Winter 2006

Wild Game Goulash
Serves 6-8

There should be about the same amount of onions as there is meat. The onions constitute a good part of the thickening for the sauce and add a sweetness to the dish.

6 cups venison or other game, boneless and cut into stew pieces
½ cup salad or olive oil
6 cups onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 ea. red, green or yellow bell pepper (poblano may be substituted for a spicy variation) diced finely
1/2 cup tomato paste or 3/4 cup tomato puree
3/4 cup quality Hungarian paprika
1 cup dry white or red wine
1 teaspoon vinegar (cider, white or red wine)
1 teaspoon ground caraway seed
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon peel
1 ea. lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp salt (taste and add more if desired, but let it cook first)
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 ea. bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme, fresh or dried leaves or rubbed thyme
6 cups brown venison stock made from roasted bones and root vegetables
or substitute canned beef, veal or chicken stock. See note below on stock.
6 oz. roux (melt 3 oz. Butter and add 3 oz. Flour, cook briefly till light tan in color; cool)

Method
Preheat a heavy bottomed pot, Dutch oven or large skillet. Add the oil when it is smoking hot and immediately add the meat. Allow the meat to brown before turning or moving it about.

Season the meat after browning with the salt, pepper and caraway.

Add the onion and diced pepper stir briefly and continue to cook until tender and golden brown.

Add the tomato paste or puree and stir to distribute evenly. Brown again, scraping up any residue from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and stock. The amount of stock should just cover the meat. If needed add a bit more than indicated, but do not add too much extra or it may dilute the flavor of the stew.

Mix in the roux with a whip vigorously to dissolve.

Add bay leaf, lemon and thyme. Reduce heat source to maintain a simmer, covered until meat is fork tender. This will take longer for a larger animal (Moose, Elk, bear Etc.). It normally takes 3-4 hours of slow even cooking to tenderize the meat. An easy way to do this to avoid sticking or burning the bottom of the pot, is to place the pan or Dutch oven in the oven at 325 degrees and check occasionally. Adjust the heat downward to achieve a slow gentle simmer, this will yield a moist result.

Serve over sautéed spaetzle (recipe follows) or buttered noodles. Braised cabbage, sour cream and marinated roasted peppers make a nice accompaniment.

Note:
If you use shanks or shoulder cuts and have bones from the game, it is a simple affair to make stock for stews and soups. Crack the bones with a cleaver or ax to expose the marrow or cut with a hand saw into 2-3" pieces. Brown about two quarts of bones at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-35 minutes. Add a carrot, one onion and a stalk of celery cut into rough pieces and bring to a simmer. Add one bay leaf, a sprig of thyme or a teaspoon of dried thyme leaves and a little parsley if you have it. Let the mixture cook very slowly overnight or for 8 hours and strain. Making your own stock will yield a deep rich flavor-- those bones are free, why not use them?

German Spaetzle

Spaetzle or little drop noodle dumplings, are made by forcing an egg batter through the holes of a colander or a spaetzle maker. Bring a half a pot of water to a boil with a little salt. The pot opening should allow a colander to be suspended above the water, allowing you to use a spatula or your hand to press the batter through. Give the pot handle a shake with your free hand between presses to wash the hot water over the noodles and keep from forming one large lump of noodle dumplings.

6 ea. whole eggs, extra large
9 oz. milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3-3/4 cups All Purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Method

Mix the eggs and milk with a wire whip.

Combine the dry ingredients and whisk into the egg-milk mixture till smooth. Allow to rest for 15 -30 minutes at room temperature.

Place 1/4 of the batter at a time into the colander and press through the holes on the bottom into the boiling salted water. Remember to shake the pot occasionally to avoid dumplings forming a large mass. Continue until all the batter is used and cook the spaetzle for about 8 minutes. Drain well and allow to cool by briefly running cool water over the noodles and draining again.

Spaetzle may be made the day before and heated just before service if desired.

The Spaetzle may now be pan fried in whole butter in a Teflon pan and turned to brown the other side similar to hash browned potatoes. This is a favorite method of mine and offers wonderful texture to the home made noodle dumplings.

Cabbage Stuffed Cabbage
Makes 12 servings

1 ea. head of green cabbage, Savoy cabbage if available
4 strips smoked raw bacon, chopped finely
1 cup diced onion
1 ea. green apple, diced
1 cup apple juice or cider
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 cups chicken or game stock
2 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon white or black pepper or mixture of both
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon rubbed or ground thyme

Method

Remove the core of the cabbage with a stiff sharp knife. Be careful and keep your hand and thumb behind the knife. Remove a dozen or so outer leaves from the cabbage and reserve.

Cut the remaining cabbage heart into quarters, then cross cut into a fine julienne or chop.

Partially cook the cabbage leaves in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes and cool.

Lightly brown the bacon and add the onion in a pot large enough to later accommodate all the raw cabbage. Cook until the cabbage is tender, taste and adjust seasonings.

Add the cabbage and remaining ingredients, cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes until tender. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Using a soup ladle, lay the par-boiled cabbage leaves inside and fill with the cabbage mixture. Close up the “ballontine” or round stuffed cabbage with toothpicks and put into a small skillet, cake pan, pie dish or whatever is handy to hold them for service. Keep warm and serve with Goulash and Spaetzle.