Chocolomo. I just love saying the name. It’s a Mexican stew made with beef or venison, and it is amazing. The flavor is so deep and rich you just want to keep eating it. The secret? Char. There’s a whole lotta blackening going on here, and the result is a revelation.
stews
Goan Fish Curry
Goa is a part of India that was once controlled by Portugal, and this curry is an amalgam of the two cultures. Any firm fish will work here, but I tend to use lingcod or striped bass.
Venison Stew with Wild Greens
A Greek-inspired venison stew slowly simmered with all sorts of wild greens, from dandelions to lamb’s quarters to wild fennel, amaranth, orache — really whatever you can find. Of course this is also great with turnip or mustard greens, kale or collards, too.
Cajun Turtle Sauce Piquante
This is a Cajun classic, often done with alligator, but equally good with snapping turtle, which is what I used here. Sauce piquante is a bit of a mash-up between gumbo and an etouffee.
Pheasant Thai Green Curry
As much as I like Indian curries, I like Thai curries even more. This is a bright, spicy Thai green curry done with pheasant breasts. It’s actually a lot easier to make than it looks.
Pheasant Pozole Verde
Pozole is a classic Mexican soup, and like many Mexican dishes, it comes in red and green. I like both, but this is the green version I make with pheasant or wild pig, hominy, tomatillos, green chiles and avocado. Damn good use for pheasant legs, if I say so myself.
Hungarian Venison ‘Goulash’
Hungarians are justifiably proud of their cuisine. Thus the quotes around my use of the term “goulash.” This isn’t actually gulyas, as the Hungarians would write it, it’s porkolt. But here in America we’d still call it goulash. Call it whatever you want, it’s both simple and damn good.
They Called Me Mr. Tibs
Some of you know I started cooking professionally in an Ethiopian restaurant. Well, this was my absolute favorite thing to make when I worked there. It’s a hybrid stew/stir-fry called tibs. I make it with venison now, but it was damn good with beef, lamb or goat, too.