Arkansas PBS > Programs > Cooking on the Wild Side > s07 > Cooking on the Wild Side August 2018

Cooking on the Wild Side August 2018


Elk Henley in Puffed Pastry

  • 2 lbs. elk meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 stick butter
  • 4 slices bacon, diced
  • 2 large onions, chunked
  • 3 Tbsp flour
  • 1 cup Port wine
  • 1 can beef broth
  • 6 juniper berries
  • 1 tsp. thyme
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 sheet puffed pastry

Egg Glaze

  • Beat one egg with one Tbsp. water till frothy

Melt butter in deep skillet. Add elk meat a few pieces at a time and brown. Remove meat from pan and set aside. Fry bacon until crisp. Put with elk meat. Add onions and mushrooms to pan and cook until golden brown. Stir in flour. Add port, juniper berries, stock, and thyme and bring mixture to a boil. Add elk and bacon. Simmer about 30 minutes. With slotted spoon, place elk meat in a greased #12 deep Dutch oven. Place on medium heat and cook sauce until it thickens. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over meat. Roll out pastry to fit Dutch oven. Put pastry on top of meat mixture. Glaze with egg glaze. Place lid on oven and bake at approximately 400° until crust is golden brown.

Barbecued Squirrel

  • 4 squirrels, cut into serving pieces
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 bottle barbecue sauce

Mix together flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cover squirrels in flour mixture. Discard extra flour. Brown squirrels in skillet. Place squirrels in slow cooker. Cover with bottle of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Grilled Marinated Quail

  • 1 small bottle zesty Italian salad dressing
  • 1 tsp. thyme
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • ½ tsp. rosemary
  • 3 cloves garlic, pressed
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 2 tsp. basil
  • 10 quail
  • Vegetable cooking spray

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top heavy duty plastic bag. Add quail. Marinate overnight, turning bag occasionally. Coat grill rack with cooking spray. Remove quail from marinade and cook over medium-hot coals, basting with marinade each time quail is turned, about every 5 minutes.

Quick Pasta Salad

  • 12 oz. pkg. pasta
  • 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 large red onion, chopped
  • 1 can black olives, drained
  • 1 large green pepper, chopped
  • 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed
  • 1 large jar sliced pimento
  • 1 bottle Italian salad dressing
  • 1 large can mushrooms

Cook pasta according to package directions, being careful not to overcook. Drain pasta, pouring liquid over frozen peas in colander. Place all ingredients in large bowl, mixing well. Add bottle of dressing; toss and refrigerate. Keeps well if it lasts that long.

Lucky Hunter Venison Stew

  • ½ lb. bacon, sliced
  • 4 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 cup Burgundy + ¼ cup
  • 5 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 lb. venison, cubed
  • 1 Tbsp. rosemary
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
  • 1 tsp. garlic granules
  • 1 (8 oz) pkg. mushrooms

Cook bacon and onions in Dutch oven until bacon is done and onions are soft. Remove from pan. Mix flour, salt, pepper and garlic granules in resalable plastic bag. Place a few cubes of venison in bag and shake to coat. Add half the butter to Dutch oven. Brown venison cubes a few at a time. Remove from kettle when browned and add to bacon/onion mixture. Continue until all venison is browned. Deglaze kettle with ¼ cup Burgundy wine. Return venison and bacon mixture to kettle. Add all remaining ingredients. Lower heat and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Serve over rice or noodles.