11/30/2005

For Iowa's early settlers, a successful winter hunt often meant the difference between being fed and going hungry. Even those who did not actually hunt for themselves still used wild game as a frequent source of protein. The main difference between those folks and the hunters was that "store keeps and school marms" usually procured their venison from the local market instead of a nearby woodland.

We no longer hunt to survive. Nevertheless, the art procuring and preparing wild game remains a vital link to our cultural past. Many of us still enjoy traditional holiday banquets that feature wild game as a central focus. Wild turkey for Thanksgiving. Roast Canada goose for Christmas.

Unfortunately, many cooks - even some of the very good ones - are unduly intimidated by the prospect of preparing a wild game dinner. Don't be. The fact that wild game is different than the food you buy shrink wrapped at the store, does not automatically mean that it is difficult to cook. It's not. With practice and patience you may even discover that preparing wild game can almost be as much fun as bagging it in the first place. You'll know you've arrived when shotgun ammo becomes a routine sidebar to your weekly grocery list.

Whether you're fixing fried rabbit, roast canvasback duck, or grilled venison, all game dishes should be approached with the idea of enhancing, rather than destroying, the meat's natural flavor. If the objective is to make everything on the table taste "just like chicken," then you should buy chicken in the first place.

Since wild game is leaner than domestic cuts, cooking times are generally much shorter. All game should be considered ready to eat the very second the juices run clear. Anything more will put your meal on the road to disaster. Regardless of age, wild game only becomes tough or dry when someone makes it that way. The only meat that was meant to be incinerated is a campfire hotdog.

As you begin preparing your game dinner, don't be afraid to experiment. New recipes are fun to invent; and variety will add the spice of life to your hard earned, wild game entrees. That does not mean, however, that your dishes need to be complicated.

The following recipes are three of my favorites. All are simple to prepare and guaranteed to make your friends and family smile.

Texas Mesquite Grilled Venison
1 1/2 pounds venison tenderloin
16 ounces catsup
8 ounces tomato sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon liquid smoke
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 small onion, chopped
Cayenne powder to taste

Cut venison tenderloin into 2-inch medallions, 3/4 inch thick. Combine rest of ingredients for barbecue sauce. [Cayennes are optional, although my Texas friends won't like it if you leave them out.] Heat sauce. Place venison in covered grill over medium-hot bed of mesquite coals. Cook three minutes and turn. Cook an additional three to four minutes, taking care not to over do. Remove meat from grill. Smother venison in barbecue and serve.

Chesapeake Barbecued Canada Goose
1 whole, plucked Canada goose
1/2 pound butter
1/2 cup catsup
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed [may sub. 1/8 tsp. garlic powder.]
1/4 tsp. Tabasco [optional]
1/2 tsp. salt
ground pepper to taste

Bank two large beds of charcoal on opposite sides of covered grill. When coals are hot place goose, breast up, in center of grill and cover. [To add color and create a more robust flavor try placing a handful of hickory or mesquite chips on top of coals.] Cooking time for a large Canada goose is approximately 1 1/2 hours. Time will vary slightly due to ambient temperature.

For sauce: combine the rest of ingredients and slowly simmer in saucepan for five to ten minutes.

After an hour and twenty minutes begin testing goose with small probe. When juice runs clear, immediately remove bird from grill. Carve meat and place into covered dish. Smother in Chesapeake sauce. Serve with wild rice, cooked mushrooms, and red currant jelly on the side. If this recipe does not become an immediate favorite, have your taste buds checked by a qualified physician.

Chinese Ring-neck Stir Fry

Many popular oriental dishes actually originated as pheasant recipes. While this one is just a bit more complicated than the previous recipes, you'll find it well worth the extra effort.
2 pheasant breast fillets
1 med. or large onion, sliced
4 or 5 green onions, chopped
1/2 pound fresh, halved mushrooms
1 green pepper, sliced or chopped [a red or yellow pepper will add color]
1 head cut broccoli
3 or 4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 or 2 cayenne peppers [optional]
6 ounces Chinese pea pods
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced lengthwise [optional]
2-Tablespoons brown sugar
2-tsp. corn starch
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon cooking oil

Cut pheasant breasts into one-inch cubes. For sauce: combine brown sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, and water. Set meat and sauce to side.

Preheat wok [very hot]; add cooking oil. Put 1/2 of a garlic or cayenne pepper in oil and cook for 20 or 30 seconds. Add green peppers. Cook for three minutes. Add pea pods and mushrooms. Cook for three or four minutes. [Sparingly add more oil as necessary during cooking.] Add broccoli. Cook for three minutes. Add all onions. Cook until all vegetables are crispy tender. Remove and place in covered dish. [If you're using tomatoes place them, uncooked, on top of vegetables in dish.]

Reheat wok [very hot]; add two tablespoons of oil. Place remainder of garlic or cayenne in oil; cook for 30 seconds. Place 1/2 of pheasant in wok and cook for three minutes. Add remainder of pheasant; cook approximately three minutes. Drain oil and cook meat under high flame until it begins to brown, [Be careful it does not dry out]. Push meat to side of wok. Add sauce. Stir until sauce is bubbly and begins to thicken. Reduce flame, quickly stir pheasant pieces into sauce. Add vegetables; stir thoroughly. Serve with brown rice or Chinese noodles.

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