Many families traditionally serve wild game on or around the holidays.
I remember living on our farm when I was a child and eating pheasant,
rabbit and venison. If you have a hunter in the family you might serve
game often, or it may be a special dish only served on special
occasions.
Whatever your tradition, we found these recipes from 1940 through 1960,
as an alternative to the classic roast turkey.
Roasting Birds
A simple technique for roasting game birds is as follows: Clean,
truss and stuff the bird. Place in a roasting pan in a moderate
oven (350 degrees) until meat is tender and bird is well browned.
Baste every half hour with butter, or wine. You can stuff the
bird with a traditional stuffing, or place fresh herbs and garlic
in the cavity without a stuffing. The bird will take longer to
roast if stuffed. Another option is to lay bacon sliced across
the top of the bird before roasting. Basting is important however,
to keep the bird from drying out.
Pheasant with Wild-Rice Stuffing
Ingredients:
3 pounds prepared pheasant
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, or 1/2 tsp. dried
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms (button mushrooms work fine, or other
varieties can be used)
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice (if you can substitute white or brown rice)
2-3 bacon slices
Rinse pheasant; pat dry. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Slowly
melt butter
in medium skillet. Add onion, celery, mushrooms and parsley. Sauté
until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add remaining ingredients, except the bacon., tossing with a fork.
Spoon stuffing into the cavity of the bird and truss (see note). Place
on rack in shallow roasting pan; place bacon slices over the
top of
the breast. Roast 2 hours; basting occasionally with pan drippings.
To serve: Remove pins and twine. Spoon stuffing into a serving dish.
Cut pheasant in half or quarter; arrange on platter. Serves 3-4.
Note: To truss a bird you can tie a piece of kitchen string to the
end of the neck skin and pull it over the back. Slip the ends of
the wings over the back and press them close to the body. Press
the thighs close to the body, draw ends of the twine back on each
side and up over the thighs. Cross the twine between the legs and
tie it down under the tail.
Braised Rabbit
Ingredients:
2 One pound Rabbits, prepared and sectioned
3 bacon slices
1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil, or 2 tsp. fresh
1/2 tsp. dried oregano or 2 tsp. fresh
1 cup canned tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup red wine
Rinse rabbit pieces well and pat dry. In large heavy
skillet or dutch oven over medium heat, sauté bacon
until crisp. Drain well on paper towels , crumble and
set aside. In same skillet, in the drippings, sauté the
rabbit until nicely browned on all sides. Remove from
the heat. Add remaining ingredients, along with bacon;
mix well. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, and simmer,
covered, 45 minutes to one hour, or until tender. Remove
to heated platter. Spoon pan juices over rabbit. Serves 6-8.
Venison
There are so many recipes for venison, and everyone has
a different preference. Some people soak the venison
in salted water for 5-6 hours and drain, to remove the
"game" taste. Others cook as is, and love it that way.
This recipe can be used regardless of preparation.
Venison Steaks
Ingredients:
2 venison steaks
2 cups flour
salt and pepper to taste
One large can tomatoes, undrained
2 medium onions, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
oil or fat
Place two cups or so of flour in a pie tin, season with
salt and pepper. Coat each steak with flour. Place
oil or bacon fat in skillet; brown steaks. Add tomatoes,
onions, parsley, and garlic. Simmer for 45 minutes,
until done and tender. 4-5 servings.
More venison tips
Venison steaks can also be grilled or broiled. I have run across
several recipes and tips. A 1942 cookbook advised
that venison takes about 3 minutes longer than beef steak.
If the taste of venison is too strong it may help to marinate
in oil mixed with lemon juice. I think garlic would be a good
addition to that too. One serving recommendation was to use
a mixture of equal parts of butter and current jelly spread on steaks.
About the author
Brenda Hyde is a wife and mom to three who lives in the
winter wonderland of Michigan. She is a freelance writer and
editor of OldFashionedLiving.com.
