Poacher's Soup
Mar. 4th, 2011 12:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hugh_mannity in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
omnomnomScotch Broth is usually made with lamb or mutton, but venison works really well too.
A friend of mine recently obtained a roadkill deer*, and as a reward for helping her butcher it I came home with a leg and a shoulder of venison. About 20 pounds in all.
When I got home -- the initial butchering was done outside where not only was it bloody cold, the carcass was partially frozen -- I set about cutting the meat into useful portions and ended up with a half dozen steaks, 2 roasts, about 5 pounds of stew meat, and a pile of very meaty bones.
I sawed the long bones into pieces to both get the marrow out and make them fit in the stock pot, and simmered them for about 8 hours. At the end of that time, I strained the broth, picked the meat off the bones, and refrigerated the stock and meat.
The next day I took the fat off the stock and put the nicely jellied stock on to reheat. While that was going on, I sauteed diced onion and celery in some of the fat, added that along with sliced carrots, pearl barley, a bayleaf, some tarragon, S&P, and the deer meat. I deglazed the saute pan with some red wine, just because, then added a little extra wine. I let the whole mess simmer until the barley was cooked.
It was delicious, rich, satisfying, and just what was needed on a cold winter's night.
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* Her town has a list of people who are interested in taking roadkill, it saves the town the cost of disposing of the carcasses and when they're in good shape, the meat is perfectly edible. This doe was in great shape for the time of year, but unfortunately had been pregnant with triplets (2 girls and a boy).
A friend of mine recently obtained a roadkill deer*, and as a reward for helping her butcher it I came home with a leg and a shoulder of venison. About 20 pounds in all.
When I got home -- the initial butchering was done outside where not only was it bloody cold, the carcass was partially frozen -- I set about cutting the meat into useful portions and ended up with a half dozen steaks, 2 roasts, about 5 pounds of stew meat, and a pile of very meaty bones.
I sawed the long bones into pieces to both get the marrow out and make them fit in the stock pot, and simmered them for about 8 hours. At the end of that time, I strained the broth, picked the meat off the bones, and refrigerated the stock and meat.
The next day I took the fat off the stock and put the nicely jellied stock on to reheat. While that was going on, I sauteed diced onion and celery in some of the fat, added that along with sliced carrots, pearl barley, a bayleaf, some tarragon, S&P, and the deer meat. I deglazed the saute pan with some red wine, just because, then added a little extra wine. I let the whole mess simmer until the barley was cooked.
It was delicious, rich, satisfying, and just what was needed on a cold winter's night.
--------
* Her town has a list of people who are interested in taking roadkill, it saves the town the cost of disposing of the carcasses and when they're in good shape, the meat is perfectly edible. This doe was in great shape for the time of year, but unfortunately had been pregnant with triplets (2 girls and a boy).
no subject
on 2011-03-04 07:30 pm (UTC)1) Roadkill deer = OM NOM NOM.
2) reduce, reuse, recycle!
3) yep, carrying triplets might make a doe a bit slow to get out of the lanes of traffic. :-(
no subject
on 2011-03-04 08:05 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-03-04 08:57 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-03-04 08:58 pm (UTC)(i just had venison for the first time last month. YUM.)
no subject
on 2011-03-05 12:33 am (UTC)Also I am reminded - because large game carcasses remind me - of Dogs in Elk scroll down a bit, keep reading).