Winners!

Let’s face it, you’re all winners in my heart.

BUT two of you are big winners today. I loved reading your recipes, they were awefully delicious looking. It took me longer than expected to decide. If I weren’t roaming L.A. right now I’d be in the kitchen making all of them.

They looked so good I could almost taste them. Especially these two:

First Place: Venison lasagna

Contributed by: Charles Perry from Lillington, N.C.

1 – 1 1/2 lb ground venison
1 to 3 tablespoons oil to brown ground venison
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon oregano
3 tablespoons parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can tomatoes (14 1/2 oz)
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
6 lasagna noodles (or substitute 4 – 8 inch zucchini)
mozzarella and parmesan cheese

1. Cook onions and brown ground venison in hot oil, drain.
2. Add all tomatoes, sauce and spices.
3. Simmer until noodles or zucchini are ready.
4. Preparation of the zucchini is to cut into 1/8 inch strips length ways. Sprinkle with salt and then use a dry cloth and blot the water that is sweated out. Usually takes around 15 minutes to bring the water up and out.
5. Make 2 layers in 9 x 13 baking dish as follows:

• meat sauce
• noodles / zucchini
• mozzarella and parmesan cheese
• end with meat sauce

Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted: about 30 minutes.

First Place: Wild Salmon Poached in Apple Juice

Contributed by: Richard Levitt from Oakland, Calif.

2 salmon filets
1 cup apple juice or enough to cover halfway up the side of the filets
1 teaspoon cinnamon, Asian 5-spice, salsa en polvo, or a spice of your choosing

1. Take the salmon fillets and sear, skin down, in a cast iron pan.

2. Add enough apple juice to cover 1/2 the fillets.

3. Season with Asian 5-spice or salsa en polvo or cinnamon or (insert favorite here).

4. Baste the fillets until done to taste then remove.

5. Reduce liquid by 25% to use as a sauce.

6. Serve with sauteed greens, crusty bread and Pinot Noir.

Seriously Honorable Mentions:

Stuffed Steak Rolls with Mushroom Gravy
Dove and Mushroom Gravy Over Texas Garlic Toast
Best Deer Tenderloin in the World
Axis Steaks

I could list many many more…

Congratulations Charles and Richard! Bowie Knives is going to send you a great outdoor knife in the mail to help you bring home the bacon. Thanks Bowie Knives!

In the meantime, my favorite guy over at ESPN Outdoors is working on categorizing the recipes so we can all share and refer to the recipes in The Kitchen. So keep on submitting!