Wild Turkey Carnitas
Quite possibly the best thing to make with wild turkey drumsticks and wings, which can be uber tough and stringy. Braise them slowly until the meat falls off the bone, then pull the meat, crisp it and serve it in tacos or burritos.
Hare Krishna
When you make an Indian rabbit curry, you kinda just gotta call it “Hare Krishna,” especially if you use actual hare, as I did. This is, more or less, a south Indian curry.
Food Plot Venison Stew
There is a cook’s maxim that goes something like, “if it grows together it goes together.” Well, this venison stew puts that into practice. Almost everything in this stew can be found in commercial deer “food plot” seed mixes. Shoot the deer, and serve it with the field you shot it in.
Steelhead with Sorrel Sauce and Salsify
Salmon and sorrel sauce is a French classic, a harbinger of spring. This is my updated, albeit fancy version, done with steelhead trout from the American River. Getting the fish cooked perfectly is pretty easy with this method. It’s the sorrel sauce that’s tricky.
Crab Fried Rice with Pineapple
It might sound weird, but the combination of crab and pineapple in this Vietnamese-style fried rice is awesome! Hat tip to my friend Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen for the idea.
Partridges with Cranberries and Rosemary
This dish, inspired by Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson of Faviken, is nothing short of a revelation in its simplicity and in the technique of cooking the partridges. If you are an upland bird hunter, or like to eat Cornish hens or quail, you must read this.
Wild Rapini with Orecchiette and Garlic
On of my all-time favorite vegetables is broccoli rabe, also known as rapini or broccoli raab. Not actually a broccoli, it’s actually the unopened flower buds of a kind of mustard. And guess what? Wild mustard works every bit as well as garden variety.
Homemade Polish Kielbasa
Few sausages are as iconic as Polish kielbasa. There are as many variations as there are cooks — even an official government-approved recipe, which I used as my inspiration. This one is pure smoky awesomeness.
Wild Scallion Pancakes
Asian style scallion pancakes — really flatbreads — are super easy to make and are a great snack or light lunch. Drizzled with a sweet and spicy sauce, they are almost dangerously addicting.
Black Bear Osso Buco
This is about as classic Italian as it gets… except I’m using bear shanks instead of veal. Osso buco is one of the best uses of any large shank, be it elk, moose, a big deer or pig, and yes, black bear. Call it “orso buco.”
