Teriyaki Goose Salad

Early season for Canada goose has just ended and will open again on October 22. Marinades are a good call for goose breast to help tenderize the meat and to enhance the flavor. Goose is an excellent source of iron.

photo from:©

© bev edukabc, Georgia, October 2008

Teriyaki Goose Salad

1 lb. goose breast meat

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1-2 T. rice wine vinegar or sherry

1 T. minced fresh ginger ( or 1 t. powdered)

1 T. minced garlic

1-2 T. brown sugar

cayenne pepper to taste

10 oz. mixed greens (salad lettuces)

2 T. slivered almonds

3/4 cup mandarin orange slices or sliced plums

2 T. Asian flavored salad dressing

To make the teriyaki marinade: mix olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar (or sherry), ginger, garlic, brown sugar and pinch of cayenne in a small glass or ceramic bowl (not metal), using a whisk or fork to combine ingredients well. If using a whole goose breast, pierce the meat all over with a fork and then place it in the teriyaki marinade or you can thin slice the goose and place it in the marinade. The meat can marinate for as little as an hour (turning the meat over a few times) or as long as a day or two in the refrigerator (again turn the meat a few times during the marinating process).

After desired amount of marinating time, remove the meat from the marinade. If using a whole breast, grill, pan fry or broil the goose meat for 5-8 minutes a side. The meat should be medium rare or medium, as it will get tough if cooked longer than this. After cooking, let the whole breast rest a few minutes and then cut the meat into slices. If using goose slices straight from the marinade, pan fry for a few minutes until meat is cooked to medium rare or medium.

Place the cooked goose on the greens with the fruit, nuts, and dressing and gently toss the salad to combine the ingredients.

Serves 3-4.

Waterfowl brunch

Canada geese and ducks close this weekend on January 10th. If you harvest a few ducks in the morning you may want to consider a waterfowl brunch.

Duck for Brunch
1 duck breast (both halves)
1 clove minced garlic
1 T. fresh parsley, if available
1 T. olive oil

Thinly slice fresh duck breast. Heat olive oil in a saute pan or iron skillet over medium heat. Add duck, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute the duck for a few minutes until cooked. Best served rare or medium rare for tenderness but cook according to your preference. Serve with eggs and brunch fixings in lieu of traditional bacon or sausage.

Waterfowl season opened Saturday

Ducks opened Oct 24th until Dec 6th for the first season in Seneca County. Canada geese also opened Oct 24th and go until Nov 21. NYS DEC has a very informational migratory game bird pdf that includes a waterfowl hunter's code of ethics, some guidelines for waterfowl consumption, license requirements, shipping information, etc. Of particular interest to wild harvest feasting is a short section that reads as follows:

"The NYS Department of Health recommends
that:
• You eat no mergansers.
• You remove all fat and skin from waterfowlt
before cooking.
• You discard stuffing after cooking waterfowl.
• You eat no more than two waterfowl per
month."

Here is an easy way to prepare duck or goose breast in a way that masks any hint of gameyness...

Thai (red or green) Waterfowl Curry
1 duck (both halves)or goose (1 half)breast cut into thin slices
1 Tbsp red or green thai curry paste found in the asian section of many grocery stores (check for a curry recipe on the jar)
1 can coconut milk (low-fat if possible)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
3 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 cup fresh veggies, such as thin sliced onion, carrot, broccoli, celery, etc

Par boil the thin sliced duck or goose breast for 1-2 minutes and drain liquid. Then proceed to make the recipe for red or green curry dish on the label of the Thai curry paste. Basically, simmer all above ingredients for 10-15 minutes.

Why Hunt?

California Waterfowl has put out a thought-provoking video, "Why Hunt" "...to promote greater understanding of hunting's place in a healthy and balanced ecosystem and to help hunters explain how hunting intimately connects us to our environment, especially through the food we eat and share with others".

Smoked Goose Chili

This will become a favorite!

2 smoked goose breasts, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 T. chili powder, depending on spice preference
1/2 t. oregano flakes
2 qts. canned tomatoes
1-2 T. brown sugar
1 can kidney or black beans
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry wine (optional)

Place stock pot on medium heat and add 1 T. olive oil to pan. Add chopped onion and cook about 5 minutes being careful not to brown the onion. Add garlic, goose meat, oregano and chili powder and saute about 1-2 minutes more. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and simmer for about 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on your time frame and flavor preference. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and chili powder.

Maple Syrup!

"Sugaring off" has begun, and it is time to start thinking about recipes using local maple syrup. The New York State Maple Producers Association has loads of good information about the how, what, when, where and who of maple syrup production.

Here is a recipe from Epicurious.com to try with NY maple syrup and some duck breasts from the larder:
Broiled Duck Breasts with Orange Chipolte Sauce (use link for the recipe) This photo is from the Epicurious.com website along with the recipe.

The Snows are here

With the brief thaw, the snow geese have been feasting in the fields by day and roosting on the lakes at night. To learn more about this beautiful, and abundant, waterfowl check out Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology.

Snows are a bit smaller than Canada geese, but their flavor is similar. Here is a healthy recipe to try:

Marmalade Glazed Snow Goose Breast
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 boneless, whole goose breast
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/2 cup apple cider
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, defrosted (or boil 1 cup of orange juice until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup)
1 to 2 tsp grated orange peel
2 Tbs orange marmalade

In a medium glass or ceramic mixing bowl, combine milk and vinegar. Add goose breast. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning the goose a few times.

Drain the goose breast and discard milk mixture. In a medium glass or ceramic mixing bowl or baking dish, combine wine, cider, orange juice concentrate and peel. Add goose breast, turning to coat. Cover and chill 4 to 6 hours, turning once or few times.

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking dish with heavy duty aluminum foil, allowing foil to extend about 10 inches on each side of pan (enough to make a foil pouch over the goose). Drain goose, reserving 1/4 cup of the wine mixture. Place the goose on the foil and pour reserved wine mixture over it. Fold the foil over the goose breast and crimp to make a pouch. Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until meat is desired doneness. Carefully fold bake foil, so as not to get burned by the steam. Brush the marmalade over the goose breast and bake with foil open and additional 5 to 10 minutes until meat is browned and glazed. Carve the meat across the grain into thin slices and serve over rice, if desired. This would also make a nice salad, by placing goose slices on mixed greens and drizzling with a citrus salad dressing.
Serves 4.

Waterfowl season has just ended...

The top of Cayuga Lake is frozen, and the waterfowl hunting season for duck and Canada geese has ended in Seneca County . Hopefully you have some ducks to breast or dress whole to eat and enjoy. I have taken to the simple way of breasting a duck by making a small slit in the skin along the breast bone, pulling the skin back to expose the breast meat, and then removing the meat by carefully running my boning knife along the breast bone and ribs to create 2 perfect skinless, boneless breast fillets. The flavor of duck varies, depending on the species, age and condition of the duck. Mallards, teals, black duck, redheads, pintails and ringnecks are excellent for eating (and of course the Canvasback, but they were prohibited this year- no cheating), and of course, the younger the better. A 100 gram skinless, boneless duck breast will provide you with 123 calories, 4 grams of fat, and high quality protein.

Here is a recipe to try from your weekend larder....

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH PAN JUICES AND RASPBERRY PRESERVES

4 boneless wild duck breast halves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup dry sherry

2 Tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves (you could try other fruit, such as cherry, currant, blueberry, etc)

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic (optional)

Sprinkle the duck breast evenly with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the sherry and fruit preserves. Set aside. In a 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add breast halves and sear for 3 minutes, turning once. Add onions (and optional garlic) to the the pan and cook for 2 minutes longer. Pour sherry mixture over the duck breasts. Cook for 4 to 8 minutes, or until meat is desired doneness and the sauce is slighty reduced and thicker. You may remove the meat, when it is rare to medium rare, to a plate and cover loosely with foil, and then reduce the sauce to a desired consistency. To serve, slice breast meat and slightly fan out the slices over cooked noodles or rice. Pour the sauce over the meat and pasta. Garnish with some fruit and greenery.

note: duck meat is more tender when cooked rare to medium and can become tough if over cooked.

Serves 4, but some may say just 2 servings (I can think of one hunter in particular). If you would like nutritional consultation regarding serving sizes please call my office at Seneca CCE, but keep in mind a portion of meat should be 3 ounces which is about the size of a deck of cards.