THE SHOOTING SEASON

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 49, 31 May 1940, Page 44

THE SHOOTING SEASON

Recipes For Cooking Game INCE the opening of the Shooting Season on May Day, many "links" of Daisy Chain have been getting presents of game from their sporting friends, and are writing to me for recipes for cooking these in the tastiest ways. Here, then, are the principal ways:

Wild Duck It is usual to roast a wild duck in the same way as a domestic one-stuff it with sage and onion stuffing (being very careful indeed to use not much of either) -and cook it rather slowly in a medium oven-about 350 degrees, for about an hour, with frequent basting. Put some slices of fat bacon over the breast after the first half-hour. Make a good brown gtavy after pouring off the fat in the baking dish, and serve with red currant jelly, or blackberry, or quince-any rather tart jelly, But here are one or two other methods, American Method Place a scraped carrot inside the duck, unless it is a young one, and put it into a saucepan of boiling water to simmer for ten minutes before roasting. This will take away any fishy flavour. I don’t think this is necessary in New Zealand. Wipe the duck with a damp towel inside and out, and dust with salt, pepper and flour, Put into a baking dish with two tablespoons of fat and a cup of water, and cover with two thin slices of fat pork. In America, they seldom stuff wild duck, but often put a few uncooked cranberries inside. Serve with slices of peeled oranges and currant jelly or cranberry. Danish Method (No. 1) Stuff the duck with raw apples, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices, and large prunes, which should not be soaked or stoned, Cook in oven with a little fat and hot water, and baste after it is well browned. Thicken the gravy. Serve with potatoes and "Radkaal" or Red cabbage, which is cooked by shredding it very finely and simmering it for four hours in a saucepan with butter, salt, a spot of vinegar and covered with red currant juice, The Danes preserve quantities of fruit juices in the summer time. Danish Method (No. 2) Our own "Old Bachelor" of New Lynn, himself a Dane, told me his method. Soak the duck in milk for an hour after plucking; stuff with breadcrumbs and very little sage and onion, if any, but add the minced heart and liver. Then roll the duck in flour, brown it all over in butter, and then bake it in the oven in a little fat, and baste frequently with the milk in which it was soaked. Before it is quite cooked, lift it out and make the gravy. Brown equal parts of. butter. and flour and thin out with the liquid in which the bird has been cooking. Strain, ‘and add a glass of port wine and a des-

sertspoon of red currant jelly. Put the duck in a casserole, pour this lovely gravy over, and finish cooking until quite tender, This is a little more trouble, but the result is excellent, You might adopt some of this method, if not the whole. Braised Duck With Olives This is another American recipe, Put about six thin slices of fat bacon into a deep stew-pan. On top put a sliced-up carrot, a turnip and an onion, Tie up a

small bunch of parsley, thyme and marjoram and put in also. Make all these very hot. Now on top, put the duck, and fry until the vegetables and duck are brown all over. Pour off any superfluous fat, and add enough stock to come halfway up the bird. Cover the pan closely, and cook very slowly, basting the bird often until it is quite tender, Into a small saucepan put some stoned olives and half a teacup of Madeira, and make very hot. Dish up the duck, and garnish with the olives and some small scraps of pastry. Add the wine to the gravy, whith is made by thickening, a little, the strained liquid in which the duck has been cooked. Roast Pheasant Stuff like a fowl, with a forcemeat of breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, melted butter, pepper and salt; the pheasantliver may be chopped and added, and some people like a very little chopped bacon in, too. Put in roasting pan breast downwards, and cook in a fairly slow oven for about forty-five minutes; then

turn it on its back, sprinkle with a little flour, and baste it, to brown the breast, and cook another fifteen minutes (or till cooked, according to size and age of bird). Strips of fat bacon may be put in in the last ten minutes, Serve with bread sauce, and rich brown gravy, and garnish with watercress if possible. Cook guinea fowl in the same manner. Quail on Toast Put a small onion inside each quail, after rubbing them well all over with seasoned flour, Brown them thoroughly in very hot fat in a saucepan, then add enough water to keep them from burning, and let them braise gently over a low heat for an hour, or till tender, Serve each quail on hot buttered toast, with plenty of the thickened gravy. Roast Quail Wrap each bird in a slice of bacon, tying it on with cotton; put a knob of butter inside, Bake them in a good oven for half an hour or until cooked, Serve with mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts, Venison Make a pocket and stuff with breadcrumbs, a little onion, and thyme, pepper and salt, and moistened with beaten egg. Then "pot-roast" it, that is, brown it thoroughly all over in fat in a saucepan, then add a little water, and cover with a well-fitting lid; leave it over a slow heat for about three hours-the time depends on the size of the piece, of course. Add some carrots when halfcooked. Some people also like to add milk, and baste the venison at intervals, Dish up the joint, and serve with the thickened gravy, adding a little sherry if possible. Red currant jelly or quince jelly is nice with venison. Roast Venison (Canadian Recipe) This is also a very usual way of cooking venison in New Zealand. Wipe the joint, dredge it with flour after rubbing it well with dripping or butter, and bake it in a hot oven. It should be placed on a rack in the baking dish-(beef and mutton are better cooked on the rack, too, instead of sitting in the boiling fat)-and basted very frequently with good dripping. After the first twenty minutes reduce the heat of the oven, and pour a cup of boiling water into the pan. Cook slowly, allowing about fifteen minutes to the pound. Serve with jelly. Venison Stew Very simple. Melt three tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, stir in two tablespoons of flour, and stir well. Then add about half a cup of sliced bacon, a few small onions, a few cloves, and one or two cloves of garlic. (The garlic is taken out before serving). Then add the venison cut into pieces (about two or three inches square), enough water to barely cover, and simmer slowly until tender. Arrange the meat on the serving dish; add the sauce, a glass of claret, and pour it over.