COOKING WITH OUTDOOR WISCONSIN

COOKING WITH
OUTDOOR WISCONSIN

Following are some of Outdoor Wisconsin's favorite recipes. Try them and let us know how you like them.

Brine Recipe For Smoking

The amount of water you use will depend

on how much fish or fowl you will be smoking.

You'll need enough water to cover fish or fowl.

Adjust recipe proportionally according to

amount of water needed.

1 gallon water

1 cup salt (to taste)

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

several garlic cloves smashed, or 1 tbsp. garlic powder

pinch of ground cloves

1 squeezed lemon (optional)

1 dash red (cayenne) pepper (optional)

Heat and stir water and salt

until salt is dissolved. Let stand

about 1/2 hour. Add all other

ingredients and stir.

Add fish or fowl and cover. Keep in brine

for at least 4 hours, in a cool place (refrigerator,

or in fall, outside) Says Tom Newbauer,

"I usually keep fish or fowl in brine overnight."

CHINESE VENISON PEPPER STEAK

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1 Lb. Boneless venison stew meat, cut across the grain

into 1/4" thick slices

2 Medium green peppers, sliced Chinese-style (wide,

very thin slices)

3 T Peanut oil (any other cooking oil will burn at the

high temperatures necessary for this dish)

Marinade:

3 T Dark soy sauce

2 T Dry, white wine

2 T Cornstarch

1 t Sugar (not to sweeten, but to harmonize the taste)

1/4 t Pepper

Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl and add meat slices; stir to coat the meat well and let stand for 45-minutes, stirring occasionally to expose all the meat equally to the marinade. Heat a wok or large skillet (cast iron works well) over high heat until very hot. Pour two tablespoons of peanut oil into wok or skillet and immediately add slices green peppers. Stir-fry peppers, turning them constantly, until they become translucent. (This should take only a minute or two. Do not overcook the peppers -- they should remain crisp and retain their bright, green color.) Remove the peppers and place in a bowl nearby. Add a tablespoon of peanut oil to the work or skillet and repeat the same process with the meat slices, turning them constantly until they are evenly browned, but not over-cooked. Return the peppers to the wok or skillet and mix them with the meat for 30-seconds. Serve immediately over a bed of steamed white rice. Add soy sauce to suit individual tastes.

Serves three or four

VENISON STROGANOFF

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1 Lb. Boneless venison stew meat cut across the

grain into 1/4" thick slices

2 T Bacon drippings

3 T Butter

8 Oz. Sliced mushrooms or 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms

1 Medium onion (finely chopped)

1 Garlic Clove (minced)

1 Can Condensed beef broth (10 1/2 oz.)

1 Cup Sour Cream

2 T Dry white wine

Flour

Salt

Dredge meat in seasoned flour. Heat skillet, then add two

tablespoons bacon drippings. Brown meat quickly on both sides.

Add mushrooms, onion and garlic; stir and cook over medium heat

for three to four minutes. Remove meat, mushrooms and onions

from skillet and place in top pan of medium double boiler whose

bottom pan contains water simmering over low heat.

Add two tablespoons butter to drippings in skillet; stir in

three tablespoons flour and a ten and a half ounce can of beef

broth. Stir and cook over medium heat until the mixture

thickens, then add to meat and mushrooms in double boiler.

Stir in sour cream and white wine and allow mixture to heat

through. At the last minute, stir in a tablespoon of butter

and serve immediately over hot buttered noodles.

Serves four or five

PHEASANT WITH RICE DRESSING

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1 plucked pheasant

1/2 cup long grain rice

1/3 cup wild rice

3/4 teaspoon onion powder

1-1/2 tablespoons parsley flakes

2 tablespoons finely ground celery

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

chicken bouillon

1/2 pound mushrooms

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 cup dairy sour cream

Make 1- 1/2 cups of bouillon at one-half recommended strength

and add spices, 1 tablespoon butter, and ground celery. Bring to a boil and add long grain rice. Cook until bouillon is absorbed. Cook wild rice according to directions. Saute sliced mushrooms in butter. Mix long grain rice, wild rice and mushrooms together. Fill body cavity of bird and place remaining dressing in covered baking dish. Bake pheasant 1 -1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Bake covered rice dish for 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Sauce for pheasant and rice:

reserved drippings from pheasant

dairy sour cream (approximately 1/2 cup)

salt and pepper

Drain pheasant drippings into saucepan. Add sour cream slowly

to desired richness or thickness. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat on low

before serving.

2 servings

PHEASANT DIVIN

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2 cups or more cubed cooked pheasant

(bake in pan 35 minutes at 350 degrees)

2 10-ounce packages frozen broccoli spears

(cook 5 minutes and drain)

2 10-1/2 ounce cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon curry powder (can be omitted)

1/2 cup bread crumbs browned in 2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Arrange broccoli in shallow casserole. Place pheasant over broccoli. Combine soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice (and curry powder, see above); and heat mixture. Pour over ingredients in casserole. Sprinkle with grated cheese and buttered bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes (glass pan, at 325 degrees). Note: If made ahead of time and refrigerated, bake at above temperatures for about 45 minutes.

6 servings

SKINNY'S LIGHT PHEASANT AND RICE

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4 pheasant breast halves

1/3 cup bottled Italian salad dressing

1-1/2 cups cooked rice

1 bag (l6 oz) frozen broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts and red pepper combination

1 can (2.8 oz) French-fried onions

1 cup bouillon

3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Place pheasant breasts in 8 x 12 inch baking dish. Pour salad dressing over pheasant. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Place rice, 1/2 can onions, and thawed vegetables around and under pheasant.

Combine bouillon and Italian seasoning; pour over pheasant. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with remaining onions and bake 2 to 3 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

3 to 4 servings