Gas Pains

Tom grew up in Milwaukee, bartended in Wauwatosa in the '70s and moved here in 1984.

Commentary, observations and musings about the outdoors, life in general and maybe Tosa politics and personalities will be the order of the day. He savors a lively debate as much as terrific cooking.

Dispatch From Deer Camp

Critters, Firearms, Friends, Hunt'n, Outdoors, Terrific Cooking

The boys and I are safely ensconced in deer camp.  Lawyer, Sid, Mennonite and Braumeister. Girlfriend is the only person of the female persuasion around. 

And she's having a ball - mid-day grouse and woodcock hunting was just the ticket!

Deer hunting has been quiet - nobody else in the woods that we can see and very little shooting.  Sid has been the only one to see any deer and they've all been spotted in such low light conditions that even Sid's powers are useless.

For excitement Braumeister remembered his gun, his blaze orange, his boots, a dutch oven and a bottle of Irish whiskey - and forgot his back tag.

A trip to  Walmart for a replacement fixed that.

Tonight I hunted in the swamp.  I grabbed my Remington 870 slug gun to better shoot in the clutter and cover.

Nothing doing.

Mid-day there was some napping and Lawyer and I commandeered the kitchen.

I whipped-together a big pot of chorizo corn chowder and Lawyer put together a giant batch of venison curry stew.

Venison Curry Stew

(Adapted from the October 2009 edition of Field and Stream)

1 pound of cubed venison

2t curry powder

1t ground allspice

1t ground coriander seed

Olive oil

A chopped sweet onion

A couple of large tomatoes - peeled and seeded

1T tomato paste

3 cloves minced garlic

8 oz. of cubed pumpkin or winter squash (we used acorn squash)

3/4 cup of chicken stock

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. 

Put the cubed venison in a large bowl along with the curry powder, allspice, coriander and generous doses of salt and pepper.  Mix well to coat the meat.  Refrigerate for at least an hour - preferably longer.

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven and sear the venison on high heat.  Set the venison aside in a bowl.

Add the onion, tomatoes, tomato paste to the the oven and continue to sauté.  Add the garlic and cook further.  Add the pumpkin or squash , chicken stock, reintroduce the venison and bring to a simmer.  Cover and reduce too a low simmer and cook for about four hours on very low.  (This is a good time to head back out to hunt).

Upon returning - remove the lid and cook further to thicken the stew.  At this time begin to cook-up a big batch of brown rice.  Drink wine, cocktails and nibble on smoked pheasant and cheese.

When the rice is ready dish-up in bowls.

This recipe is a keeper.  We tripled the  basic recipe for five grown men and added fresh chopped parsley and chives from Jill's kitchen garden at the very end.

Awesome!

Stay tuned.

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