Upcoming Events

Cooking Class at Whole Foods

18 May 2012
Whole Foods, Arden Way, Sacramento, CA

I will be teaching how to cut up a chicken, and will be leading you through ways to get the most out of each part. This is a hands-on class, and you will get to take home your chicken. Register here.

Sacramento Wild Dinner

15 June 2012
Enotria, 1431 Del Paso Blvd, Sacramento, CA

I am teaming up with Enotria in Sacramento to cook up a celebration of summer in Sacramento on Friday, June 15. We will be pairing with a local winery to make this a special evening. Call 916 922 6792 to make a reservation.

More Events

Recent Posts

Clam Chowder, Mom, and Memories

Today is Mother’s Day, and for me that means mom’s clam chowder. Not only is it a wonderful chowder, but it’s also a bowl full of memories.

The Morel Mushroom Challenge

Morel season is in high gear here on the Pacific Coast, and they’re still popping in the upper Midwest and New England. So here’s a challenge: Tell me how you cook your morels.

Venison Sauce Piquante

I had my first Cajun sauce piquante a year ago, in a grubby cafe near Houma. It was made with alligator, and it was awesome. This version is made with venison, and it’s just as awesome.

How to Make Oil-Cured Olives

Curing olives in springtime? Who knew? But early spring is the time to gather ripe black olives for oil-curing, and I love me some oil-cured olives.

Hello Striper, My Old Friend

Fishing for striped bass means far more to me than merely chasing my dinner. Stripers have become a marker for the key moments in my life.

Elderflower Cordial

Elderflowers have arrived in NorCal, and the first thing I make with them each year is elderflower cordial. I use this sweet-smelling syrup as a base for cocktails and soft drinks.

Wild Boar Bolognese Sauce

I make all sorts of Italian pasta sauces, but an authentic Bolognese sauce is something else entirely. It make look like any other meat sauce, but it isn’t.

Ventreche, French Bacon

I first learned about ventreche, a French bacon, from my friend Kate Hill. It is a very simple thing: just pork belly, salt, pepper and smoke. But that is the source of its beauty.

Pickled Artichokes

We’re in high season for artichokes, and when life gives you too many artichokes – especially the baby ones – this is how you preserve them for the summer.

Cheek by Jowl

Thank Holly for the name of this dish: Cheek by Jowl. Braised wild boar cheek served with fresh spring veggies, a saffron cream sauce, and crispy pork jowl.

Buy the Book

Buy your copy of my book now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell's or Indiebound.

Green Things!

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Wild Greens Colcannon

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here is my take on an Irish classic: Colcannon, basically mashed potatoes with green things. In this case, the green thing is cow parsnip.

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Yearning for Green

Even though NorCal has not had a rough winter, I am longing for the green of spring. And this nettle soup was exactly what I needed right now.

Photo by Hank Shaw

On Miner’s Lettuce, America’s Gift to Salad

For Westerners, miner’s lettuce is a commonplace, an afterthought. But this pleasant salad green has a distinction very few other American plants share.

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Eat Your Lawn

If you live in a warm-winter climate, now is the time to take care of those “weeds” in your lawn by pulling them up — and eating them. Many common lawn weeds are excellent in salads and as a potherb.

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Nettle Risotto

Another good use of cooked stinging nettles is in risotto. Blanched, nettles will keep their emerald loveliness even after a good 15 minutes of cooking, which makes this risotto visually stunning. The dish itself is pretty simple: Risotto rice, cooked nettles, butter, shallot, garlic, a little pecorino cheese and beef stock. The basic structure of [...]

Wild Turkey Recipes

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Barbecued Wild Turkey

Sometimes a plan just comes together. After the world’s shortest turkey hunt, I had so much time left over I dressed and barbecued the bird all in one day!

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Wild Turkey Risotto

Today is a day for leftover turkey, domestic or wild. Whichever kind you ate yesterday, this risotto recipe is a great way to use leftover bits.

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Wild Turkey or Pheasant Marsala

I miss Marsala. I ate it a lot in restaurants while growing up, usually with thin veal cutlets. When veal went out of fashion, I ate it with chicken. And recently, when Holly brought home a wild turkey, I made it with wild turkey breast. This recipe also works really well with pheasant breasts. A classic [...]

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Wild Turkey Carnitas

Let’s face it: Wild turkey legs, wings and thighs can be unbearably tough, and the tendons are often as tough as bone. The answer? Braise them. For a long, long time. What better way to do it than use the Mexican carnitas method? This is where you brown the meat, then simmer it uncovered in [...]

Become a Hunter

Photo by Hank Shaw

Want to Learn to Hunt? Start Now

Want to learn how to hunt but haven’t the faintest idea how? This should help get you started – but you need to begin your journey soon, as hunting season will soon be here…