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Friday 17 February 2012

Venison Stew - Civet de Chevreuil

Remove and discard skin, bones, and sinews from about 3 pounds venison shoulder or neck. Cut the meat into cubes, put in a bowl, and cover with an uncooked marinade. Store the meat in the refrigerator to marinate for a day or two, stirring and turning it from time to time, so that the marinade will penetrate evenly. Drain and dry the meat thoroughly and reserve the marinade. Parboil 1 cup of fat salt pork, cut in a small dice, in water to cover, and then drain it. Heat 1/2 cup salad oil in a heavy skillet and in it, brown the salt pork dice. Skim off the cracklings and set them aside. In the hot fat in the pan brown lightly 12 to 15 small white onions. Add 1/2 cup carrots, cut in pieces and lightly sugared, and cook for about 5 minutes, until both onions and carrots are golden brown. Remove the vegetables from the fat and set them aside with the pork.
Sauté 1/2 pound cleaned mushrooms in the skillet until they are soft and the moisture is cooked out of them. If the mushrooms are very large, cut them in half. Skim off the mushrooms and put them with the pork and vegetables. Heat the fat well and in it brown the drained and dried venison, a few pieces at a time. Put the browned meat in a saucepan, sprinkle it with 2 Tbsp. flour, to make a roux and cook it on top of the stove, stirring constantly until the flour is browned. Add 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 Tbsp. finely diced onion, 3/4 cup red wine, the strained marinade and a Bouquet Garnie made by tying together 2 stalks celery, 4 sprigs of parsley, 1/2 bay leaf and a pinch of thyme. Add water, if necessary, barely to cover the meat. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the meat for 1- 1/2 hours. Add the browned salt pork and vegetables and continue to cook 40 minutes longer, or until the meat is tender. Discard the Bouquet Garnie and correct the seasoning. Turn the stew into a serving dish and sprinkle it with finely minced parsley

Trout, Aurora Borealis, Cooking Style

 Trout, Aurora Borealis:
1. Sprinkle salt all over the skin of the fish on both sides, as much as you'd normally use for seasoning.
2. Let salt settle into the skin for 20 minutes; then broil and the skin will take on iridescent rainbow colours as it cooks. 
See also:  Trout Broiled Blue in an older post
and 

Aurora Trout, About the Fish - This Truly Canadian Fish Will Only Live in Canada

Sunday 12 February 2012

ABOUT COMBINATION KNIFE/SPEAR BLADES






Holly shades of Moby-Dick Batman; that there is a really, really impressive looking piece of useless junk; maybe we should start one of those buy one get one free-just pay additional processing and handling deals . No, but, really, really, I am very, very, exceptionally, depressed with all the new variations of the medieval battle axe sledge hammer, and this "survival???harpoon/knife???/spear head; but, of course, as with all such really, really, really great inventions, there are a few minor, very,very, slight, mind you, nothing to worry about; at all--very minor-problems.
They are:
  •  You now have an implement, that required a lot of time and effort to manufacture (probably burning out a few drill bits, and grinding disks); taking up valuable room, and adding weight to your survival kit, that is really not practical, or of much use, for anything; and that could; well be; one of the contributing factors, if you fail to survive.
  • There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, ( a broken handle for which the wrap is used as a temporary repair) but generally speaking, because for many of the chores you are apt  to be using your knife for; you will want it to be easily cleaned and kept in at least a somewhat sanitary condition so a wrap, of any kind, is most undesirable.  
  • Parachute cord, is made of nylon, nylon is basically impervious to water, soaking will not cause it to stretch.
  • Either the "inventors/designers of these implements/tools know very little about actual survival techniques themselves, or they are more interested in selling a product than they are about YOUR survival.
  • A true knife is never used for chopping, it  is not an axe, machete, or spear,  and you never want to treat one as if it were.
  • In this contraption, you do not have a knife; or any other implement; that is serviceable or useful for much of anything.
  • You are not going to NEED a metal spear head.
  • This THING does not have enough heft or provide enough leverage for chopping. It is not a boning, or skinning knife, and it would be almost useless for meat cutting. In other words, in the PRACTICAL UNCOMPROMISING WORLD OF REAL SURVIVAL, this contraption/THING is almost useless, unless, possibly in a much smaller version, and used as an improvised fish HOOK.
But, don't take my word for it, follow the three links below and watch a real expert, at work, in what most of us like to imagine; is a common, and  absolutely necessary, bushcraft/ survival chore--that of cutting up big game--well almost; then decide for yourself whether or not your choice of a field/survival knife is a good or wise one.
Front  Quarter:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGGnNvmsl5k&feature=related
NOTE: HE USES ONLY--1-- KNIFE--NO BATTLEAXE, CLEAVER, MACHETE, OR SAW; AND YET HE BREAKS DOWN AN ENTIRE SIDE OF BEEF, FASTER THAN MANY MEAT CUTTERS COULD, USING A POWER BAND-SAW.
SEE ALSO: Practical, Usable, Knives and Points http://cookingforsurvival--yourdownbutnotout.blogspot.com/2011/11/survival-practicalusable-knives-points.html