Wilder Elf Venison-Bean Pot

Join me as I make Wilder Elf Venison-Bean Pot – From Tika’s Cookbook for the first time! This is a recipe from Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home sourcebook, originally released in 1987. The recipes are compiled by Tika Waylan Majere. You can buy Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home here: https://amzn.to/3FOuL2J

From Tika’s Cookbook

Wilder Elf Venison-Bean Pot

2 pounds ground venison
1 16-ounce can pork an beans
1 16-ounce can kidney beans
½ cup water
1 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 heaping teaspoon chili seasoning
salt
black pepper (optional)

Brown venison in a large, non-stick skillet.
Break apart large chunks of meat; att onion.
Add the water after browning is complete. Add
both cans of beans;stir well. Add parsley flakes
and other seasonings to taste. Remember that
chili seasoning flavor blooms with cooking.

Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes; stir occasionally.
Add more water if necessary. The result
should be a thick, non soupy, stew with a little
broth showing.
Serve hot with crackers and sharp cheddar.
This is even better on the second day. Serves 4.

Transcript

Cold Open

I wonder where the wilder elves found pork and beans in a can…

Intro

Today I am making Wilder Elf Venison-Bean Pot from Tika’s Cookbook in Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home. If you have made this recipe, share your thoughts in the comments below!

Discussion

The hardest part about this recipe was finding venison. Not one butcher was able to come through with it for me. So I substituted what I did have. I used one pound ground pork, one pound ground beef, one 15.5 ounce can of pork and beans, who sells 16 ounce cans and why am I gypped out of a half an ounce? One fifteen and a half can kidney beans, one half cup of water, one large yellow onion, diced, one heaping teaspoon fresh parsley, I figure since my wife grows the herbs, I may as well use them right? One heaping teaspoon of chili seasoning, and an estimated amount of salt and pepper. In hindsight, I should’ve added more salt.

I started by chopping the parsley and gathering the correct amount for the recipe. Then I chopped the onion by cutting it in half, then scoring and dicing it. This onion didn’t affect me nearly as much as the first recipe’s onion. Then I moved over to my cast iron pan, and began browning the ground pork and beef. In the future, I will stick with one kind of meat, and maybe I can find some venison. After it was browned enough, I added the onions and continued browning. The onions were very juicy, so it added more liquid than expected. Once that was cooked down, I added the rest of the ingredients, the water, pork and beans, kidney beans, chili seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper, and folded them into the meat and onion mixture.

Then I set the timer for thirty minutes, put the cover on, and wait. I stirred it up every ten minutes. Once finished, I dished up a bowl, and grated some sharp cheddar cheese over it, then enjoyed a slice of homemade bread. This is a decent shortcut chili recipe, but if the time and effort is going into making chili, I would prefer my wifes barley chili… it’s something else!