Passport to Texas

South Texas Antelope, chipotle risotto, grilled okra, espresso red wine reduction; photo courtesy Alcalde Grill, Gonzales, Texas

Scroll down to find a seasonal game recipe from Chef Austin Brown.

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Hunters are beginning to fill their freezers with venison.

07—Most people will make stew out of it or they’ll grind up what’s left over and they’ll make sausage out of it.

Those traditional preparations are tasty, but Chef Austin Brown, owner of the Alcalde Grill in Gonzales challenges home cooks to get out of their comfort zones. And that means not using this common culinary crutch.

15— Get away from the Italian dressings and use brines. A heavily salted water with some sort of acid—maybe a little flavored vinegar in it—lemon juice, lime juices. Those things do the exact same thing as a marinade.

He says home cooks default to stews and sausages because those recipes mask the meat’s perceived gamy flavor. But Chef Brown says a properly cooked venison back strap or leg filet, for example, is sublime.

20— I would brine it in salt water and cut it into individual steaks; season it with just salt and pepper…a little bit of garlic and a little bit of butter, and grill it on the grill. Or sear it in a pan, cooking it to about medium rare and eating it that way. Some of the best deer that you can eat is just seasoned with salt and pepper and seared in a pan.

Find a recipe from Chef Austin Brown at passporttotexas.org.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Sea Salt Quail, Chef Austin Brown

CRISPY SEA SALT QUAIL with Roasted Red pepper aioli

For the Aioli

• 2 egg yolks
• 4 cups of oil (use a neutral oil like canola or grapeseed)
• 1 cup of ice water
• 2 red peppers
• 1 smashed garlic clove

Over an open flame, roast the peppers until black on all sides. Place them in a Ziploc bag for about ten minutes to steam. Remove from back and peel off burn skin, and remove seeds.

In a blender combine egg yolks, peppers, 2 tablespoons of water and the garlic clove. Blend until smooth. slowly add the oil in a fine stream until a thin mayonnaise consistency is reached. More or less of the oil can be used. Once thickened, season with salt and pepper.

For the Quail

• 20 quail legs skin on
• 5 cups of flour
• Sea salt
• Cracked pepper
• Cilantro bunch( optional)
• 1 quart of canola oil
• Heavily season the flour with salt and pepper.

Wash quail to remove any leftover feathers. Pat dry with a paper towel and toss in flour to coat.

Over medium heat, heat about a 3/8 of an inch of canola oil in the bottom of a cast iron skillet.

Fry the legs turning only once to a golden brown. Be sure to not over crowd the pan, the name of the game is cooking these guys over really high heat so they are still juicy on the inside.

The hotter the oil, the crispier they turn out. Once finished place quail on a paper towel to soak up any remaining oil and season again with sea salt and cracked pepper

Serve with the red pepper aioli and garnish with cilantro.

Image courtesy of http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/

Hunting: An Expression of New World Independence Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

This week we commemorate the first Thanksgiving. While our turkeys come from the store, Pilgrims hunted for theirs. Did you know that prior to the Pilgrim’s arrival in 1620 few of them had ever hunted wild game?

10—The first people to come over wouldn’t have been able to hunt [in England] because the land was owned by the rich and that’s where you hunted. So, when they came to America and were able to hunt anywhere, it was actually a real expression of their new lives.

Simon Majumdar is a hunter, food writer and judge on Food Network TV competitions. He says along with being deeply rooted in the American identity, hunting puts good food on the table.

13—I’m a great believer if you hunt for food that you’re going to eat some really amazing dishes. I mean, I’ve hunted many times in the UK: deer, wild birds…rabbit. I do a lot of rabbit hunting in the United Kingdom. And I think the food often just tastes better.

Plus, he says, you know its origins. Simon Majumdar, author of Fed, White and Blue: Finding America with My Fork says despite our long history with hunting and eating wild game, some Americans remain reticent.

10—I always blame Walt Disney. Walt Disney has a lot to answer for because everyone thinks of like Bambi and Thumper. And they’re really just sources of food. So, I’m very unsentimental with it.

Be sentimental when giving thanks this season, and pass the turkey.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Stephanie Salinas’ first hunt.

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This is Passport to Texas

Ten years ago I went on my first deer hunt as an observer; it’s something I’ll never forget. Last year, my colleague, Stephanie Salinas, did more than observe. She shot her first deer and wrote about it for the November 2015 issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

49- I had a lot of mixed emotions. I took Hunter Ed, and learned a lot of things. I had never shot a rifle before going out there, so I actually went to the range and practiced. So, now let’s go to the day. Yeah, there was one buck that emerged; I thought if I’m going to do this, that’s going to be the deer. It was kind of like a connection. It’s really odd to explain. I knew that he was going to be the one that I took. So, when you made that decision, and you committed–what happened when you pulled the trigger? Once I got positioned, and I knew that was the one I was going to get, as soon as I pulled the trigger, I didn’t hear anything. Everything stopped. It was a moment in time that froze. And it was just me and my breath and realizing
what had happened.

To learn the rest of the story, read Stephanie Salinas’ account of her hunt in the November issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.

That’s our show for today… Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

From a previous class: grilled quail with cauliflower mash, pickled onions and micro greens.

Learn How to Prepare Wild Game and Fish Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fall is in the air…and on your plate. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Central Market Cooking Schools statewide join forces again to present their regular wild game and fish cooking classes.

On Tuesday, September 15, Central Market Cooking Schools in Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Southlake, Austin, San Antonio and Houston will all feature a hands on cooking class of early fall favorites, including quail, snapper and venison.

A Parks and Wildlife representative will be on hand to talk about game and fish management, hunting, fishing and engaging the great outdoors; they’ll also answer attendee’s questions. It’s like dinner and a show.

Participants will learn how to create flavorful fall inspired dishes, including White Wing Dove-style Grilled Quail, Vietnamese-style Baked Snapper, and West Texas Venison Chili.

These highly popular classes help food enthusiasts explore the renewed interest in hunting or fishing for a meal and preparing their own bounty at home.

The Central market / Texas parks and Wildlife fish and game cooking classes take place every other month; each is different, and features game and fish of the season.

Classes fill fast. Find registration information at passporttotexas.org.

For Texas Parks and wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Copy and paste the link of the Cooking School nearest to you into your browser to find registration information.

Austin: http://tiny.cc/atx
Dallas: http://tiny.cc/dal
Fort Worth: http://tiny.cc/fwt
Houston: http://tiny.cc/houtx
Plano: http://tiny.cc/pltx
San Antonio: http://tiny.cc/satx
Southlake: http://tiny.cc/sltx

Processing venison.

Hunt | Food: Doing your Own Processing Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Chris Houston of Austin is a hunter and home cook; he butchers and processes what he harvests; but that’s not always been practical.

05—We have a decent sized [kitchen] counter space, but certainly a limited area and limited equipment.

Hunters, says Houston, go to processors because of limited workspace, equipment, and a lack experience. He adds processors are decent folks who provide a good service – but he still wonders what comes back to him.

06—Am I getting back my animal in the sausage? Am I getting all the meat that I had taken in there?

Chris Houston taught himself to butcher and process, and excels at it now. To empower others to do the same, he offers a fully equipped commercial kitchen and his knowledge as Feral Kitchen, a wild food workspace.

23—Butchering and sausage-making tends to feel complicated. However, it can be really simplified. And so, we really want to pass on that education and that confidence to others. We’ve been offering some classes on general game butchering, and some other classes on sausage-making to kind of help people take that step in the learning curve to doing it themselves. And, really, to just try and simplify the entire process.

Learn more about butchering and processing wild game on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website and at feralaustin.com.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.