The Deerslayer's Wife
Embracing the Hunting Lifestyle
Wild Pork Green Chile Stew
One of my biggest missions in writing this blog has been to share with hunters that no wild game meat should ever be wasted. Cook-all-day venison, elk, nilgai, or pork uses the tough and sinewy bits that most hunters either grind up or just toss out.
Every year, I cook up about 20-40 lbs. of shank, shoulder, neck, and rib meat that I bag up in one-pound, carefully labeled packages. I also pour the rich, priceless meat broth into bags or jars to use in recipes. This liquid is like gold to a recipe. You have to pay top dollar for this stuff in gourmet food shops. I use my packages of cooked meat and homemade broths in an ever-increasing number of fast, easy, satisfying, and healthy recipes.
Here is one more recipe that can be prepared in a pinch, like on a Monday evening when it’s just too damned hard to get your act together. Or when it’s cold out and you discover that you’re gonna have a few extra people for dinner (an hour before they’re scheduled to arrive). With little effort, you can thaw out a package of cook-all-day pork, grab some of this miracle in a jar and a few other ingredients, don your super-hero cape and impress the hell out of your appreciative family. Go for it!
Cookwell & Company’s Green Chile Stew is readily available at a Texas grocer, HEB. It can also be purchased online. Its bold flavor and chunky texture compliment the mild flavor of my cook-all-day wild pork. I purchase several jars when they go on sale to keep in the pantry. If we ever move into an area that doesn’t have an HEB, I’ll order it by the case.
Wild Pork Green Chile Stew
1 lb. cooked-all-day wild pork, chopped (Fatty bits make it even better!)
1 jar of Cookwell & Company’s Green Chile Stew, 32 oz.
1cup of cooking broth from the meat or stock depending how soupy you want it
1 ear of roasted corn kernels (or 3/4 cup canned corn, drained)
1 tsp. comino (cumin)
a plop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt for the top, if ya want
grated cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, cilantro or whatever you like as a garnish
1.In a dutch oven, combine pork, contents of jar, cooking juices or stock. and comino.
2.If using roasted corn, cut it from the cob and add to stew and simmer. Or add canned corn. Canned corn can be spread out on a cookie sheet and roasted under the broiler, as well. Just toss it around a bit as it browns. Before using in a recipe, remove any kernels that might have burned.
3.Heat through.
4.Add a plop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. Add a sprinkling of grated cheese. Serve with crusty bread.
Tuh Duh! Too easy not to love!
Corned Nilgai
I was so excited when I read Hank Shaw’s post on Corned Venison! I’m a huge fan of corned beef and a big fan of Hank Shaw, as well. There are few things better than a corned beef sandwich on rye bread (except perhaps corned venison or corned nilgai) served up like a reuben with saurkraut and beer mustard.
Hank did a very thorough (and beautifully photographed) job of describing the process of making corned venison so I didn’t bother putting my own spin on it except that, this most recent time, I used half of a nilgai roast instead of venison and I threw in a deer heart just to see how it would turn out. (Really well!) I’ve prepared the recipe three times now. The first two times, I used venison football roasts. The recipe turned out great. Flavorful and tender.
The Instacure I ordered from Amazon Prime. I followed Hank’s directions to a “t” except that I used brown sugar rather than white for the brine. I just like brown sugar better as a general rule. My biggest challenge came when I was looking for a container to place my meat in while it brined. I settled on a plastic cylindrical container that 4 lbs. of potato salad came in. It sealed nicely and was just the right size for a 1/2 nilgai roast plus a deer heart (just cuz) and could be slid into the back of the fridge. The same container (after it was thoroughly cleaned) was perfect for storing the cooked meat which needs to be kept in the cooking liquid so it doesn’t dry out.
Nilgai is pretty dense, sinewy meat so I punctured it pretty liberally so that the brine could penetrate all the way through. For the heart, I just cut off about the top ½ inch, rinsed it out well and tossed it into the brine with the other meat.
Our favorite way to eat the corned meat is on a sandwich which has been toasted, panini-style, with my George Foreman Grill. I find the best rye bread that is available in the Rio Grande Valley, slather it with beer mustard, a slice of swiss cheese, and some saurkraut. I spray the outside of the sandwich with olive oil cooking spray and grill it on the ol’ George Foreman. The same effect could be accomplished with an actual panini press or in a cast iron skillet. The result is crisply toasted bread, melty cheese, and fabulous corned meat that I prepared myself for my Deerslayer Clan!
Promise me that you’ll try it!
New Year, New Outlook!
It’s New Year’s Day, rainy, and cold. Deerslayer has to work so I’m able to snuggle up, reflect, and plan for the future. It’s the time of year when everyone resolves to be a better, healthier, more exercise-conscious, Zen-like person. I’m old enough to realize that it’s a waste of time and energy. It’s a recipe for disappointment.
My resolutions are leaning more toward doing more things that I love. I will drink more hot chocolate and wine (not together necessarily), never pass up a worthy dessert, be a little bolder in my cooking, delve into the art of charcuterie (curing meats), blog more often, and enjoy my family more.
It’s going to be a great year! Enjoy it with me.
Thanksgiving and Tradition
The week of Thanksgiving in the Deerslayer household brings forth favorite recipes, some on yellowed splattered paper from years of use. Another is scrawled on the back of a discount coupon from the year that SeaWorld opened in San Antonio. A couple are from old newspapers. I enjoy seeing the articles and headlines from way back when.
Of course, we’re having a turkey. I plan to use Ree Drummond’s recipe for whiskey maple brine for the first time. I’ll take a vote before I commit, however. I’m almost as excited about the stock that I will make after the holidays, though!
We’ll also have Cornbread Dressing with Pecans and Apricots. It will allow me to use some of my Maple Wild Pork Breakfast Sausage.
Cauliflower with cheese sauce and Junior Deerslayer’s broccoli/rice casserole will also be on the menu. She will add some garlic mashed potatoes, too.
The whole family agreed that there will be chicken hearts thrown into the turkey pan. Some will be chopped and added to the turkey gravy. The rest will be nibbled while the turkey cools.
The meal will conclude with Deerslayer’s favorite Cranberry Dessert and I’m hoping to try Ree Drummond’s Gingersnap and Pumpkin Cheesecake with caramel sauce. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
It will be a wonderful day of foods that remind us of our many blessings:
Family, freedoms, full freezers, friends
Spicy Marinara Venison Burgers
The other day, a wine-induced conversation ensued in the Deerslayer household regarding the best of all culinary goodness . Is pasta better than pizza? Is seared venison tenderloin superior to chicken-fried venison steak? In our family, I have to admit that pasta, cheese, bread, and garlic topped the list since junior deerslayers were voting as well (only one is old enough to partake in the wine, however). Of course, because we are a deerslayer household, wild game made it into the top 10.
One of the daughters makes a killer spicy marinara that is a favorite addition to pasta and wild game alike. With that in mind, a little brainstorming resulted in the following recipe. Beautifully seasoned venison, sliced mozzarella, fabulously flavorful marinara, crusty ciabatta, and peppery arugula came together to create the perfect combination of flavors, the consummate burger.
Spicy Marinara Venison Burgers
(1 lb. of ground meat makes about 3 burgers)
The Sauce
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
¼ red wine
a blop of balsamic glaze (about a tbsp) (I used balsamic glaze because that’s what I had. Balsamic vinegar will be fine, too)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
In a high-sided cast iron skillet, saute′ finely chopped onion in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add cayenne, white pepper, and oregano. Stir around to let the olive oil work its magic on the spices. Add garlic and continue to stir for about a minute. Don’t let the garlic brown.
Add tomatoes, wine, balsamic glaze or vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer while you assemble the burgers.
The Burger
1 lb. ground venison (or elk, nilgai, or wild pork)
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 egg
1 tsp.dried oregano, crushed in your palms
fresh mozzarella, sliced, brought to room temperature
The cooking method you use to prepare the meat is up to you. The burgers can be grilled or cooked in a hot skillet or griddle. Because the meat is so lean, be sure to use a little oil to prevent the patties from sticking to the cooking surface. I used a hot cast iron skillet, being sure to allow meat to sear, then lowering the heat enough to make sure that they heat through and melt the cheese.
Assembling the Burgers
Ciabatta Rolls
Olive oil
Cooked Meat Patties
Spicy Marinara
Arugula
Thinly sliced red onion (optional)
A Modest “Thank You”
Dear Veterans,
I see you at the store, at the gas station, all around town. I should tell you every time I see you. But I don’t.
Thank you for protecting my family, my freedom to worship as I choose and speak freely and bear arms. Thank you for making this the best country on earth.
Most sincerely,
The Deerslayer’s Wife
Venison (or Wild Pork, Nilgai, or Elk) Stroganoff
Yesterday was the first day of deer season, and yet, here in South Texas, we’re still having days with temperatures that reach into the 90’s, It’s comforting to know that I can open the freezer, grab some cooked venison, and go from there to prepare any number of tasty dishes for my family with little effort and not much strain on the a/c. This is another great recipe that uses “Cook-All-Day” meat. In this particular case, I used a combination of wild pork and venison which was conveniently packaged up in a 1½ lb, carefully labeled and dated freezer bag, cooked and ready to reheat.
During cooler weather, I planned ahead by cooking up 10-15 pounds of sinewy bits of neck meat, shanks and rib meat in my turkey roaster. With a little bit of added stock, liberal amounts of salt, pepper, and garlic, and some added fat (pork in this case) I cooked it up for several hours in a 300° oven. The result was delicious, fall-apart bits of meat that would otherwise have been discarded by deerslayers who don’t know any better.
Venison (or Wild Pork, Nilgai, or Elk) Stroganoff
2-3 tbsp. butter
½ medium onion, chopped
24 oz. sliced crimini mushrooms
2 large cloves of garlic
a little red wine (plus extra for drinking)
a liberal splash of Worcestershire sauce
½ cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
1 ½ lbs. cooked venison (or pork, elk, or nilgai)
salt, to taste
a few gratings of fresh nutmeg
In a cast iron skillet, melt butter and saute onions.
Add mushrooms. Allow to render out liquid. Pour in a glug of wine. (Maybe ¼ cup) and a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
In a small bowl, combine yogurt with a little stock or cooking juices. Whisk together. 
fold into mushroom mixture. This will allow the yogurt to blend more easily into the onion and mushroom mixture. Stir gently until combined.
Add chopped meat.
Heat through. Serve over noodles. Serve with green beans w/ sauteed onions and bacon and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
A decent meal.
Pheasant (or Duck or Chicken) Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce
It’s right before deer season and, for many hunters, it’s the time when we start running out of our coveted wild game. It’s a scary feeling when we have to head to the grocer for meat. Luckily, in this household, we’re not to that point this year. Wild pigs, venison, and nilgai were plentiful. However, Deerslayer has an all-time favorite dish that I often prepare with pheasant. None to be found in the freezer this year, though. Luckily, chicken or duck can very easily be substituted for the pheasant in this versatile dish that’s perfect for leftover fowl, either baked, boiled, or roasted.
This is a recipe that I have continued to tweak over the years. Deerslayer has always enjoyed “enchiladas verdes” (enchiladas with green sauce} so I’ve worked on this recipe until it was just right. The variations are many. While different salsas can be used, some with a chile base, this one was made with a base of tomatillos, a type of green husk tomato from the nightshade family, originally from Mexico. The fruit has a tart flavor that makes a nice accompaniment to the mild taste of the pheasant/duck/chicken. I hope you enjoy it as much as Deerslayer does.
Pheasant (Duck or Chicken) Enchiladas Verdes
Ingredients
About 8 cooked, chopped chicken thighs, boneless, skinless (It has to be dark meat. It just tastes better. You can cook it with the skin on and eat the skin, if you like. You won’t need the skin for the recipe.)
Liberal amount of Tommy’s Salt & Pepper mix
One onion, thinly sliced
cooking oil, a splash
½ a bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
about a dozen corn tortillas (Stale ones work better than fresh. They don’t fall apart in the hot oil)
enough corn oil to fill the bottom of a deep cast iron skillet by about ¼ inch
Herdez (or comparable) Tomatillo or green chile sauce
Process
Preheat oven to 350°.
Whitewing Season and Chocolate Cake
You may be wondering what whitewing season has to do with chocolate cake. If you bear with me for a few minutes, not only will the connection become clear, but you’ll end up with a fabulous chocolate cake recipe as well.
Preparations had begun for the first big whitewing dove hunt of the season. Members of the Deerslayer (hopefully whitewing slayer) Clan would soon be converging on the southernmost part of Texas where the hunt would take place. All the accouterments necessary for the big weekend began to pile up in the front hallway; Yeti coolers, folding chairs, shotguns, gun cases, boxes of shells, shooting vests, all varieties of khaki and camo attire, boots and muck boots, plenty of thirst-quenching beverages, shears. The pile grew and grew. I could no longer get to the laundry room.
As the pile began to encroach on the surrounding environs, the Deerslayer’s wife developed an ever-so-slight twitch. The twitch was accompanied by a bout of crankiness. Don’t get me wrong, my mantra is “Go with the flow, embrace the moment.” However, I also like a tidy house. I’m guessing that the extensive paraphernalia that is part and parcel with the hunting way of life might be one aspect that makes a deerslayer’s wife wince. However, it’s important to remember that the planning and preparation are part of the thrill of it all. It was time for me to step back, take a deep breath, regroup…. and bake a nice chocolate cake for the hunters to take with them. A small, thoughtful gesture like that can bring a tear of gratitude to any hunter’s eye. And it provided me with a creative outlet on which to refocus my energies.
I discovered a great recipe on the King Arthur Flour website a few weeks ago when I was scouring the internet for a chocolate birthday cake for one of the Junior Deerslayers. Cake Pan Cake was just what I was looking for. While I love to cook all sorts of wild game, baking has never been my forte. This recipe is just what I needed; rich, moist, chocolaty, and EASY! This fabulous cake was well received It even has a backstory; hearkening back to WWII and the days of rationing. The original recipe has no dairy or eggs and is supposed to be mixed together in the baking pan. Check out the website for the original recipe and its history.
I adapted the original recipe a bit and the results were delicious.
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/8 cup Dutch-process cocoa or natural cocoa
- 1/8 cup King Arthur black cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon vinegar, cider or white
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup cold half & half
- 1 jar of raspberry jam (between the layers)
- dark chocolate prepared frosting
- sliced toasted almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used two 9″ round pans and sprayed them with baking spray with flour.
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir around with a fork until mixed.
In a two cup measure, combine all liquid ingredients. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until well mixed.
Divide mixture equally into two round pans. It will barely cover the bottom of the pans.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes (less than the time listed on the original recipe since I divided the batter into two pans).
Check for doneness around 20 minutes. All ovens differ. Remove pans from oven and cool on a rack.When cool, smear as much raspberry jam as your heart desires atop one of the layers. Place the top layer where it goes (on top). Frost the cake, lick the spatula. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. Eat some. Sneak some more frosting. Enjoy.
This post is dedicated to my favorite chocoholic fiends: Junior Deerslayer and Kelly!
Chilaquiles with Whitewing Breast
Deerslayer and I had the opportunity to travel to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in June.The son of our dear friends was getting married and we headed down to attend the wedding The small town was beautiful. Cobblestone streets, breathtaking cathedrals, wonderful traditions, fabulous food, great shopping. We spent five days and would like to go back again.
There were many terrific restaurants, some with traditional foods, some with cutting edge cuisine. While I loved both, one of the traditional breakfast dishes really stood out in my mind…so much so that we went to the same restaurant twice and ordered it both times. Deerslayer and I had chilaquiles, originally a breakfast for the working classes, a way to use day-old corn tortillas, softened with salsa, flavored with leftovers, usually chicken, some cheese, some crema fresca. A poached egg was added atop the recipe we had.
The great thing about this recipe is that, to the basic corn tortillas and red or green salsa, the extra additions are as limitless as your imagination. Cheeses, onions, cilantro, varieties of meats, eggs (fried, poached, scrambled) and avocado are just a few examples. To bring a wild game aspect to the recipe, I substituted some leftover whitewing breasts,for the chicken, to create a special occasion breakfast.
Chilaquiles
2 corn tortillas per person
corn oil, enough to cover the bottom of a cast iron skillet by about ½ an inch
a little olive oil
1 ½ jars (24 oz.) of green salsa of choice, from a jar (We like tomatillo but hatch chile or other variety would work fine.)
Leftover, cooked whitewing breasts, three or four per person
1 egg per person, poached with a little white vinegar for flavor and to set the egg whites
crumblled, white Mexican panela cheese to sprinkle
crema fresca to drizzle
cilantro and avocado for garnish
Heat enough salsa to cover your tortillas. For four servings, I used about a jar and a half or 24 oz
Poach your eggs. Set aside on a plate once they are cooked the way you like them. You don’t want them overcooked.
Arrange a pile of chips on each plate.
Pour salsa over the chips.
Crumble cheese and drizzle crema over chips and salsa.
Arrange whitewing breasts and poached egg atop the pile.
Add cilantro and avocado for fun.
The assembly of the dish was rather complicated since I was making four servings. The second time I prepared it, after frying the chips and poaching the eggs, I set out the chips, heated salsa, crumbled panela cheese, whitewing breasts, poached eggs, crema fresca, avocado, and cilantro. Everyone built their his/her own plate, adding as much or as little of the ingredients as they desired. This method was much easier for serving several people.
If you are serving this fabulous dish to first-timers (people who have never had chilaquiles before) just take the bull by the horns and show everyone how it’s done. They’ll get the hang of it.
The Deerslayer's Wife 
