The Deerslayer's Wife
Embracing the Hunting Lifestyle
Baked Slammin’ Salmon
Whew! What a summer I’ve had. Fabulously wonderful, traveling hither and yon, all the while collecting recipes to try and to share. And yet, it kept me awfully busy. So busy, in fact, that I neglected my duties posting those recipes. I’ll briefly let you in on what was going on, but I’ll share my exploits in more depth in later posts.
There was a trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where I had the best chilaquiles I’ve ever eaten. Then off to Glendo, Wyoming for the annual camping trip. When the Deerslayer clan gets together, there are so many wonderful dishes to be shared. I was lucky enough to bring back two particularly delicious and unique recipes, one for plantain and brown sugar eggroll-type things from the Philippines, and the other for a zesty coleslaw sauce that incorporates all the creamy goodness of coleslaw with the fire of jalapenos.
Rounding out the summer, the junior deerslayers and I headed across the pond to the land of fish n chips and pasties (meat pies) and ale, proper biscuits, strawberries & clotted cream. We also headed to the home of Monet and his gardens, and, oh, what a garden it was. Heaven! Then there was the Eiffel Tower, unbelievably great wine, fabulous cheese, authentic baguettes. Now I can die a happy gal!
So, what’s with the picture of salmon? During a break from the unpacking and laundry, I read a post by the Country Huntress about a recent salmon fishing expedition. She’s awesome and brings a much-needed perspective to the hunting/fishing world. I’d recently prepared salmon for my family, using a recipe that was given to me years ago by one of Deerslayer’s younger sisters. My family loves the recipe. It’s super easy and elegant, and Jen (the Country Huntress) motivated me to go ahead and get the recipe out there to share. Enjoy!
BAKED SLAMMIN’ SALMON
½ cup mayo
½ cup grated parmesan
juice from 1 lemon
2-3 tbsp. finely minced onion
2 tbsp. chopped fresh or dried dill
salt and pepper, to taste
a nice salmon filet, skin on the bottom
*This recipe can easily be halved or doubled depending on the size of your filet. Often, I prepare extra topping that can be served alongside the fish. Toss in some chopped dill pickles for a unique tartar sauce.
Goat Cheese-Filled Venison Meatballs
One day, after a couple glasses of wine, I decided that I wanted to come up with a recipe that combined my favorite flavors into a single Deerslayer-worthy dish. Pasta with a delicious sauce full of bright, fresh flavor, and venison meatballs. Not just plain ol’ venison meatballs, though. Something spectacular, with a surprising burst of flavor! Sounds almost scary, don’t it? I was drinking, don’t forget! In a sudden brainstorm, it occured to me that goat cheese would make a perfect filling. Yup. I pulled ingredients from all over the kitchen, raced to the freezer for ground venison, and snipped herbs from the garden.
The results were pleasing, worth sharing. Worth preparing again… and again. Just typing it up makes my mouth water. I hope you like it, too.
Easy-Peasy Sauce
a splash of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
28 oz. of crushed tomatoes
some fresh or dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
a few sprigs of fresh basil
Because the meatballs are the star of this show, I wanted the sauce to be simple with a clean taste.
Meatballs
1 lb. ground venison (or venison and pork, or nilgai,…you get it.)
1 cup of bread crumbs, divided
1 egg
½ onion, super-finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ tsp. black pepper
about 8 oz. plain or herbed goat cheese (not crumbly)
Borscht, It’s Not Just For Russians Anymore
Borscht, a light, yet hearty soup originating in the Ukraine, seems strange and exotic to many of us. The color, a vibrant – almost electric – fuscia is the result of the beets in the recipe. It’s the beets and other simple veggies that have made it accessible to the working masses for ages. Meat can be added but isn’t necessary. The simplicity of it is beautiful. The brightness of the flavors do not keep it from being a warm, satisfying meal or side. I had to add it to my go-to recipes of family favorites.
The simple flavors are enhanced by the venison stock I had on hand. Some chopped, cooked-all-day venison create a one-bowl meal fit for a Deerslayer!
One of the things I love about borscht is that I always have almost all of the ingredients on hand. I usually don’t have beets but they keep forever in the fridge. The only down-side is that beets really stain. My girls used to use the peeled bits to stain their lips. I didn’t think it looked quite as Disney-esque as the girls thought it did! You might want to wear old clothes while you’re peeling and chopping the beets. I have a special red denim beet-peeling shirt that I like to use for just such occasions.
Borscht
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 cups stock (I used venison), or water
2 large carrots, sliced thinly
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/3 medium head of cabbage, shredded
1 lb. beets, peeled and chopped into small cubes (A beet slightly larger than my fist is about a pound.)
1 cup of tomato juice (I used spicy V8. It was nice)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. dried dill weed
1-2 tsp. white sugar (to taste)
1-2 tsp. salt (to taste)
1 ½ tsp. white pepper
Cooked-All-Day venison (optional)
In a large soup pot, sauté onion in olive oil. Stir in garlic and continue stirring for a couple of minutes. Add stock (or water) and remaining ingredients. Bring to a slow boil and allow to cook for about 20 minutes until veggies are very tender. If you have any “cooked-all-day venison”, toss it in and allow it to warm through.
Serve with sour cream or Greek yogurt.
Venison Pierogi
Delicious little pasta pillows filled with spiced meaty goodness. It’s the best description I can think of for the Polish dish called pierogi. Little Polish ravioli! There are several traditional recipes that include fillings like saurkraut or potato/garlic. Both are out of this world. However, the magic comes from the pasta that is made perfect with the addition of sour cream, rolled incredibly thin, enveloping a flavorful filling. For the sake of my readers, I’ve used some traditional Polish spices with some ground venison to create my own version of this traditional favorite.
Venison Filling
- 2 tsp. toasted caraway seeds
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1½ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. white pepper
- 1 lb. ground venison/nilgai
- 1-2 tbsp. flour
Toast caraway seeds in a cast iron skillet.
Melt butter in the skillet. Saute onion. Add caraway seeds and remaining seasonings and spices, except venison and flour.
Stir until onions are transluscent. Add meat and cook until meat is browned and flavors are incorporated. Because venison (or nilgai) is being used, there will be no rendered fat to pour off, just lots of water.
Turn down heat and allow most of the liquid to evaporate. (Pouring off the extra liquid will waste a lot of the flavor.)
Sprinkle flour over the meat and mix in.
Dough
- 3 egg
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 3 cups flour (plus more to add if too sticky)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
Combine all ingredients in bowl of mixer.
Mix until dough forms.
Flatten dough into a large disk. Cut into strips that can be rolled by hand or run through the pasta maker. To roll the dough out thin enough, I used my pasta maker. It produced a uniform thickness that worked really well with the round cutter.
Making Stock
I love to cook. I’m guessing that anyone who reads these posts does, too. It’s important to me to use the wild game that my Deerslayer fills our freezer with… and to use as much of the animal as possible.
I’m not sure why it took so long for me to start making my own stock. There’s no denying that it enhances the flavor of many dishes and can’t be beat in soups and stews. I’ve made chicken and turkey stock for years but I simply never made the leap of faith to use the meaty bones of venison and nilgai to create my own integral basis for so many recipes. It’s actually right up my alley. No waste! Use all usable parts! Feed my family with the healthiest possible foods! Be cheap! Boxed stocks cost $2 a box or more and I go through quite a bit in my cooking.
Once I embraced the “be cheap, do good” mindset (and had some awesome bones in the freezer), I took it one step further. Every time I chopped veggies (carrots, celery, garlic, onions), I saved the scrappy ends and skins in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag in the freezer until it was full.
Now, when I’m ready to make a batch of stock, I grab the large venison or nilgai bones (cut into a length that will fit into my stockpot and can be covered with water) and my bag of veggies from the freezer, some spices, and some good, filtered water. In addition, I set out a few items that make the job easier. The stuff that I use includes: 2 stock pots (one for simmering and one to pour filtered stock into), a large slotted spoon, tongs, a collandar, some cheesecloth, a measuring cup, and canning jars (or zip-lock bags or other freezer containers)
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Once the stock is ready, use tongs and/or a slotted spoon to remove all bones and vegital matter. At this point, line the collander with several layers of cheese cloth and strain the stock into the second stockpot.
Depending on how clear you want your stock (I’m not a real stickler on this point), it can be strained a couple of times.
Decide how quickly you think you will be using your stock. I pour some up into canning jars that will placed in the fridge be used within a couple of weeks. The remainder is poured (in 2 cup measures) into freezer-safe containers or freezer bags that are then laid out on cookie sheets in freezer for easy stacking later.
Chocolate Milk with Blackberry Brandy and Whipped Cream
I’m pretty sure that, over the years, I’ve shared my view of VD (Valentine’s Day). When I taught elementary school, I had my share of construction paper hearts, cupids, paper doilies, and conversation heart candies (yuck). There were many single years that I bought into the hype of the Hallmark inspired season. Unhappy, unfulfilled times, as I’m sure you can imagine.
Once I found my own true soulmate, and had little angels of my own, the commercialism and annual guilt-buying of over-priced flowers, cards, and candies really had to come to an end. I now had to be a positive role-model for my daughters. My darling needed to know that he didn’t have to desparately spend money on jewelry, nasty lingerie, or teddy bears to show how much he loves me. Waiting in line for a table at a trendy restaurant for a reduced menu of items that have not-surprisingly doubled in price didn’t appeal to me in the least.
Valentine’s Day, originally Catholic saint’s feast day, has become something sadly different. Does anyone enjoy explaining to young children why the undies departments of any Target, Wal-Mart, or any department store have become a veritable sea of red and black uncomfortable, see-thru lace garments?
Following my lead, my family has made a commitment to honoring St. Valentine by spending time with loved ones, preparing a nice meal to share, and my adult, single daughter has concocted a delicious beverage that seems perfect for what she has renamed the holiday “Singles Awareness Day”.
Single’s Solace
Chocolate milk mix of choice
milk
blackberry brandy, a splash
whipped cream
fresh blackberries
Seriously, does this really need explanation? Make some chocolate milk. Use designer shaved dark chocolate or Nestle’s. Make it in a Waterford glass or a plastic cup. Add a splash of blackberry brandy, the stuff that’s usually on the bottom shelf at the liquor store (so you can find it even if you’re on all fours).
Top it off with Coolwhip or homemade whipped cream with vanilla bean (that’s what we did!) and float some blackberries on top. Make one for yourself and give one to somebody you love… or like a lot. Simple, cheap, sweet. That’s what Valentine’s Day should be all about! Keep it real!
What Makes a Mother Proud (A Hunting Mindset)
There are so many things that make moms proud of their little ones. It starts with ultrasound pictures before the little guys are even born. Then come all the “firsts”; first solid food, first steps, first words, first successful potty visit. As time goes by, first scrawled pictures, first book read, first awards in school take the place of previous achievements.
The household of a deerslayer family takes this a step further. First rifle, first buck, first pig, first field dressing are held in high esteem among members of the family and extended family. Even I, as a former educator, have to admit that I was very pleased when my two junior deerslayers each harvested a doe this year. We’ve had plenty of trophies over the years but the tender, delicious meat from a whitetail doe can’t be beat in my book The elder junior deerslayer skinned and gutted hers with minimal assistance and the younger watched carefully and learned as Dad proceeded to field dress hers.
In the Deerslayer clan, being a National Merit Scholarship winner and valedictorian paled in comparison to getting one’s first buck. Early on, I was stymied by the mindset. As I’ve adopted the hunting ways, and grown in years and wisdom, I think I finally understand. Academic knowledge is wonderful and opens many doors in life. In the grand scheme of things, though, being able to sit around a campfire with family and friends, building and nurturing those relationships that will truly be lifelong, while providing healthy, lean, hormone- and antibiotic-free meat for one’s family is truly something to be proud of.
Take a Quick Breather When You Can
Sometimes, through no fault of your own, life starts to get a little bit frantic. You look down the road a bit and see chaos, disorder, and general suckiness headed your way. It’s the way life is. You have to take the bad with the good.
My first instinct, as is probably the case for many of you, is to scramble around, creating order where there will soon be none. Batten down the hatches, as it were. I find myself swiffering within an inch of my life. Dust bunnies are rounded up and vacuumed to their death. The refrigerator is purged of suspicious contents. Every article of clothing is washed and pressed. Deerslayer’s socks look fabulous! Then I collapse for the evening, after preparing a killer meal, with a couple glasses of a soothing beverage… and brace myself for an upcoming crisis.
I’m not saying that this tactic is a good one, just the one I’ve always employed. It usually leaves me frazzled and exhausted in the face of chaos, disorder, and general suckiness. This year’s first stumbling block has me stepping back and trying something new, a more relaxed approach.
I will take life one day at a time, handle things that I’m able to, pray about the things I can’t, and appreciate and be thankful for my loving family, friends, and sunrises at a South Texas Hunting camp. And throw in a few posts as well. Who am I kidding? Head ’em up. Move ’em out, dust bunnies!
Wild Game Osso Buco (Means “I Love You!”)
Deerslayer had a delicious meal in Vail a while ago that he was excited for me to research and try to replicate. He was so enthusiastic (and cute) that I couldn’t say, “no”. The dish was Osso Buco (which means bone with a hole) and is traditionally made with cross-cut veal shank that is then braised in a savory mix of veggies, tomatoes, and wine. If a hunter decides to prepare this recipe with wild game, keep in mind that venison shanks are pretty puny for this particular application. The shanks need to be decently large and meaty like might be found on an elk, bear, wild pig, moose, or NILGAI!
Since we don’t purchase meat from a grocer, how fortuitous that we recently acquired some very nice nilgai shanks as part of the reward of a successful hunt. As I began to scour the blog world for wild game versions of this recipe, I found posts dealing with bear, moose, and elk. I was thrilled to stumble across Hank Shaw’s Hunter-Angler-Gardener-Cook. There’s some pretty powerful stuff in the wild game cookery department on his website. I’m pretty sure I’ve found my new wild game cooking bible. His books are definitely on my birthday wish list! I ultimately ended up preparing a version of his recipe.
Deerslayer and I also needed info on the best way to cut the shanks so that we’d end up with the clean cross-cut slabs. We wanted them to be about 2 to 2½ inch sections. The meat was slippery and difficult to hold on the cutting board because of the fascia (silverskin).
Of course, having the proper tools for the job makes everything much easier. Since we didn’t have a butcher’s meat band saw, we tackled the problem by wrapping both ends of the semi-frozen shank with clean kitchen towels on either side of the cutting line. Laying the towel-wrapped shank on the cutting board, (and having me hold one end) Deerslayer was able to use an LEM hand-operated meat saw without the meat sliding all over. We ended up with 4 servings per shank.
Wild Game Osso Buco
*This recipe is for about 4 large shank servings or 5 small ones. We went crazy and prepared two whole shanks (8 servings or 2 large dutch ovens’ worth!)
1 large wild game shank (about 4 servings, cut into 2-2½ cross slices) one per person
cooking twine, to tie shanks
salt and pepper
flour for dredging
olive oil, cooking oil, or butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
around 2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced (or others that you like)
1 cup of white wine
1 cup stock (beef, chicken, game—– I used nilgai stock)
1 tsp. thyme, fresh or dried
1tsp. oregano, fresh or dried
2 bay leaves
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
chopped parsley for garnish
Cooking time is about 3 hours depending on the size of the shanks and amount of sinew. The nilgai took every bit of the 3 hours.
Tie up the shanks so the meat doesn’t fall off the bone during cooking. It provides a nicer presentation.
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Preheat the oven for 300°.
Liberally salt and pepper meat. Dredge in flour..
Add oil to a cast iron dutch oven and heat. Brown meat on all sides and remove from heat.
Add carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until beginning to brown.
Add wine, stock, tomatoes, spices, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Stir up browned bits from the bottom.
Add meat back into dutch oven. Cover with sauce. Reduce to a simmer.
Place a lid on the pot and put the whole thing in the oven for about 3 hours.
Check after a couple of hours to see if meat is getting tender.
Serve over risotto, polenta, orzo or other worthy bed. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Tell your Deerslayer-Nilgaislayer-Elkslayer, “Osso buco, darling!”
This would be perfect for Valentine’s Day!
The Perfect Gift
Many years ago, Deerslayer received a Cutco hunting knife from his dad as a gift. Of course, it was a favorite because it was from the patriarch of the Deerslayer clan. It was also a great knife that carries a lifetime guarantee that, for the cost of shipping, Cutco will sharpen FOREVER. The serrated blade is superb for skinning even the toughest, oldest wild pig or nilgai. It makes an easy task of processing any meat but is impossible to sharpen oneself.
Deerslayer and I had this conversation before our recent 30th wedding anniversary. Sooooo, I knew what would make a perfect gift. Camo lingerie for me? No. A cruise? No. A nice musky cologne for either of us. Nope. Additional Cutco hunting knives that could be used while his favorite knife was being sharpened! Bingo! I purchased two additional knives. To make it a personalized and more sentimental gift, I had them engraved. Cutco does that! Not too mushy, not a gift that would be awkwardly accepted and placed in a drawer. The perfect gift for my perfect Deerslayer! Priceless!
The Deerslayer's Wife 