How-To (DIY stuff)
If you have bullfrogs near you -- and chances are you do -- you could do a lot worse than gigging yourself a bunch of frogs for dinner. They actually do taste a little like chicken. But how to go from slimy frog to yummy frog's legs? Here's how.
Fish
No matter if you are foraging, fishing or hunting, everyone wants a bonanza. Well, I had a day like that last week clamming with fellow forager Kirk Lombard. And when it was over, there was really only one dish I could make: Classic pasta with white clam sauce.
Sweet Things
Gooseberries are among the tartest, most aromatic of all our berries. No matter what variety you find, grow or buy, you can make a pretty sorbet from the juice of the berries. Perfect for a hot summer dessert.
Berries and Fruits
Ah, the gooseberry, an unloved berry if there ever was one -- especially here in North America. We have more than 100 varieties here, yet few people, even foragers, both with them. Pity. Here's what you need to know to gather ye gooseberry in style.
Venison
Chunks of venison marinated in North African harissa and skewered with vegetables. Grilled right, this is about as good as it gets for a summertime dinner of wild game.
Recipe
Cattail pollen is one of the great zephyrs of the natural world: One day it's here, the next, dried up and blown to the four winds. I finally caught it at the right moment this year, and finally got to make a dish I've been wanting to make for years: Cattail pollen pasta.
Salmon and Trout
Salmon candy is a special kind of smoked salmon that's been cut into strips, dry cured with sugar and salt, painted with birch or maple syrup, then heavily smoked almost to the point of jerky. It's one of the more addictive trail foods ever made by humankind.
Charcuterie
Lots of people made duck or goose "prosciutto" with the breast. But the real magic is in this Northern Italian ham made with the goose's leg and thigh. Unlike the breast, this can hang for the better part of a year. Let it age that long and it tastes like eating silk.
Fish
I know I do a lot of fancy food here on HAGC, but sometimes I just want easy. After a great rock cod fishing trip in Oregon last week, I felt like a fish sandwich. A really good one, with homemade tartar sauce.
Pheasant, Grouse, Quail
Seared pheasant breast with a refined parsley sauce I learned from the French Laundry's cookbook. It's an elegant way to sex up a simple seared piece of pheasant.
Recipe
Don't be fooled by the fancy name. These are your standard ricotta-spinach gnocchi, only made with wild cow parsnip greens, and the carrot consomme is fiendishly easy to make. A knockout dish that's pure simplicity.
Recipe
Fish meatballs! What's not to love? This is a German version, doable with pretty much any fish that swims, and it's served with a bright, herby green sauce that is traditional in Hesse. Remember the Hessians from the War of Independence? That's them.
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