My single 2012 Resolution....

....in the culinary sense I mean, is to cook and immerse myself into cuisine and cooking like I did several years ago. It's been a LONG time coming, to do it the way I used to and frankly really want to. After all, life's too short to eat bad quality food, drink cheap wine and beer, and most importantly do it all with the wrong people.

To kick things off here are some new dishes I'm conjuring; I'd encourage you to follow my lead and find the foods you REALLY want to eat, ideally found from the outer ring of your local supermarket (I spent almost an hour in the produce, herbs and fresh meats section today alone...this from a guy who hasn't "grocery shopped in MONTHS).

The Basics: Chicken

basic chicken breast
rub: turmeric, yellow curry, coriander, cumin (both ideally freshly ground), garlic and cinnamon

very simple; sear in a saute pan with sesame or peanut oil which have lower flash (smoke) points than olive oil, add some lemon grass and finish in the oven but not too high a temp. And wrap with pancetta or prosciutto for some added crispyness. A simple sauce would be a nice compliment.

Fish: Salmon, skin on and preferably Atlantic or farm grown (I don't wish to engage in a debate about wild vs farm raised, simply referring to what's typically available.)

An Asian-inspired marinade which incorporates ginger, red pepper flake, lemon grass, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, cilantro, green onion and garlic. Maybe a little white wine.
Simply grill or cook stove top in a grill pan, flipping once if at all. Again sesame oil is ideal for flavor and low smoke point.
Another prep could be poaching in olive oil using only the dry ingredients above as a quasi rub.

Now for the GOOD stuff: wild game!

Venison loin
I'm toying with this one: marinate in pomegranate juice, veal stock and red wine followed by a herbs de provence rub, wrapped in pancetta and seared off quickly then finished in a low temp, 350 or so, degree oven, with a pomegranate molasses - red wine reduction sauce.
I have some elk coming soon and will try the same with that, a meat I've never worked with.

Both venison and elk are lean, low fat and can over cook easily due to low fat content. The key is to sear on high heat and be careful to NOT overcook!! Only if you have a whole loin not cut into filets should you use the oven; stove top in a pan transferred to low heat will work fine with filets but for only a few minutes. These meats are rich in flavor and are well suited for these sauces/marinades...they are not so "gamey" as you might think.

These are just a few of the seasonal cuisine ideas I've come up with, luckily I have access to very fresh product. Cooking game like elk, venison, pheasant, quail, etc. almost requires knowing a hunter who knows how to process and preserve meat, of which I know several.

If you'd like details on any of these "recipes" or have any ideas or recommendations of your own please leave your comments...I'm as interested in learning as imparting ideas.

Here's to a year filled with amazing, fresh, quality cuisine and amazing libations.

Cheers!!
*clink*

P.S. a nice wine from Burgundy in France or a domestic pinot noir from Oregon or Sonoma or Russian River Valley in CA would pair well with anything I've written about. A hearty Napa cabernet or Australian shiraz would work well with the venison and elk.