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Chuck and Blanche Johnson’s

Wilderness Adventures Press, Inc.Belgrade, Montana

SavorWild Game

TM

©Fred McCaleb

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This book was manufactured with an easy-open, lay-flat binding.

© 2004 by Chuck and Blanche JohnsonPhotographs contained herein © 2004 by Chuck and Blanche Johnson unless notedAll artwork © Brett Smith and © Fred McCaleb as noted

Book design and cover design © 2004 Wilderness Adventures Press, Inc.™Cover Image © 2004 Brett Smith

Published by Wilderness Adventures Press, Inc.™ 45 Buckskin Road Belgrade, MT 59714 1-800-925-3339 Web site: www.wildadv.com E-mail: books@wildadvpress.com First Edition Savor™ Wild Game is part of the Savor™ Cookbook series.All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informa-tion storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to: Wilderness Adventures Press, Inc.™, 45 Buckskin Road, Belgrade, MT 59714

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN 1-932098-17-8

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INTRODUCTION ix THE CARE OF GAME FROM FIELD TO TABLE x RECOMMENDED WINES FOR WILD GAME xv

–Upland Game Birds– PHEASANT 1

Clay Pot Pheasant 2 Montana Huckleberry Pheasant 3 Orange-simmered Pheasant 4 Pheasant Asparagus 5 Pheasant Francaise with Fettuccini 6 Pheasant Hollandaise 8 Pheasant in Port Wine 9 Pheasant Marsala with Dried Cherries 10 Pheasant Tarragon 11 Cajun Pheasant 12 Pheasant with Oyster Mushrooms 13 Pheasant with Saffron Risotto 14 Pheasant with Shiitake Mushrooms And Garlic 15 Roast Pheasant with Drambuie Orange Sauce 16 Roast Pheasant 17

CHUKAR 19 Chukar Breasts with Sautéed Mushrooms 20 Chukar Tarragon 21 Chukar with Orange and Paprika Sauce 22 Chukar with Orange-Ginger Sauce 23 Clay Pot Chukar 24 Fried Chukar 25 Grilled Chukar with Pear Sauce 26 Jim’s Indian Curried Chukar 28 Raspberry Chukar 29 Roast Chukar Partridge 30

QUAIL 31 Blanche’s Grilled Quail 32 Chuck’s Grilled Quail 33 Grand Marnier Quail 34 Orange and Sage Stuffed Grilled Quail 35 Quail Jennifer 36

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Quail Stuffed with Wild Rice, Dried Cherries, and Pecans 37 Quail with Orange Marmalade, Ginger and Brandy 38 Quail with Orange-Ginger Sauce 39 Quail with Pears, Almonds, Ginger and Drambuie 40 Quail with Quince 41 Quail with Pomegranate Sauce 42

PRAIRIE GROUSE 45 Baked Sharptail with Blackberry Brandy Sauce 46 Grilled Sharptail with Mango Sauce 47 Sage Grouse Marsala 48 Sharptail Grouse with Portobello Mushrooms 49 Sharptail Grouse with Peach Sauce 50 Sharptail with Spicy Orange Sauce 52

HUNGARIAN PARTRIDGE 55 Baked Hungarian Partridge with Apple-Pear Delight 56 Baked Hungarian Partridge with Lingonberry-Mushroom Sauce 57 Game Bird with Curry Cream Sauce 58 Fried Huns 59 Grilled Hungarian Partridge 60 Hungarian Partridge with Artichokes 61

FOREST GROUSE AND WOODCOCK 63 Blue Grouse Almandine 64 Grilled Ruffed Grouse with Portobello Mushrooms 65 Raspberry-Zinfandel Roasted Grouse 66 Sautéed Grouse with Peach Beurre Blanc Sauce 67 Steve Smith’s Grilled Woodcock 68

TURKEY 69 Brined Wild Turkey Breast 70 Curried Turkey Veloute 72 Grilled Wild Turkey Breast 73 Grandma’s Turkey Dressing 74

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DOVE 75 Dove Gumbo 76 Dove Stroganoff 77 Smothered Dove 77 Grilled Dove Kabobs 78 Fried Dove 78 Jalapeno Stuffed Dove 79 Sautéed Dove 79

–Waterfowl– DUCK & GOOSE 81 Braised Duck Breasts 82 Brett Smith’s Cajun Smothered Duck 83 Ed Gerrity’s Grilled Duck 84 Filleted Duck Breasts 85 Grilled Duck Breast with Cherry/Marnier Sauce 86 Grilled Duck Breast 87 Grilled Duck with Raspberry Sauce 88 Oven-Cooked Whole Duck 89 Smoked Duck Breast with Plum Wine Reduction 90 Brined Goose Breast 91 Young Grilled Goose with Plum Sauce 92

–Big Game– DEER 93 Grilled Mediterranean Venison Roast 94 Grilled Round Steak with Chili-Red Pepper Topping 96 Venison Medallions Napoleon 97 Roast Sirloin Tip with Cherries and Port 98 Venison Round Steak with Italian Seasonings 100 Venison Steaks with Huckleberry Shallot Sauce 101 Venison Stew with Cranberries 102

ANTELOPE 103 Antelope Chops with Balsamic Vinegar and Capers 104 Antelope Chops with Cranberry-Mustard Sauce 105 Antelope Steak 106 Antelope Tenderloin with Marsala-Brandy Sauce 108 Grilled Antelope Roast with Mustard Sauce 109 Grilled Antelope Roast 110 Roast Antelope Sirloin Tip with Root Vegetables 111

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ELK 113 Braised Elk Shanks 114 Braised Elk Short Rib Style 115 Brandied Elk Medallions with Hunter Sauce 116 Elk Chops with Portobello Mushrooms 117 Elk Steak with Pear, Mushrooms and Hazelnuts 118 Sirloin Tip Roast of Elk on Vegetable Rack 119 Grilled Elk Roast 120

BUFFALO 123 Buffalo Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce 124 Grilled Buffalo Steaks with Blackberry Sauce 125 Grilled Buffalo Steaks with Port-Brandy Reduction 126 Roast Buffalo with Mushroom Au Jus 127

–Small Game– SQUIRREL AND RABBIT 129

Grilled Squirrel 130 Braised Rabbit with Sherry and Italian Sausage 131 Rabbit in Almond Sauce 131 Fried Rabbit 132 Rabbit Putanesca 133 Hasenpfeffer 134 Grilled Rabbit Calvados 135

COMFORT FOODS 137 Chukar Pizza 138 Elk Pizza 139 Elk and Black Bean Mediterranean Chili 140 Mixed Bag Pot Pie 142 Quick and Easy Game Pot Pie 144 Sage Grouse Enchiladas 145 Sharptail Pot Pie 146 Tortilla Chili Bake 148 Wild Game Burgers 149 Venison Pot Pie 150 Venison Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce 152 Wild Peppers 154

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SOUPS & STEWS 157 Antelope Carbonade 158 Black Bean Soup with Venison Sausage 159 Duck and Sausage Gumbo 160 Elk Black Bean Soup with Creole Seasoning 162 Elk Stew 164 Smoked Goose and Duck Gumbo with Sausage 165 Sharptail Chili Blanco 167 Split Pea and Game Bird Soup 168 Venison Black Bean Soup 169

SAUCES 171 Blackberry Brandy Sauce 172 Apple Delight 172 Brown Sauce 173 Cherry/Marnier Sauce 174 Ed Gerrity’s Red Currant Sauce 175 Coconut-Lime Sauce 175 Cranberry-Orange Sauce 176 Ginger-Rhubarb Sauce 176 Mango-Orange Marmalade Sauce 177 Huckleberry Sauce 177 Mushroom-Red Pepper Sauce 178 Strawberry-Shallot Sauce 179 Mustard Dip 179 Port-Brandy Reduction 180 Plum Sauce 180 Mustard Sauce for Grilled or Roasted Game 181 Prairie Grouse Sauce 181 Shiitake and Juniper Berry Sauce 182 Raspberry Game Sauce 182

STOCKS AND MARINADES 183 Game Stock 184 Game Bird Stock 186 Basic Waterfowl Marinade 188 Game Roast Marinade 188 Game Steak Marinade I 189 Game Steak Marinade II 189 Game Bird Marinade I 190 Game Bird Marinade II 190 Jack Daniels Game Marinade for Waterfowl 191 Lemon Marinade for Pheasant 191

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Marinade for Goose Breast 192 Marinade for Upland Birds 192 Mustard Marinade for Small Game 193 Mustard Glaze for Game Meat 193 Prairie Grouse Marinade 194 Peach Marinade 194 Waterfowl Marinade with Oriental Flavor 195 Raspberry Marinade 195 Smoked Game Bird Marinade 196

ABOUT FRED MCCALEB 197 ABOUT BRETT SMITH 197 ABOUT THE PUBLISHERS 198 CULINARY SOURCES 199 GLOSSARY 200 INDEX 202

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PAT pheasant pieces dry, and lightly coat with seasoned flour. Heat butter and olive oil in skillet. Brown the pheasant 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove pheasant, cover, and place in warm oven.

ADD shallots, mushrooms, and grated carrot to skillet. Sauté, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add pearl onions. Add brandy to pan, and deglaze. Then add stock, sherry, and tarragon. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

SPOON about ¼ cup of the sauce into the sour cream and flour mixture, mixing with a small whisk or fork to combine. This helps to warm the sour cream so that it doesn’t curdle. Add the sour cream mixture to the sauce and stir to combine.

RETURN pheasant and juices to skillet. Cover and keep on low until serving. When ready to serve, add parsley and stir in. Sprinkle toasted sunflower seed on top, if used.

Serves 2 to 3

PHEASANT TARRAGON

Ingredients

1 pheasant – cut in 6 pieces 4 tablespoons flour seasoned with

garlic powder, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, paprika and pepper

2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 shallots, cut in half and sliced 1 cup mushrooms, sliced 1 carrot, grated 1 cup pearl onions – either from jar or

can, or frozen

2 tablespoons brandy 1 cup game bird stock or chicken broth ½ cup sherry 1 tablespoon dried tarragon 2 tablespoons sour cream, mixed with 2

tablespoons flour ¼ cup chopped parsley ¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds (optional)

Preparation

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SALT and pepper the shanks. On medium low heat, slowly brown the shanks in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in an ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven. Don’t rush the process; take about 15 minutes per side. Add a little more oil if needed to keep the meat from burning. The browned pieces that stick to the pan will add a great flavor to the gravy.

REMOVE the shanks to a plate. Add the vegetables and sauté slowly until limp. Deglaze the pan with the brandy. Stir in the thyme. Return the shanks to the pan, mixing them in with the vegetables. Pour the red wine and water over all. Cover and gently simmer for about 3 hours, or until tender. Stir several times to be sure that nothing is burning on the bottom of the pan. Add more water if it becomes too dry.

WHEN shanks are tender, remove them from the pan. Working in batches, puree liquid and vegetables on low in a blender. Return to pan along with the shanks. Turn heat to low to keep hot until ready to serve. You can also make a day ahead and reheat. The longer this sits, the better the flavors blend.

SERVE with browned orzo pasta or noodles, and a side of grated horseradish.

Serves 2 to 4, depending on the amount of meat on the bones

BRAISED ELK SHANKS

Although butchering your own big game is a lot of work, it definitely has its benefits. The first is a feeling of satisfaction of controlling the meat that you eat right from the stalk, through the taking of the game, the field dressing, and all the way to exactly how your meat is cut. Another benefit is being able to make a dish such as this. Most wild game butchers today will take your game in and cut it into chops, steaks, roasts, and burger or sausage. But, with the short time they have to butcher wild game, most will not honor requests to cut bones into rib pieces, short ribs, and shanks, or crack the bone joints for soups and stocks. So, all that great eating ends up in the garbage pile. Butcher your own, and keep your options open.

Just like shanks in domestic meats, braising is the desired method. This slow cooking in liquid aids in breaking down the tough connective tissues around the shank bones. If you are used to cooking beef or lamb shanks, you will be amazed at the lack of grease that comes to the top after the cooking process. You will also find that you will need to cook the shanks longer to achieve the same tenderness.

Ingredients

3 pounds elk shanks olive oil 1 large carrot, finely chopped 2 large celery stalks, finely chopped 1 small parsnip, finely chopped. 8 large cloves garlic, peeled 1 small onion, finely chopped

¼ cup brandy ½ teaspoon thyme ¾ cup red wine or Port ½ cup water salt and pepper to taste 2-3 tablespoons butter, cut in small

chunks (optional)

Preparation

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