Game / Hunting Recipes

Welcome to the hungry hunters section! this page is self explanatory ...
We will aim to have a good recipe from each country or region worldwide with different game indigenous to that region / country:

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Rabbit Hunting Recipe, UK:
Commonly known as: Bunny Bashing (the hunting - not the eating)



Bunny Bashing UK - Nice Rifle! Marlin 917vs .17HMR (Pic borrowed from irishshooter.com)

Rabbit in Mustard Sauce (recipe courtesy of Hank Shaw on Simply recipes):

 

This is a French country classic, and there are endless variations. All are good. Some recipes bake the rabbit, others braise it, as I do. The keys are mustard—good grainy mustard, not the bright yellow stuff you get at the ballpark—shallots, and something creamy. I use heavy cream, but some people use crème fraiche, others sour cream.
Rabbit has a mild flavor that is all its own. Think chicken breast, but with a slightly different flavor. It is one of my favorites, although I mostly use wild cottontail rabbits. Domestic rabbit is readily available frozen in good supermarkets, and any decent butcher can get you some. And yes, if you are skeeved out by rabbit, use chicken instead. But rabbit is better.
Rabbits usually come whole, and if you don’t know how to break them down yourself, ask the supermarket butcher to do it for you. This gets a little harder with frozen rabbits

1 rabbit, cut into serving pieces

Salt

4 tablespoons butter

2 large shallots, chopped

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup grainy country mustard, like Dijon

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Method

1 Salt your rabbit pieces well and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.
2 Heat the butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan with a lid. Pat the rabbit pieces dry and brown them in the butter. Do this at a moderate pace – you don’t want the butter to scorch – and don’t let the rabbit pieces touch each other. Do it in batches if you need to.
Once the rabbit is browned, remove it to a bowl. Add the shallot and brown it well. This will take 3-4 minutes.
3 Pour in the white wine and turn the heat to high. Scrape off any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the mustard, thyme and water and bring to a rolling boil. Taste the sauce for salt and add some if needed.
4 Add the rabbit pieces, coat them with the sauce, then drop the heat to low. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes. You want the meat to be nearly falling off the bone. It might need more time, but should not need more than an hour total. Wild rabbits sometimes need more time.
5 When the meat is ready, gently remove it to a platter. Turn the heat to high and boil the sauce down by half. Turn off the heat and add the cream and parsley. Stir to combine and return the rabbit to the pan. Coat with the sauce and serve at once.
Serve this dish with crusty bread and a big white wine, such as a white Bordeaux, white Cotes du Rhone blend or a buttery California Chardonnay. If you prefer beer, try pairing this with an unfiltered wheat beer.

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Eastern Grey Squirrel Hunting Recipe, USA:

 

Young Squirrel - Fried / Roasted with good flavours / spices

 

Squirrel Brunswick Stew (Recipe courtesy of Georgia Pellegrini of Girl Hunter):

 

Cut each Squirrel into quarters

Eastern Grey Squirrel Brunswick Stew

Here is what you’ll need: squirrel, garlic cloves, bacon, corn kernels, chick peas, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, tomatoes, bay leaf, okra, potatoes, beer (not pictured), cayenne (not pictured), sea salt (not pictured), and rosemary (not pictured).


You will first par boil the squirrel in water with a nice dose of sea salt, lemon halves, rosemary, bay leaf and cayenne. As it simmers for an hour, skim off the foam that rises to the surface. Those are the impurities, and the lemon, salt, and rosemary are particularly excellent at extracting them.In a separate pot, you’ll render the bacon, add the onion and garlic cloves, deglaze with the beer, and then add the remaining ingredients. Once you saute them for a few minutes, you’ll add 2 cups of the squirrel cooking liquid from the other pot, then the squirrel and Worcestershire sauce. You’ll cook this for another hour until it is all tender and stew-like. Then season it to taste.

Ingredients

• 4 squirrels, cleaned and quartered, plus rib cage and loin
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• Sea salt
• 3 strips bacon, diced
• 1 medium-size onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 cup beer
• 3 cups crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups red potatoes, skin on, which have been cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 cups okra that has been cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup canned chickpeas
• 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup shelled and minced acorns (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper

Method

1. Place the squirrel parts in a pot and cover with water. Add the lemon halves, rosemary, bay leaf, cayenne, and about a tablespoon of sea salt and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the meat is tender, about 1 hour, skimming the foam from the surface as it forms. Once the meat is tender, turn off the heat and let the liquid cool.
2. In a separate pot, render the bacon. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. Deglaze the pot with the beer, scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot with a spatula. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, okra, chickpeas, corn, and acorns and stir.
3. Add 2 cups of the squirrel cooking liquid and stir in. Add the squirrel and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste. With this stew, as with most, it is best to let it sit for several hours before serving.

Notes

Also try: rabbit, dove, turkey, upland game birds



Tough Squirrel - best for stewing