Cooking with Game

GOOSE BREAST ROULADE

Prep time: 25 – 30 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Serves 4

This is a very tasty and attractive dish. The goose turns out surprisingly tender, and very flavorful. I must say that it is a bit of a pain though. The recipe I followed is from the Ducks Unlimited Magazine. I tried to find it on-line, but could not.

I highly recommend making the sauce. It’s easy and really adds a lot. I also suggest serving with some crusty bread to sop up any left over sauce.

Ingredients:

2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms

Olive oil

4 skinless goose breast fillets

(I had 2 large ones so I cut in half thickness to make 4 pieces)

Salt & Pepper

2 cups spinach leaves (packed), stems removed

4 1-inch-wide strips of red bell pepper

4 1 1/2-by-4 inch pieces of white cheese like jack or gouda

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs *

4 pieces of bacon pounded out to flatten and thin **

2/3 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into chunks

Directions:

In the morning or the night before, place each breast in a zip lock bag and pound with a mallet until the thickness of a pencil. Dissolve 1/4 cup course salt, 1/8 cup sugar, in water in a large glass bowl. Place the pounded breasts in the bowl and add enough water to cover. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours up to overnight. This is a simple brining method.

1 hour before preparing, remove the breasts from the brine, rinse and pat dry.

In an oven proof medium size skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat and lightly brown the mushrooms. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and cool.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Rub breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay out flat on a work surface. Place an even layer of spinach leaves across the meat. Add 1 strip of bell pepper and 1/4 of the cooled mushrooms over the pepper. Lay the cheese over the mushrooms and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the bread crumbs * (If not seasoned, add 1 tablespoon italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese) over the cheese. Snugly roll up like a burrito. Stretch and wrap the bacon snugly around the breasts. **(or use 12 thin slices prosciutto overlapped in place of bacon)

Reheat the skillet over medium-high heat and brown the bacon on all sides of the roll for about 2 minutes on each side (about 8 minutes total). Make sure the seam side of the roll is down, add half of the wine to the pan and cook 2 more minutes. Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven and cook until the bacon is lightly browned, about 7 to 8 minutes. If it still needs additional browning turn on the broiler for 4 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven WITH A MITT – LEAVE MITT ON HANDLE.

Transfer the roulades to a cutting surface to rest for a few minutes. Place the pan on a medium-high burner, add remaining wine and balsamic vinegar. Stir to loosen bits and reduce liquid to 2 to 3 tablespoons. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in butter until melted.

Slice each roulade and spoon the sauce over.

NOTE:  If you have left over sauce warm it up slowly. If you heat it in the microwave or too fast it will separate and you won’t be able to use it.

If you breast out your duck or goose you end up with “parts”. My husband doesn’t like to waste anything, so here is how I make the parts edible:  I call this

Pot ‘O Parts

Ingredients:

1 T butter

1 T oil

1/2 onion diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 cups chicken stock (or 2 cubes of bullion in 2 Cups water)

1 cup water (or amount to barely cover)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

parts for 2 or 3 ducks or 1 large goose

Directions:

Add butter and oil to a stock pot over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 5 – 6 minute.

Heat the water and chicken stock. Don’t add yet

Add the parts and stir around just to lightly brown. Stir and brown for about 4 minutes. Now add the liquid and the rest of the ingredients.

Lower heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer 4 to 6 hours (goose could take longer) until meat starts to separate from the bones.

This is not a pretty dish and I guarantee your kids won’t eat it, but your hunter will!! If you are really industrious you could cool the meat, remove it from the bone and use it for taco meat or add to chili. We just eat it off the bones. I wouldn’t recommend doing the breast this way. It will get too leathery.

To store I remove the meat to a dish, strain the liquid into a fat separator and then pour the liquid back over the meat to keep it moist and dispose of the fat. I do recommend storing it with some of the liquid. If you don’t want to strain, or don’t have a fat separator just pour it all over the meat and refrigerate. The fat will solidify on the top and you can remove a lot of it then.

This really is very tasty. My husband loves it, and so do I actually. It just isn’t very pretty and you have bones to deal with.

I should address Giblets here. We like those too, so I sprinkle them with Adolf’s (or any brand) meat tenderizer and use a steel pronged meat tenderizer to poke them a lot. This isn’t real easy, but if you use your body weight you can break up the tough membrane pretty well. Then just add to the pot.

Cheesy Mini Elk Loaves

6 servings of 1 mini elk loaf (My Guy needs 2 of these)

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (about 1 slice)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup, divided*
3 ounces white cheddar cheese, diced**
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (less if you don’t like spicy)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (again regular to reduce spice)
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground elk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs; cook 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently. Or toast in toaster oven at 350° for 5 minutes.

3. Add onion and garlic to a medium sized microwave safe bowl. Spray lightly with cooking spray and mix. Cover with a plate or lid and microwave 3 minutes on high, stir and microwave another 3 minutes. Or heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes.

4. Combine onion mixture, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients.

5. Shape into 6 (4 x 2-inch) loaves on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; spread 2 teaspoons ketchup over each.

6. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until done.

* If you like a little more spice, top the loaves with a spicy style ketchup.

** Use any cheese you have, even grated is fine.

Pressure Cook Your Goose

Goose meat can be prettytough and I personally don’t care for it’s taste.

Pressure Cooking can help tenderize and flavor it. It is also faster.

The Pressure Cooker I have is 12 PSI. If the one you have is a 15 PSI you will need to shorten the cooking time.

Because my hunter brought me home a big fat goose this time, I had to cut it up to fit it in the pressure cooker. I only used the breasts and legs. I even cut the breasts in half so they would cook better. The wings, neck and gizzards I cook separately. My hubby loves the parts this way as I cook them for hours until the meat falls from the bones. I will add the recipe for that soon.

For the liquid I used the same ingredients that I used for the Upside-Down Roast Goose Recipe since it flavors the meat so well. I’m including it here again for convenience:

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

* 1 cup carrots, shredded

* 1 cup celery, diced

* 1 cup onion, finely chopped

* 1 medium apple, cored, peeled and chopped

* 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

* 1 cup chicken stock

* 1/2 cup dry white wine

* 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 T dried)

* 1 1/2 Tablespoons dried rosemary

* 1 1/2 Tablespoons dried thyme

* 4 bay leaves

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 teaspoon cracked pepper

* 1 cut up wild goose, up to 10 pounds

Melt 2/3 of the stick of butter in the pressure cooker over medium heat.

Add the goose parts and brown lightly. You may have to do it in two batches.

Remove the parts to a plate.

Add the other 1/3 stick of butter to the cooker.

When hot add the carrots, celery, onions, apple, and garlic. Sauté for 10 minutes.

Then add the stock, wine, parsley, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute.

Lower the heat to medium-low, simmer for 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the goose back in. Spoon some of the liquid over the meat.

Put the lid on the pressure cooker. Raise the heat to medium-high. When the steam issues steadily from the stem, add the pressure regulator (mine has to click down to be on properly).

Lower the heat to medium or medium-low depending on your heat source (mine is an electric glass top). Regulator should maintain a gentle hissing.

Start timing from placing the regulator. Cook for 1 hour.

Remove from heat, let sit for 5 – 10 minutes. Relieve pressure and remove top.

This can be served with any number of side dishes. Cous cous, rice or potatoes are good.

This is a great recipe from Food.com for Venison.

Wow, this really is good and super easy! Here is what I did differently:

I used the backstrap instead of the tenderloin. It was in two parts, and one part was skinny, so I doubled up the skinny part and then sort of over lapped the two pieces to make one piece as close to equal thickness as I could. Then I wrapped it in the bacon. I too recommend thin sliced.

I baked it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. (Meat thermometer measured below 125). Turned it over, poured a spoonful of marinade over and turned on the broiler (500 degrees). I broiled it for 4 minutes. (Leave in center of oven). Turned it over again and broiled another 4 minutes.

BEWARE: Marinade is sugary so will smoke under the broiler and set off the smoke detector in your kitchen! Turn on your kitchen fan.

I removed it from the oven and transferred the meat to a cutting board. Then covered it with foil and let it sit while we ate our salads. The meat turned out medium rare and juicy. Being backstrap it was as tender as I expected and the flavor was wonderful!! Great way to disguise gamey meat.

Yes it is sweet and a bit salty. If you want to reduce the saltiness, rince the meat after removing it from the marinade and pat dry before wrapping in bacon.