Post by Bill on Feb 4, 2006 9:58:16 GMT -5
;D
Moose Nose and Other Tasty Wild Game Morsels
In dressing fish and game, Idaho sportsfolk cut, pluck, skin, slice, chop, saw, and package -- until they wind up discarding more than they save! You'd be surprised at the tasty and nutritious morsels you're now tossing away.
Consider fish. What can you possibly eat besides the filets? There's the roe, of course, already popular among many anglers. But what about fried-up milt sacs from larger male fish like Mackinaws and steelhead? Or, the boneless, steak-chewy jaw muscles easily scooped from the cheeks of any fish over five pounds or so? Both are common treats in Canada's far north.
You pay good money for domestic chicken or turkey giblets, so why not save those from pheasants and blue grouse? "Giblets" are simply the heart, liver and gizzard (hard-muscled second stomach found in most fowl). Diced and served in gravies and sauces, game giblets are great.
Big game, though, is where Idahoans hit a "variety meats" bonanza. Hunters commonly save deer and elk hearts, livers, and tenderloins (the two long muscles lying along the spine inside the body cavity). But few utilize the two kidneys (upper abdominal cavity), sweetbreads (mainly the pancreas, a lumpy gland behind the stomach), or various bony meats like ribs and knuckles (joints), good for barbecued gnawing or soup stock.
Time-honored dishes from regions outside Idaho include moose nose, bone marrow, mountain oysters (testicles), lungs, tongues, tails, blood sauces, chitterlings (cleaned intestinal tissue), brains, bear paws, etc. Some cultures even consume the acid-soured forage greens found in the stomachs of just-killed big game. Most Idahoans will probably stick with lettuce and wild watercress! -- myself included. We all have our limits. But you might try at least one new dish this season. What you're missing might be delicious as well as nutritionally good for you.
Check out several game cookbooks for some of these unusual dishes. JOY OF COOKING by Rombauer and Becker has several recipes. In trying such offbeat morsels, set your own novelty limits. Nobody says you have to go "whole hog" right off!
THE HEART OF THE MATTER:
If you plan to keep the heart of your big game, get it out and cooled down as quickly as possible. Once removed, the heart should be massaged to expel blood from internal passages. If a stream is nearby, massage and rinse the heart and wrap in porous, damp cloth. Washing the organ will not weaken the flavor. Remove connective tissue, veins, arteries and fat before cooking.
Big game heart makes especially good sandwiches. Just boil slowly until tender and slice. After a hard day of packing out meat, hunters will find heart slices are an easy and delicious camp food.
MOOSE NOSE RECIPE:
1 moose nose
salt & pepper
3-4 bay leaves
onions
Place nose in large pot -- hide, hair and all!
Boil for 2 hours.
Don't look in the pot during cooking.
Cool dish down until you can handle it, then skin the nose without fainting.
Discard the hide. Wash the nose in cold water. Place the nose in a pot of clean, cold water. Add salt & pepper to your taste, bay leaves, and onions. Boil until tender.
Chill and serve sliced on crackers with a smear of cream cheese.
Moose Nose and Other Tasty Wild Game Morsels
In dressing fish and game, Idaho sportsfolk cut, pluck, skin, slice, chop, saw, and package -- until they wind up discarding more than they save! You'd be surprised at the tasty and nutritious morsels you're now tossing away.
Consider fish. What can you possibly eat besides the filets? There's the roe, of course, already popular among many anglers. But what about fried-up milt sacs from larger male fish like Mackinaws and steelhead? Or, the boneless, steak-chewy jaw muscles easily scooped from the cheeks of any fish over five pounds or so? Both are common treats in Canada's far north.
You pay good money for domestic chicken or turkey giblets, so why not save those from pheasants and blue grouse? "Giblets" are simply the heart, liver and gizzard (hard-muscled second stomach found in most fowl). Diced and served in gravies and sauces, game giblets are great.
Big game, though, is where Idahoans hit a "variety meats" bonanza. Hunters commonly save deer and elk hearts, livers, and tenderloins (the two long muscles lying along the spine inside the body cavity). But few utilize the two kidneys (upper abdominal cavity), sweetbreads (mainly the pancreas, a lumpy gland behind the stomach), or various bony meats like ribs and knuckles (joints), good for barbecued gnawing or soup stock.
Time-honored dishes from regions outside Idaho include moose nose, bone marrow, mountain oysters (testicles), lungs, tongues, tails, blood sauces, chitterlings (cleaned intestinal tissue), brains, bear paws, etc. Some cultures even consume the acid-soured forage greens found in the stomachs of just-killed big game. Most Idahoans will probably stick with lettuce and wild watercress! -- myself included. We all have our limits. But you might try at least one new dish this season. What you're missing might be delicious as well as nutritionally good for you.
Check out several game cookbooks for some of these unusual dishes. JOY OF COOKING by Rombauer and Becker has several recipes. In trying such offbeat morsels, set your own novelty limits. Nobody says you have to go "whole hog" right off!
THE HEART OF THE MATTER:
If you plan to keep the heart of your big game, get it out and cooled down as quickly as possible. Once removed, the heart should be massaged to expel blood from internal passages. If a stream is nearby, massage and rinse the heart and wrap in porous, damp cloth. Washing the organ will not weaken the flavor. Remove connective tissue, veins, arteries and fat before cooking.
Big game heart makes especially good sandwiches. Just boil slowly until tender and slice. After a hard day of packing out meat, hunters will find heart slices are an easy and delicious camp food.
MOOSE NOSE RECIPE:
1 moose nose
salt & pepper
3-4 bay leaves
onions
Place nose in large pot -- hide, hair and all!
Boil for 2 hours.
Don't look in the pot during cooking.
Cool dish down until you can handle it, then skin the nose without fainting.
Discard the hide. Wash the nose in cold water. Place the nose in a pot of clean, cold water. Add salt & pepper to your taste, bay leaves, and onions. Boil until tender.
Chill and serve sliced on crackers with a smear of cream cheese.
