Recipe: Moroccan Venison Hot Pockets

PREP TIME: 60 MIN | COOK TIME: 30 MIN | SERVES: 2-4

When I called my buddy, Josh, to commiserate after killing my buck, he commented that I might be the only person to have ever been in the Sahara Desert the day before killing a stud whitetail deer. It might be true, but what I know to be absolutely true, is that Moroccan culture runs on bread, well-seasoned meat, and incredible hospitality.

Every morning, during my recent adventure in Morocco, the lady and I were served elaborate breakfasts where we stayed. There were always a couple types of bread, jam, cheese, olives, yogurt, omelets, strong coffee, and fresh-squeezed orange juice.

My favorite bread was what comes off as a mix between a croissant and a pan fried flatbread. The dough is oiled with olive oil or melted butter (or both), pressed thin, oiled again, sprinkled with some semolina flour, and cooked slowly in a metal skillet. It produces a layered bread that’s perfect for tossing some olives or cheese into, or for peeling apart and grabbing chunks of meat out of a stew, as is the tradition.

Recipe: Venison Sausage Toast

On one of my walks through the Souks, I saw a street vendor making them stuffed with ground meat. Unfortunately, it was after a meal, but it stuck with me to investigate the idea back home in my kitchen. I looked online and found a bunch of people making them and came up with a great, fast grab-and-go-meal to try. That led to this recipe: moroccan venison hot pockets.

During my first effort, I chopped up half of a tenderloin from that buck. Seasoned with cumin, cinnamon, paprika, garlic, and onion, I lightly cooked it on the griddle. What started as a tiny idea turned out to be wildly satisfying — a sort of Moroccan hot pocket. But it triggered a visceral memory of my first hot pocket, fresh out of a buddy’s microwave, and this recipe was born.

The bread-making part seems daunting, but it truly was very simple. If you happen to have some pizza dough at your grocery store to buy, go right ahead, it’ll work great. If not, activate a little yeast in water and sugar, mix that into flour and salt, and knead it for 5-8 minutes, until the dough will stretch without tearing (VERY IMPORTANT).

Recipe: Wild Game Curry Corn Chowder

I rolled out the dough onto the counter into a dinner-plate-sized, squarish shape, that was thin enough to see through. Then, I cooked the meat and folded the dough over it into a packet. I pressed the packet a bit thinner and wider, so it cooked a bit faster.

Next, I added yet more butter and oil to the outside and tossed it onto my griddle while set to a medium-low heat. Once golden and toasty brown, I flipped it to cook on the other side, pulled it off, cut in half, and served.

I had mine with some homemade, fire-roasted hot sauce, as many foods in Morocco are served with a Harissa pepper sauce. Of course, that’s totally up to you. Heck, dip it in marinara or queso, if you like — because it’s your life. On that note, if you don’t like the seasonings, you could totally just use salt, pepper, and garlic to season the meat, especially if you want a more basic flavor profile.

Recipe: Venison Corn Dog

Without question, I could see making a large quantity of these, freezing the leftovers on a sheet pan, and tossing these into a baggie in the freezer. Then, occasionally pop one out, warm in the oven, and enjoy a snack or quick meal. As is true with lots of recipes, it’s not a lot of extra work to make four times as many of something to save for future meals. This one is no exception.

Because of this, I’m making this recipe to accommodate eight servings. If you just want to try for only a couple, just use a ratio based off of 1 cup of flour and make two of them. If you want to skip the dough-making, just nab a bag of premade pizza dough, and go from there. This recipe is super close to what I’d do for pizza.

Recipe: Lengua and Salsa Macha Tacos

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH:

• 2 cups flour
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar

COOKING:

• 1 stick butter (melted)
• ¼ cup oil 
• 10-16 ounces venison backstrap or leg steak (chopped into fine bits)
• 1 teaspoon (for each)
• Paprika, cumin, garlic, onion, cinnamon (to taste)
• ½ tablespoon kosher salt

DETAILED STEPS

1. Melt a stick of butter. Add oil to it. Set aside.
2. If making dough, activate yeast in a half cup of water and the sugar for 10 minutes.
3. Add your tablespoon of salt to flour, then mix.
4. Add yeast mix to flour.
5. Slowly pour in ½ cup of water, and stir flour, slowly adding more until the dough forms.
6. Stop adding water once the dough starts coming off the side of the bowl and is a nice, consistent texture.
7. Mix for 5 minutes, then knead for another 5 minutes, until the dough stretches 6 inches without tearing.
8. Let rest in a ball shape for 20 minutes to rise slightly.

1. Chop the venison while the dough raises into tiny pieces.
2. Salt evenly, add seasoning and a bit of your oil/butter.
3. Heat the pan on medium-low.
4. Add a spoon of melted butter and cook the meat.
5. Cook to a light brown on the outside and remove to cool.

1. Cut dough into four even pieces. Make them all into a ball by stretching the outer layer of dough around the mass into something just larger than a golf ball.
2. Dunk dough into melted butter and spread one of the balls out paper-thin without tearing. Start from the inside and work your way out. Get the edges nice and thin.
3. Put ¼ of the meat mixture in the middle of the dough.
4. Fold the first two sides in, brushing butter between layers, and then fold the next two, butter added as well between layers until you have a rectangular packet. 
5. Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle to low heat, add some melted butter to the pan and add the packet you made, stretching it outwards to make it as thin as possible by pushing down and out without tearing it.
6. Once the first side is browned, flip and brown the other.
7. Cook until the dough in the middle looks pretty done and cook the rest. 
8. If your dough isn’t really brown and chewy, add more butter to the pan while you cook. It should be lightly frying. 

Once all pieces are fried, serve with some sauce or eat them on their own. I like cutting them in half, but they will freeze better whole.

MORE FIELD NOTES