Post-Pandemic Cuisine

I imagine that you've heard of the "Farm to Table" movement in the world of food.
Well, here's a "Roadkill to Table" story:

Out here in the country, we don't often get a knock on the door after dark. It was 8pm a couple weeks ago, and there on my porch were a young couple looking sheepish and very worried. "I hit a deer, and its way over there, in your yard." It was too dark to see it. "I think it's just hobbled, back legs broken I suppose" the driver said. "What do we do now?"

Knowing my next door neighbor is a hunter and is fully equipped to process a deer, I told the couple to head home. "I'll take care of it" I said.

So, they left, I put the boots on and trudged out about 50 yards with the flashlight; yup, there she was and hardly able to move.

deer1.jpg


Contacted the neighbor who called the DEC, and the officer happened to be nearby. Five minutes later he was in my driveway. After a brief interview he strode over to the deer and immediately dispatched it with his revolver. We offered him a beer, but he was on duty for awhile longer.

I got the tag and the deer.

deer3.jpg


My neighbor came over with his headlamp and 4 year old daughter. They both put on long purple surgical gloves and had that animal gutted in about 2 minutes, right there on my lawn. The coyotes had a bloody banquet that night.

Last night I pulled a couple back straps out of the freezer.
My neighbor had done a nice butchering job, although there was one strand of fur I had to pick out.

A little olive oil, salt, garlic and freshly ground pepper. Medium rare.
It was a fabulous dinner, I must say.

deer2.jpg
 
YamadudeXS650C said:
I imagine that you've heard of the "Farm to Table" movement in the world of food.
Well, here's a "Roadkill to Table" story:

Out here in the country, we don't often get a knock on the door after dark. It was 8pm a couple weeks ago, and there on my porch were a young couple looking sheepish and very worried. "I hit a deer, and its way over there, in your yard." It was too dark to see it. "I think it's just hobbled, back legs broken I suppose" the driver said. "What do we do now?"

Knowing my next door neighbor is a hunter and is fully equipped to process a deer, I told the couple to head home. "I'll take care of it" I said.

So, they left, I put the boots on and trudged out about 50 yards with the flashlight; yup, there she was and hardly able to move.

View attachment 202964

Contacted the neighbor who called the DEC, and the officer happened to be nearby. Five minutes later he was in my driveway. After a brief interview he strode over to the deer and immediately dispatched it with his revolver. We offered him a beer, but he was on duty for awhile longer.

I got the tag and the deer.

View attachment 202965

My neighbor came over with his headlamp and 4 year old daughter. They both put on long purple surgical gloves and had that animal gutted in about 2 minutes, right there on my lawn. The coyotes had a bloody banquet that night.

Last night I pulled a couple back straps out of the freezer.
My neighbor had done a nice butchering job, although there was one strand of fur I had to pick out.

A little olive oil, salt, garlic and freshly ground pepper. Medium rare.
It was a fabulous dinner, I must say.

View attachment 202967
Click to expand...
I love it! I have a bunch of them in my yard. So tempting. I certainly eat venison when I can get it. Unfortunately, hunting is expensive here and I'm not yet connected.
 
Sometimes I'll get venison from last year
It's just fine for me
Hell if someone brought me a fresh carcass I can deal with I'm not going to take it to a butcher shop it's not that tough for me
 
jetmechmarty said:
It scares me how fat they're getting. I keep my mouth shut and just be streamlined me. My wife is having similar results. She looks great but she isn't as hard core as I am. Especially around the kids.
Click to expand...

Hi Marty,
you could give your plump kids a wall plaque for Christmas.
It would say:- "You are digging your grave with your teeth."
 
Got yourself some road kill. Just make sure the intestines have not split and contaminated any meat. It's still edible but has a very distinct flavour. Just take care not to puncture the intestines. If its bit of a crushed mess the hind quarters are usually salvageable. I used to keep a few live sheep for the freezer in NZ. My handy tip is a standard wood saw will cut clean down the spine and through the ribcage in a couple of minutes. Raw fresh bone is very easy to cut.
15083_P&$prodImageMedium$.jpg
 
A couple of days ago I had another bash at Corn Bread. Things worked out a lot better this time with a couple of eggs:

Bread.JPG

I used a coarse corn meal and it certainly tasted very nice. Each day since I cut off a slice or two, warm it up in the Microwave, and eat as is or with a little apricot jam. I tried just butter but that didn't seem to work well. I noticed that the best flavor develops the longer the bread is in my mouth :umm: with those last few crumbs being the tastiest.

My next attempt will involve an initial fry in lard followed by oven baking...:hump:
 
Paul Sutton said:
A couple of days ago I had another bash at Corn Bread. Things worked out a lot better this time with a couple of eggs:

View attachment 205956

I used a coarse corn meal and it certainly tasted very nice. Each day since I cut off a slice or two, warm it up in the Microwave, and eat as is or with a little apricot jam. I tried just butter but that didn't seem to work well. I noticed that the best flavor develops the longer the bread is in my mouth :umm: with those last few crumbs being the tastiest.

My next attempt will involve an initial fry in lard followed by oven baking...:hump:
Click to expand...
You should be using an iron skillet, lubed with bacon grease or butter. I hope you don’t put sugar in it!
 
Paul Sutton said:
A couple of days ago I had another bash at Corn Bread. Things worked out a lot better this time with a couple of eggs:

View attachment 205956

I used a coarse corn meal and it certainly tasted very nice. Each day since I cut off a slice or two, warm it up in the Microwave, and eat as is or with a little apricot jam. I tried just butter but that didn't seem to work well. I noticed that the best flavor develops the longer the bread is in my mouth :umm: with those last few crumbs being the tastiest.

My next attempt will involve an initial fry in lard followed by oven baking...:hump:
Click to expand...
I will gladly accept an invitation to your home, Paul !
I'll bring some jam.
 
jetmechmarty said:
You should be using an iron skillet, lubed with bacon grease or butter. I hope you don’t put sugar in it!
Click to expand...
I do not add sugar to cornbread or pancakes. It just isn't necessary. I also have a cast iron frying pan and that fits in the oven nicely. What do others do with day old cornbread? Do they just microwave some freshness into it? What low sugar toppings work well? I tried cream cheese and that was OK but probably better with a slice of tomato.
 
Paul Sutton said:
I do not add sugar to cornbread or pancakes. It just isn't necessary. I also have a cast iron frying pan and that fits in the oven nicely. What do others do with day old cornbread? Do they just microwave some freshness into it? What low sugar toppings work well? I tried cream cheese and that was OK but probably better with a slice of tomato.
Click to expand...
I only put butter on it or use it for sopping up gravy. Cracklin' cornbread is my favorite. Growing up, I did not like cornbread. I grew up in the north and I don't remember my mother making it. Living in the South, it's on the table like a basket of bread would be. So, it's different. I have learned that using a mix like Jiffy is sacrilege.
 
jetmechmarty said:
Growing up, I did not like cornbread.
Click to expand...
This just prompted cornbread conversation with my wife. She is Hillbilly from far Southwestern Virginia and NOT to be confused with West Virginia. I am from Western New York and my family roots in the US are not very deep. She goes back 500 years! I don't remember cornbread growing up, but I'm sure we had it and I think my mother made it in a muffin tin. I probably didn't like it. I eventually transplanted myself in Georgia and adopted the culture even though I'm still a damn Yankee even after over 30 years and raising a family there. Somewhere along the way, I learned to make cornbread. It starts with bacon in a cast iron skillet. It goes into a 400 degree oven and the mix is prepared while the bacon renders fat in the oven. My wife and I agree on this. The bacon (I use more than she does) is removed and the batter goes into the hot skillet with the bacon fat and back into the oven. My wife's family tradition has wheat flour mixed into white corn meal. She says older people would have used yellow corn meal as it would have been all they had access to. I used yellow corn meal and no wheat flour. So, between the two, the texture is different. Both of us use no sugar. Sweet cornbread is common in the South, but I strongly dislike it, the same way I dislike baked beans up north.
I stopped eating cornbread and all grain almost three years ago for health reasons. I miss cornbread, but I'm leaving it alone.

(My wife made blackberry cobbler last night with almond flour. It's not like cobbler I used to eat, but delicious just the same. There hasn't been the urge to make fake cornbread, but I heard people do it with lupin flour. It isn't cornbread without corn.)
 
During those dark pandemic days I saw a UTube video on traditional Baked Bean making. I got the Mollases Wednesday and set about making a batch:

Beans.JPG

Not meaning to brag, but these beans are the best I have ever had. I did not go full Boston Beans so left out the salted pork and kept it vegetarian.

Recipe:

2 Cups of Haricot(UK) or Navy(US) beans soaked overnight with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Simmered the next day for 2 hours. Then drained the water off to use in preparing the sauce.

Sauce is a mixture of the following brought to the boil:

1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup of tomato purie
1/4 teaspoon each of Mustard, Chilli and Pepper

To this was added the water drained from the simmered beans and 1 cup of extra water.

The beans were placed in a thick bottomed pot and mixed with one large diced onion. The sauce was then tipped over the beans with a little water to ensure the beans were completely covered. A lid was placed on the pot and the beans simmered for a further 2.5 hours.

I now appreciate the origin of canned baked beans, even though I did not bake them.
 
Paul Sutton said:
During those dark pandemic days I saw a UTube video on traditional Baked Bean making. I got the Mollases Wednesday and set about making a batch:

View attachment 215715

Not meaning to brag, but these beans are the best I have ever had. I did not go full Boston Beans so left out the salted pork and kept it vegetarian.

Recipe:

2 Cups of Haricot(UK) or Navy(US) beans soaked overnight with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Simmered the next day for 2 hours. Then drained the water off to use in preparing the sauce.

Sauce is a mixture of the following brought to the boil:

1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup of tomato purie
1/4 teaspoon each of Mustard, Chilli and Pepper

To this was added the water drained from the simmered beans and 1 cup of extra water.

The beans were placed in a thick bottomed pot and mixed with one large diced onion. The sauce was then tipped over the beans with a little water to ensure the beans were completely covered. A lid was placed on the pot and the beans simmered for a further 2.5 hours.

I now appreciate the origin of canned baked beans, even though I did not bake them.
Click to expand...

Sounds delish!
 
Back
Top