spray. Divide turkey mixture between prepared pans. Place pans on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Spread remaining 8-ounce can tomato sauce over meatloaves. Bake 30 more minutes or until a thermometer inserted in center of meatloaf registers 165 degrees.

Let meatloaves stand 10 minutes. Slice and serve 1 loaf. Cool second loaf completely; cover and chill for later use.

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Marilyn Murphy expanded the possibilities of cooking with dates. “I do not have a recipe for date bread, but I do have a great recipe using dates to make a cookie that is pretty healthy. I make them gluten-free and egg-free. They are really delicious and make a great breakfast cookie.”

Breakfast Cookies

1 1/2 cups rolled oats or 1 cup rolled oats and 1/2 cup steel-cut oats

3/4 cup flour (for gluten-free, I use Bob’s gluten-free baking flour, or almond flour with teaspoon xanthan gum.)

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal

1 1/2 tablespoon orange zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 eggs or 2 teaspoons egg replacer, plus 2 tablespoons water

2 cups chopped walnuts, toasted

1 1/2 cups chopped dates

Combine oats, flour, baking powder and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, combine and beat until creamy the butter, brown sugar, flaxseed meal, orange zest, salt and cinnamon.

Add yogurt and eggs. Stir in oat mixture and beat to combine.

Fold in walnuts and dates.

Make 1/4-cup balls of cookie dough and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 325-degree oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully.

Properly packaged, these freeze very well. Thaw out as needed or warm in the oven at 200 degrees.

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Mr. and Mrs. Sunday supplied general directions for making that sought-for heated dip that has a hummus base. They offered options, too, to encourage you to make your own original version. We’ll give their guidance a title: Hot Hummus Dip Your Own Way

“Making hummus from scratch is relatively quick and easy. Making good hummus from scratch is another story. It’s faster and easier to buy a good basic hummus and ‘tart it up’ as the Brits say.

“Ankar’s downtown (510 Broad) makes a good version, but if you can’t get downtown easily, Sabra is a reputable national brand.

“If you do decide to make your own from scratch, the hard parts are getting the chickpea puree smooth enough (Canned vs. dried vs. chickpea flour? Peel the chickpeas or not?) and achieving the light fluffy texture of ideal hummus.

“We’re told the trick to that last issue is to pretend you’re making mayonnaise and drizzle the oil in while the rest of the mixture is whizzing away in the blender or food processor. After you’ve made it a few times you’ll ask yourself why you bothered, as the taste and texture won’t beat a good commercial hummus that you’ve tweaked to suit your preferences. It’s been at least 15 years since we made our last batch of from-scratch hummus.

“Heat your hummus (the microwave is fine) and whip in anything you want to use to change the base flavor. Pureed roasted garlic is nice. So is 5-spice powder. Be sure to whip the hummus even if you add nothing – you’re at least adding air and ensuring a light texture. Place it in a bowl, float a little tasty olive oil on top and finish with your topping of choice. Serve warm with pita, chips or veggies and a smug smile.

“Choose toppings with a salty or acid edge to contrast with the smooth fatty hummus. Feta is common, as are chopped olives (green or Kalamata, not those flavorless black things), roasted vegetables with balsamic vinegar, preserved lemon and dried sumac.

“Check out the varieties of hummus at the grocery for inspiration but add your own toppings to basic; it’ll taste fresher and more vibrant. Besides, that’s what makes it yours.”

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Once again, we have an opinion about food bloggers, the one in question today being Shauna Niequist. A.E. sent a recipe and a quote from Niequist, author of “Bread and Wine,” among other books. What do you think of the lines below – agree or disagree?

Niequist wrote: “I don’t think cooking is a specialized skill that only some people can do, and I think that when people learn their way around a kitchen, it becomes a life-giving, healing place to be. And sacred and surprising things happen when we gather around a table and share food made with love and by our own hands.” Here, from A.E., is a recipe she recommends.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

1 package whole pitted dates

4 ounces goat cheese

1 package bacon

Slice dates in half and open them up.

Scoop a small amount of goat cheese into the center of the dates, and close them back up.

Cut the whole package of bacon in half, so that each long strip is now half as long.

Wrap a half-slice of bacon around the outside of the date.

Arrange seam side down in a baking dish or on a baking sheet with sides to catch any grease.

(A foil pan is nice for no clean-up.)

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until well browned.

Drain on paper towel, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Prep the dates the night before, and put them in a disposable foil pan in the fridge. Then mid-afternoon on the day you are serving them, put the foil pan straight from the fridge into the oven. When they are done, let them come to room temperature on the paper towels before plating.

Time’s up; space is gone. One more Wednesday in January; please come.