Juicy Goose-e

Since marrying my mountain man, I have had to learn how to cook wild game.  I have gotten pretty good at it if I do say so myself.  Substituting pheasant or grouse for chicken and moose, caribou, or bear for beef seems normal in my house.  However, there is one wild protein that continues to evade me . . . goose. 

Goose is my nemesis in the kitchen.  The goose is not to blame in this.  I have had some delicious, juicy, tender goose at others homes.  In my home, it turns out dry, chewy, and barely edible.  Not one to give up after failure, I have baked, grilled, stir-fried, and slow-cooked all to no avail.  I finally decided the only sensible thing to do with all the goose in my freezer was to ignore it like the plague. 

Each year Jason returns to North Dakota and goes goose hunting, further adding to my wasteland of goose in the freezer.  While most of the goose is made into jerky (the only dry, chewy goose that is actually good!), some of it remains behind for other uses, such as an eternal existence of taking up space in the freezer.  So when Jason returned home from his annual trip and said that he had the most delicious goose recipe, I was a bit skeptical. 

Begin music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEjgPh4SEmU

I cut, chopped, and braised, sent up a little prayer, and voila!  This goose is AMAZING!!  Here is the secret recipe!

 

Wine-braised Duck or Goose

from Ducks Unlimited Magazine

INGREDIENTS:

Ducks or geese, quartered or filleted (I used 4 geese breasts), cut into small chunks

Salt and pepper

Butter

Olive Oil

Carrots, celery, and onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

2-3 sprigs of rosemary or thyme

4-5 cloves of garlic

Red wine, something you like drinking (enough to cover meat, 750-1250mls)

Flour

 

DIRECTIONS:

Season the ducks or geese liberally with salt and pepper.  Heat a few tablespoons each of butter and olive oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat.  Place the meat in the pan and brown evenly.

 

Add a splash or two of wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the veggies, bay leaves, rosemary/thyme, and garlic.  Stir to incorporate evenly and then add enough wine to pan to cover the meat and veggies.  

Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid.  Let the pan simmer on low heat on the stovetop or place in a preheated 325-degree oven (if the pan is oven safe).  

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Whisk in 2 tablespoons flour and continue to whisk until the mixture (roux) is light brown.  Set aside.

After 2 hours, check the meat for tenderness.  Make sure there is at least 1/2 inch of liquid in the pan.  Add more wine as needed.  One all the meat is tender, remove the meat and veggies with a slotted spoon.  Return the pan with the liquid to the stove and heat over medium heat.  Whisk in reserved butter/flour mixture and cook while whisking for 2-3 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly.  Return meat and veggies to pan, stirring to coat with sauce.  Serve over cooked pasta or rice.

I definitely will be making this again and again and again!  I used Madiera wine and would definitely recommend it for this recipe.  It adds a more complex flavor to the sauce.  Bring on the geese!

Saw these little ladies watching us on a hike the other day.  They were just as interested in watching us as we were them.  To see more outdoors and hunting pictures, check out the mountain man's new blog: http://drowsygrouse.blogspot.com/

Alaska Fun Facts: Four goose species are commonly found in Alaska.  Canada geese, emperor geese, greater white-fronted geese, and Brant.