Moose stew

This is done somewhat in the method of an ordinary beef stew but I used all sorts of veggies that I had and wanted to use up so it's not quite a traditional stew. I also brined the moose beforehand because game has a tendency to have a fairly strong flavor I like to drown out a bit. That doesn't really speak well for game, does it?


Moose Stew


Brine about 2 lbs of moose in brine made from water, salt, brown sugar, thyme, crushed garlic, bayleaf

Drain and rinse the meat before use


Brined Moose
bacon fat (I had some but any oil will do)
onion diced
Worchestershire sauce
water

In dutch oven, brown the moose in the bacon fat in parts. Add back all the moose and add the onion, cook for a bit. Add a nice slug of worchestershire sauce and some water to cover the meat. Cover and put in the oven at 275 for about 2 hours until the meat is nice and tender.

Add veggies of your choice, diced. I had:

1 beet (just to make it nice and red I guess)
1 large parsnip
5 carrots
2 ribs celery
1 valentine radish
4 potatoes

Toss the veggies in with the meat and cook for another 1 1/2 hour or so until everything is tender. Season as desired.

Rating: Whooops! I made it way too salty. Ben loved it but on the second bowl even he admitted that it was a bit much and I don't think I've ever heard him admit that before. I thought it was so so but I'm not much of a fan of beef stew or pot roast or other things in the mushy root vegetables with meat category.

Goulash Moolash

So when you make a big old moose brisket style there is a lot leftover. And when I ran across this recipe for goulash, a little lightbulb went off and I decided to give it a try.

Of course I modified, I always modify. I didn't measure anything but the spices, I used Hungarian paprika but I don't know if it was sweet paprika or some other type of Hungarian paprika. Whatever. I used the moose pan juices in place of broth and of course the moose was already cooked so I skipped that entire step. Most of the ingredients weren't local but at least the moose and the onions qualified.
Verdict: Ben and I loved it, Sam thought it was "spicy" but it most certainly was not. I think he's just trying to be a contrarian. He ate salad instead and that salad contains some sunflower sprouts, something grown locally. They taste just like sunflower seeds. What can be bad about that?

Making dinner for friends

Apple Pie

Today I made and apple pie using the vodka crust method. It does seem to make the crust more flaky. And why do I start the day making dessert rather than working on the main event? Oh, dessert IS the main event.

Crust:
2/3 c butter
2 c flour
1/2 t salt
Water/vodka mix

Filling:
Apples
1/2 brown sugar, a couple T white sugar
1/4 c flour
cinnamon
nutmeg

Grade: Excellent. Butter crust didn't got soggy this time.

Looks beautiful! Extra crust turned into piecrust pinwheels. They're dangerous.

Applesauce
Buttload (at least 7 lb) apples, peeled, cored
Apple cider (mine is on its way to turning hard)
Maple syrup

Boil - I'll need to throw it in the food processor because even after simmering for over an hour it still has pieces of apple.

Made only about 2 pints of applesauce which is depressing for as much work as it is. Tasted great though.

Grade: Good

Moose whatever - it said shoulder on the bag

Ben shot it, butchered it with a friend. It's moose but mystery moose parts and probably at least 5 lbs.

Brined meat in salt, juniper berries, crushed garlic, water, bayleaf, peppercorns about 4 days earlier. Brining really decreases gaminess.

Rinse brine off (the peppercorns and juniper berries were stuck in the meat like buckshot), add rosemary & onions & water (or whatever flavor profile you'd like) Roast covered at 300 for hours and hours. Cook until it pretty much falls off the bone - about 5 hours this time.

Grade: Very good...keep in mind that my rating is based on my general blah feeling about large pieces of meat. Everyone ate it and liked it, even the kids.

Glazed Carrots

About 2 lbs carrots cut to preferred size/shape - simmer to preferred tenderness

Mix 2/3 c brown sugar, 1/4 c butter in pan. Add cooked carrots, sprinkle w zest of one orange

Grade: Very good

Smashed local mulit-color potatoes.

I put cream cheese in the potatoes to keep them smooth even though they were done early.

These potatoes don't make nice fluffy mashed like Idaho potatoes. They taste good but are kinda heavy.