By Bev Davis
The Register-Herald
BECKLEY — Ever had a yen for some elk burgers or bear barbecue? How about some alligator gumbo?
Boy Scout Troop 103 will serve up these and other interesting menu items from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at its annual wild game dinner at the Dry Hill-Prosperity Community Center.
“I’m always amazed at how good the stuff is,” scoutmaster Arnold Bolen said. “We have about 34 different dishes this year.”
Bringing entrees from field and stream into the mainstream, the dinner will offer such dishes as squirrel gravy, wild turkey dumplings, white chili made with turkey and a variety of fish entrees.
For some not brave enough to try the wild game, there will also be brown beans, cole slaw, biscuits and baked potatoes. “If people go away hungry, it’s their own fault,” Bolen said.
Food is donated by hunters, and some of the exotic meats such as alligator are sometimes donated by area restaurants.
How the food tastes depends largely on how well it’s cooked, Isaac Ward of Maple Fork said. Ward is a committeeman for the troop and begins several days in advance getting some of the meat ready.
With bear meat, for example, Ward cuts away fat and gristle and parboils the meat with apples and onions. It will go through two additional rounds of cooking before being served as barbecue.
Ward and a couple of friends went on a hunting trip to Colorado and brought down an elk that will be served three ways — roasts, steaks and burgers.
Caribou is on the menu, along with buffalo roasts and ribs. Fried or grilled trout, bass and catfish will be served, along with Ward’s recipe for trout patties. “They’re made a little bit like salmon patties, but the taste is a little different. People who try them seem to like them. I came up with the recipe about three years ago.”
Although scout leaders do most of the cooking, the scouts put in their share of hours setting up, helping with the food preparation, serving and clean-up.
The dinner is a fundraiser to help scouts with camping fees and other activities. The cost of the dinner is $6 in advance, $7 at the door.
For more information or to reserve tickets, call 304-252-3874 or 304-877-5498.
Ward, who has collected wild game recipes from a variety of sources in addition to creating some of his own, shared these for readers:
Turkey stew
with dumplings
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 medium carrots, sliced (2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 2/3 cups 2 percent milk, divided
3 cups (12 ounces) chopped cooked wild turkey
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups buttermilk baking mix
1/2 teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary)
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 11-by-7-inch baking dish with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Set aside.
In 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots and onions. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually blend in broth and 1 cup milk. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Stir in turkey, peas, corn, thyme, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Set aside. In small mixing bowl, combine baking mix, remaining 2/3 cup milk and the rosemary. Stir just until moistened. Drop batter into turkey mixture by spoonfuls to form 6 dumplings. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until stew is hot and bubbly and dumplings are golden brown.
Crock pot venison
cabbage casserole
1 pound ground venison
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup cooked rice
One 10 3/4-ounce can condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup water
Seasoned salt and pepper
4 cups shredded cabbage
Sour cream, optional
Diced green onions, optional
In medium skillet, cook venison and onion until venison is browned, stirring to break up meat. Drain and discard excess grease. Stir in cooked rice, tomato soup, water and salt and pepper to taste.
Place cabbage in slow cooker; spoon meat mixture over cabbage. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours; do not stir during cooking. Garnish with sour cream and diced green onions, if desired.
Elk burgers
2 pounds ground elk
3/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons brandy, optional
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
6 slices bacon, cut into halves
In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except bacon. Mix well and form into 6 patties. Top burgers with bacon strips while cooking. Cook until inside temperature is 145 degrees F.
Bear sausage
5 pounds bear meat
1 quart buttermilk
1 1/2 pounds beef fat
2 tablespoons Morton’s Tender Quick or meat tenderizer
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chervil
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 1/2 tablespoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup fine red wine
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Sausage casing
Soak bear met in buttermilk for 24 hours in refrigerator, stirring occasionally. Remove bear from marinade and grind both bear meat and beef fat.
Add tenderizer, garlic, pepper, chervil, mustard seed, ground mustard, sage, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, wine and cilantro to ground meat and fat and mix thoroughly.
Stuff mixture into sausage casings and refrigerate until ready to grill.
Burgundy wine
bear roast
2-pound bear roast
4 to 5 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
6 carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
2 onions, quartered
1 cup burgundy wine
1/2 package onion soup mix
Place meat, potatoes, carrots and onions in suitable baking dish.
Mix wine and soup mix together and pour over meat and vegetables. Bake at 360 degrees F. for 1 1/2 hours.
— E-mail: bdavis
@register-herald.com
