The Idaho goose season ended here a few weeks ago and I was able to take a few more birds. I hit a slump there for a few weeks, then went out on a good note. Therefore, I thought I would post a tasty goose recipe.

Roasted Goose w/Wild Rice

Photo: Keith Carlson

1 young Canada goose (cleaned and plucked, best if bird has some fat)

Oven Roasting Bag (large)

3 medium apples (any variety)

2 medium Russet potatoes

2 teaspoons ground clove

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 package Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice (not instant version)

1 package Knorr Brown Gravy Mix

To Prepare Stuffing:

Dice apples and potatoes ( ½” squares)

Mix with clove, nutmeg and cinnamon

Place stuffing into goose, pack tightly, put goose in roasting bag and seal well

Place goose breast up in roasting pan

Place in 350 degree oven; roast for 3 hours or until inserted meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees F

(Note: cooked goose meat is dark and should resemble roast beef in color and texture; take care not to overcook.)

Prepare wild rice as directed on package

Prepare brown gravy as directed

To serve goose, discard stuffing (really, throw it out) and carve as you would a turkey. Serve with gravy over wild rice. The age and condition of the bird really seem to make a difference on the palette.

Here is a delicious recipe for grouse. The hot and tangy flavor mixes really well with the flavor of the grouse, however, it could be used for pheasant equally as well.

Hot-n-Tangy Grouse

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp red wine or cider vinegar
2 tsp. freshly packed dark brown sugar
4 cups ¼” thick shredded green cabbage
6 – 10 drops tabasco sauce
4 grouse breast fillets
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
1/3 cup finely chopped scallions
4 oz. Campanelle noodles (a hearty flowerlike curled pasta)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the ketchup, wine, brown sugar, and coriander then blend. Remove 3 Tbsp. of the ketchup mixture and set aside. Add the cabbage, carrots, hot pepper sauce, and 2 Tbsp. of water to the remaining ketchup mixture in the bowl and toss to coat thoroughly.
2. Brush the grouse fillets with the 3 Tbsp. ketchup mixture and grill. I like to have the grill coated with a thick coat of oil and screaming hot. Grill for a minute, rotate 45 degrees and grill for another minute, flip, and rotate again. Grill 4″ from heat until meat is just cooked through. It is critical not to overcook.
3. Cook the noodles in the boiling water as per directions with just a touch of olive oil added to the water. Drain well. Place the noodles on 4 plates, top with the cabbage mixture, and then add the grouse. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro and serve.

Dove Breast Over Toast 

8 Mourning dove breast fillets
1 Tbsp butter
1-2 Cloves minced garlic
1 Cup white wine
1 Can mushroom soup
8 Pieces of toast

Brown minced garlic in butter. Add dove fillets and lightly brown. Add wine and mushroom soup and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour over wheat or rye toast. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
 

Season fillets with salt and pepper and marinate in soy, oil, onion & garlic four (4) hours.

Wrap fillets with bacon and secure with toothpick. Grill over high heat for 7 – 9 minutes, turning as needed. Alternatively, bake in shallow dish with bacon strips on top at 350 deg (f), for 30 minutes. Important not to overcook dove or it becomes dry and liver-like. Serve hot over sticky rice or with grilled veggies.

 

This is our family’s all time favorite pheasant recipe. (I think you could use it for any game bird, but it is particularly delicious with pheasant.)

Grilled Teriyaki Pheasant

1 cup oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 TBSP Garlic Salt
1 TBSP Horse Raddish
1 can sprite (or Mt. Dew)
2 pheasants, quartered

Mix the marinade ingredients and soda, add the pheasant pieces and marinate in refrigerator for 12 to 36 hours, stirring every so often. Grill on BBQ or in oven just until the inside barely starts to loose the pink color. Note that the different pieces (breasts vs leg/thighs) will cook at different rates. The key is not to over cook. Serve hot over mixed wild rice. The grilled pieces are also excellent cold the next day. 

We obtained this recipe from a friend and long-time hunting buddy, Damon Swenson, some 20 years ago and have been enjoying it ever since.

 

4 pheasant breasts (Boneless, skinless)
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1 can pineapple slices
bacon
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate pheasant in teriyaki sauce overnight in the refrigerator. Place a slice of pineapple between 2 breast halves and wrap in bacon. Hold together with tooth picks. Salt and pepper to taste. Grill on low heat, basting with marinade, rotating frequently for 20 min. or until cooked through. Serve over wild rice and garnish with left over pineapple.

The key to cooking pheasant, as with most game meat, is not to over cook it. Grill it until the center barely looses the pink color, but is still moist.

 

Now that our sage-grouse season is over what are you going to do with your birds? My favorite thing to do with them is to make them into fajitas. The strong, flavorful meat is really good with the diverse mix of seasonings in fajitas. The recipe below came to me from Bruce Bonebrake, a good friend and excellent bird hunter. One secret I learned just this year was to use World Harbor Fajita mix. It is a bottled sauce rather than a dry mix. Wow, does it ever make a difference.

       1 sage-grouse
       1 onion
       1 green bell pepper
       1 clove garlic
       1 tomato
       Olive oil
       World Harbor Fajita Sauce
       Flour tortillas
       Green or red salsa
       Sour cream
       Grated cheese
       Cilantro

Debone the grouse and cut the meat into strips ~1/2” wide and 2” long. Slice onion and pepper into thin strips. Dice garlic. Cut tomato into quarters or eighths (depending on size of tomato). Sauté onion, pepper and garlic in olive oil and set aside. Brown grouse strips in hot oil. Once browned on all sides, add the fajita sauce and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables, then add tomatoes simmer until tomatoes are lightly cooked. Steam away as much liquid as possible. Warm tortillas 15-20 seconds in microwave & serve. Serve hot from the skillet. Top with salsa, sour cream, cheese and sliced cilantro.

It’s a month past the end of chukar season and I’m already deep in withdrawal. This evening Julie made a chukar dish that was so good, I had to write about it. Legs, wings and wing-butts are typically some of the last of to be eaten, but with this recipe they were gobbled right up. It was delicious with chukar, but I’m sure it would be good with pheasant, forest grouse, or sage-grouse. It will certainly become a new family favorite.

Teriyaki Chukar
3 quartered chukars
1 cup sugar
½ cup plus 2 tbsp white vinegar
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp water
3 tsp ground ginger
¼ cup honey
2 eggs
½ cup flour
Beat eggs with 3 tbsp water. Dip chukar pieces in egg mixture and coat with flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry in skillet with oil until meat is just browned on both sides, then, place in casserole dish. In a sauce pan, mix sugar, vinegar, salt, soy sauce, water, ground ginger and honey. Bring to a boil on medium heat, then pour over meat and bake uncovered at 350F for 50 minutes, or until meat is cooked.

Serves ~4.