Thanksgiving Dinner: Truly Traditional

There are two ways of enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.
One is the so-called traditional method: turkey,
cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and the like. But those
of us who hunt, fish, and gather wild foods have a great advantage. We can celebrate Thanksgiving more in line
with how the Pilgrims actually did so; with the bounty
of the woods, fields, and waters.

As I’ve noted before, Thanksgiving is the only American holiday dedicated strictly to gluttony. It’s true.

I’ve mentioned before that we rarely served turkey for our holiday feast. Instead there would be fish and game and wild edibles we’d gathered ourselves. While the boys and I enjoyed a morning hunt, Friend Wife would put the finishing touches on our Thanksgiving dinner.

Most often, in those days, pheasant was the centerpiece. But not always. I remember one year where a whole poached salmon anchored Thanksgiving dinner. And other times when it would be venison, or wild boar, or even snowshoe hare.

There’s nothing wrong with turkey and all the fixings, if that’s your thing. But those foods are a rather short-term tradition, dating back primarily to FDR and the economic stimulus projects of the New Deal. Before then, Thanksgiving wasn’t a day of feasting, but, rather, a solemn day of prayer. So it was in the declarations of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who started it all.

The supposed first Thanksgiving dinner actually was held in September, and was a combination state dinner and harvest celebration.

Seems to me, therefore, that a real tradition based on food, one that dates back further than the middle of last century, should include the things Americans actually ate when they celebrated. For us, that means fish and game and edibles we’ve gathered.

This year is no exception. For the first time in several years we’ll be having a crowd over. So our Thanksgiving dinner, as is our own family tradition, will reflect the harvest of the wild world.

I thought it would be nice, therefore, to share our upcoming Thanksgiving dinner recipes with you. Perhaps you’d like to forego your own usual turkey & fixings and enjoy some of these dishes instead.

Here is the planned Thanksgiving dinner menu:

Appetizers: Hunter’s Run Dove; Rabbit Pate with Pita Chips.
First course: Crab Cakes with Tomato Jam.
Soup: Three Sisters Soup.
Entrée: Pheasant Normandie.
Sides: Sauté of Wild Mushrooms & Fiddleheads; Grilled Asparagus with Wild Boar Bacon.
Dessert: Rustic Blackberry Tart.

And here are the individual Thanksgiving dinner recipes:

Hunter’s Run Dove

I was given the basic recipe for these many years ago, but have seriously adapted it over time.

16 dove breasts
3 tbls hazelnut oil
½ cup Madeira
¼ tsp savory
¼ tsp pepper
4 tbls unsalted butter
3 tbls red onion, chopped
2 cups wild mushrooms, chopped

Mix the hazelnut oil, Madeira, savory and pepper in a zipper bag. Add the dove breasts and marinate for three hours.

Put the breasts upright on a broiler pan and cook, four inches from the heat. Broil eight minutes, brushing with a little butter halfway through.

While the breasts are broiling, sauté the onion and mushrooms in the butter over medium-high heat. Add the marinade and heat until reduced by half.

Serve the breasts with the mushroom mixture ladled over them.

Rabbit Pate’ with Pita Chips

This is a rather long, complex recipe that would take up too much space here. If you’re truly interested in trying this for Thanksgiving dinner (or any other time), contact me directly at brook@the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com.

Crab Cakes with Tomato Jam

Any favorite crab cake recipe will work with this dish. The tomato jam is my special touch.

1 lb lump crabmeat
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tbls Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon style mustard
Oil for frying
Tomato jam

In a bowl combine the eggs, mayonnaise and seasonings. Mix in the breadcrumbs. Gently fold in the crabmeat, be careful to not break up the pieces. Shape mixture into small patties, using about two tablespoons of the mixture for each one.

Heat just enough oil in a skillet to keep cakes from sticking. Fry until browned, carefully turn them, and brown the other side, about ten minutes total cooking time.

Top each crabcake with a dollop of tomato jam.

Tomato Jam

Most tomato jams are far too sweet. This one is on the savory side, and lends itself to serving with animal protein.

4 lb tomatoes, peeled, seeded & cored
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup grated onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 jalapenos, minced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped fine
3 tbls lime juice (2 limes)
¼ tsp salt

In a food processor combine the tomatoes, sugar, onion, garlic and jalapenos. Process until liquefied. Transfer to a large saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 cups. Cool to room temperature and add cilantro, lime juice and salt.

Three Sisters Soup

The Three Sacred Sisters---corn, beans, and squash---were the mainstays of Native American agriculture. This soup pays homage to that tradition and is, therefore, ideal for Thanksgiving dinner.

½ lb dried baby limas
2 lb pumpkin, peeled and cubed (or 2 cups pureed)
5 cups vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped fine
1 large leek, washed and sliced
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 cup cream or half & half
Salt
¼ tsp white pepper
chopped chives

Soak beans overnight. Cook until tender.

Place pumpkin, broth, onion and leek in a kettle. Brig to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until pumpkin is soft. Puree mixture in blender or food processor, in batches, or mash well. Return to kettle.

Add corn and beans, bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer five minutes. Add the cream, salt and pepper. Heat until very hot but not boiling. Sprinkle each serving with chives.

Pheasant Normandie

Normandy is known for it’s apples, and for the unique apple brandy, Calvados, that is distilled there. Combined with pheasant they make a truly celebratory dish.

2 pheasants, split
Salt and pepper
Butter
Paprika
4 cups beef stock
1 tsp tomato paste
2 tart apples such as Granny Smith, skin on, cored, and cut into one-inch cubes
½ cup dry white wine
2 oz Calvados
3 shallots, diced small
Cornstarch or arrowroot and water paste (optional)

Salt and pepper the pheasant and dust with paprika. Brown the birds well in the butter. Transfer to a baking pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add all remaining ingredients.

Cook, covered, in a 350 degree oven 45-60 minutes, until cooked through.

If desired, sauce may be thickened slightly with the starch paste.

Serve on a bed of wild rice or wild/white rice mix.

Game hens can be substituted for pheasant in this dish, but watch the cooking times.

Sauté of Wild Mushrooms & Fiddleheads

Both wild mushrooms and fiddleheads are gathered in the spring. But they freeze well, and make a special treat on the Thanksgiving dinner menu. Both are available commercially frozen as well.

1 lb morels or other wild mushrooms, cut in half
1 cup fiddleheads
1 stick unsalted butter
Salt & pepper to taste
Lemon juice

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until barely tender. Add the fiddleheads, salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are soft and fiddleheads tender. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors.

Grilled Asparagus with Wild Boar Bacon

Bacon-wrapped asparagus is a common treat all over the Mediterranean. Regional bacon, such as pancceta or Serrano are the usual choices. But substituting home-made wild-boar bacon makes them really appropriate to a holiday feast.

3-4 thick asparagus spears per serving
Strips of wild boar bacon equal to the number of asparagus spears
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Spiral-wrap each asparagus spear with a strip of bacon, leaving the tips exposed. Brush lightly with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill over hot coals, turning frequently, until bacon is crisp. Alternatively, lay out on a baking pan and cook in a 400F oven, turning once or twice, until bacon is cooked.

Rustic Blackberry Tart

I’m not a baker, so use commercial pastry crusts from the grocery freezer to make pies and tarts. For this one, puff pastry works well. The blackberries are wild-harvested and frozen.

1 sheet puff pastry
3 cups frozen blackberries, defrosted and drained
1 tbls arrowroot
½ cup sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
1 egg, beaten with a little water
Sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375F.

Roll out the pastry into a round, about 14 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicon baking pad. Refrigerate up to one hour.

Combine the berries, sugar, lemon juice, and arrowroot. Arrange berries in the center of the pastry round, leaving a two-inch border all around. Fold the border over the berries, pleating and overlapping where necessary, and pressing so folds adhere to each other.

Brush exposed edge of pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about an hour. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.



For More Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes Visit Our Friends at Cheftalk