What does this have to do with Oaxaca? Read on. You’ll find out! Those of us who live at Blue Heron Farm in Pittsboro, NC, have been plagued by an overpopulation of deer. This fall, our community association invited our local Backyard Bow Pros to come in and thin the herd using the old-fashioned way of deer hunting. One-third of the cull goes to feed the hungry in our community. I think the ancient Zapotecs would have been proud of us.
According to Wikipedia, “by 2000 BCE, agriculture had been established in the Central Valleys region of the state [of Oaxaca], with sedentary villages.[14] The diet developed around this time would remain until the Spanish Conquest, consisting primarily of harvested corn, beans, chocolate, tomatoes, chili peppers, squash and gourds. Meat was generally hunted and included tepescuintle, turkey, deer, peccary, armadillo and iguana.[15]
Backyard Bow Pros deliver the deer to a local processor who grinds the meat. We now have pounds of it in our freezer and I needed to dream up a recipe that tasted good. (This was my first experience eating venison.) I tried it, I liked it and it was so good that Stephen repeated the recipe and prepared 246 meatballs to take as hors d’oeuvres for Thanksgiving dinner. It makes great meatloaf and burgers, too.
Norma’s Ground Venison Meatloaf
- 1 lb. ground venison
- 1 egg
- 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs, fine
- 4-6 prunes, chopped fine
- 1/4 c. raisins
- 1/4 c. coarsely chopped almonds or walnuts or pecans
- 1/4 c. dried peppers (mix of bell, ancho, poblano), crumbled
- 1/2 large white onion, diced into 1/4″ cuts
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 T. sea salt
- Optional: 1 T. hot red pepper flakes
Put the ground meat in a large mixing bowl. Add one whole egg and bread crumbs. Mix well with your hands. (Do not use a food processor. This will break down the meat fibers.)
Sprinkle a little flour over the prunes, and chop them with a Chinese cleaver or 8″ chef’s knife until they are about 1/4″ pieces. Add prunes, raisins, parsley and onion to the meat along with the dried pepper that you have coarsely crumbled. (You can substitute fresh peppers, just double the amount.)
Put the nuts into a plastic baggie. With the flat end of a mallet crush the whole nut meats until coarse (you can also do this in the food processor). Or, buy them chopped if you prefer! Add to the meat.
Mix all together with your hands until everything is completely incorporated into the meat and evenly distributed. Add salt and mix with hands again.
Meatloaf: Put into a greased loaf pan and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until browned on top and sides pull away from the pan. Test for doneness with a meat thermometer. Internal temperature should reach 160 degrees.
Meatballs: Roll meat into 1″ balls. Place on moderately greased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Quarter-pounders with cheese, anyone?
For 246 meatballs, we used three pounds of meat and tripled the recipe! We baked two cookie sheets at a time in our convection oven.
P.S. Once, a long time ago, I owned a gourmet cookware shop and cooking school, where I organized and taught classes. Today, I just can’t help myself! Years and years ago, I watched my mother in the kitchen prepare hamburgers, mixing in an egg, bread crumbs and ketchup to stretch the meat to feed our family of five. An inspiration for this recipe, remembering that the egg and bread crumbs help bind the meat.
Best of Week Day of the Dead Photographs: Kathy Heath AKA Louie
“This trip was the perfect way to re-invest in my interest in photography and explore a fascinating country and culture [of Oaxaca, Mexico] at the same time. I can’t imagine an instructor or guide who could have better managed the balance and flexibility to so successfully meet all the goals of the program,” says Kathy Heath, who is a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee assistant dean.
Almost like an early motion picture scene, almost like an old hand-colored sepia photograph, this stunning shot of the Macedonio Alcala at night says, yes, Oaxaca is safe, warm and welcoming. “I never had any concerns about my safety in Oaxaca. People were friendly, helpful and open,” says Kathy who goes by her nickname Louie.
Louie, has traveled around the world with her camera (and her husband) and showed us some stunning shots from a recent hiking trip she took in New Zealand. The photos she took in Oaxaca are a tribute to her photographic experience and sense of aesthetic to capture the moment. These two photos (above) give us a close look at the comparsa and the seriousness of acting the part!
We got to Plaza de la Danza, adjoining the Basilica de la Soledad, early in the week as the preparations for building the sand sculptures was just starting. This Photo 5 is like a dance or a prayer, perfect image for the location!
This street vendor could be from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec based on her style of dress. The scene blends many undecipherable messages, from wall graffiti to her blouse pulled up over her nose and mouth. Your guess is as good as mine! Photo 6 by Louie!
In Photo 7 (left) Louie captures the gloss of the slick, wet street and a hand-truck filled with flowers destined to decorate a gravesite at Xoxocotlan’s old cemetery. The rain came down and everyone ran for cover! Photo 8 tells us about the dark, deep richness of a cemetery with little or no ambient light.
The beauty is in the serenity of Photo 9. “It’s hard to decide what I learned or discovered that was MOST valuable. From technical aspects of photography and my camera, to different artistic perspectives about photography, to the culture and history of the area – it was all really valuable to me in very different ways,” says Louie.
Louie, along with her friend and colleague, Connie Jo, spent Day of the Dead in Teotitlan del Valle with Alejandrina Rios and Tito Mendoza and their family. Louie managed a photo that included the ornately decorated altar and the warmth of the family.
During our time in Teotitlan del Valle we took time to explore the village’s weaving traditions. We asked each participant what was most memorable about the entire learning experience. Louie says, “Meeting the Chavez Santiago Family and learning about how they are maintaining the traditional craft of weaving, and incorporating those skills and traditions into their educational and career choices. I was impressed and inspired by what they do.”
“Thanks for a great trip and learning experience Bill & Norma!!,” Louie says. We say, thanks to you, Louie, for your compassionate sensitivity and insight to show us Oaxaca through your eyes.
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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Photography, Teotitlan del Valle, Textiles, Tapestries & Weaving
Tagged blogsherpa, day of the dead, Mexico, Oaxaca, photography