I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sausage!

photo credit Spigoo

Here’s a colorful primal dish I created on the fly recently when I was low on cash and groceries. I was so pleased with the results, hat I immediately shared my excitement with my primal friends on the internet. I was asked by Castle Grok share it with everyone here.

My father is a hunter and had given me quite a bit of meat, so the first time I made this it was done with ground antelope. I’ve also made it with ground beef, and am sure it would be excellent with ground bison or other kinds of meat. What I liked so much about this meal, is how the combination of fennel seeds and tomatoes reminded me of Italian sausage dishes served by Italian restaurants, but with the added spiciness brought forth with the jalapeno. This dish has a stew-like texture which makes it very flexible to be eaten in different ways. I enjoy just filling up a bowl and eating with a spoon, but can also imagine it would be a great pasta sauce for your non-primal friends, or perhaps with some spaghetti squash for you and your family!

This time used ground beef & stuffed some bell peppers.

I’ve never actually use measurements when cooking. I basically just eyeball the ingredients and base my portions on how big my appetite is. Because of this, I don’t have exact amounts listed in my ingredients, but have made some approximations. I’d recommend putting as much as you’d like of the ingredients based on your preference and make it your own. You should definitely be generous with the fennel seed! This is where most of the sausage-like flavor explodes from.

Ingredients (approximate amounts):

• Ground meat (1.5lbs)
• Seasonings/Spices
• Extra Virgin Olive oil
• Kale (2 leaves)
• Onion (3 Tbsp chopped)
• Jalapeno (1 large)
• Garlic (2 cloves)
• Shallots (1 Tbsp)
• Diced tomatoes (14.5oz can)
• Fennel Seed

1.) In a small pot, heat up some olive oil and sea salt on medium heat. While that’s warming up, season your meat. I used garlic salt, sea salt, black pepper, and ground thyme on about 1.5 pounds of meat. Put the meat in the pot and brown it.

2.) While meat is browning, chop up the other ingredients. I used about 2 kale leaves, 1 large jalapeno, 2 cloves of garlic, about a tablepoon of shallots, and about 3 tablespoons of chopped purple onion (the best onion).

3.) When meat is finished browning, put all the chopped ingredients, the can of diced tomatoes, and a generous amount of fennel seeds into the pot with the meat and stir it up. Lower the heat a little bit and simmer it for about 15 minutes stirring it every little while.

4.) Eat it and enjoy! But be careful at first, since it is piping hot right off of the stove!

This was a guest post recipe by one of my primal buddies & musician Roger Pacheco. Roger is an inspiration to us all as he’s lost over 100lbs on a primal diet! If you’re into loud music and primal stuff, follow him on Twitter.

Pictures from @CastleGrok’s prep & meal