Meaty bento #2: Bears in the Wood

Today's meaty bento is  a quick, cute bento:

Bed of rocket - The easy part. Remove rocket from packets and spread over the bottom of your bento!
Bear onigiri - I used my onigiri mould to make rice balls in the shape of a bear's face, and my nori punch for the faces.
Venison burgers - For the bears' bodies I used venison mince mixed with a little redcurrant jelly and onion and then shaped into oblongs. I pan-fried them and placed them under the onigiri to make a body
Carrots - Bears need paws! I used small carrot rounds for this. 

Friday bento

If you’ve read my last few entries you’ll be aware that I’ve been making a big effort to eat up my food stash over the past few weeks – I used up everything except a tub of homemade pasta sauce. Last night I made some venison burgers, and a few portions of venison stew made with mushrooms and port.  The burgers in particular are perfect for bento and are really easy to make.

Quick venison burgers

(makes 4, which is enough for two bentos)

100g minced venison

½ small red onion, chopped finely

1 button mushroom, chopped finely

1 tsp redcurrant jelly

Salt/pepper to taste

I find getting my hands dirty is the best way to make these! Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and combine well with your fingers or a spoon. Divide into four patties and cook in the grill or a non-stick frying pan – they take about three minutes on each side, but cook them to your personal preference.

Today’s bento is:

• Mini venison burgers
• Radishes
• Steamed savoy cabbage and broccoli stalks
• Carrot and ginger salad
• Sushi rice

You’ll notice there isn’t actually any rice in the bento box – I decided to use up some of the rice I froze a couple of weeks ago. It has to be reheated in the microwave and I don’t have one at home, so I take it into work in a sandwich bag and reheat it at work.