As COVID-19 wages war on civilization, a look into my chest freezer and the watering of my garden gives me hope and solace in a time of uncertainty. I do not consider myself a “prepper,” but I am certainly well prepared.  Over the last seven years, I have invested heavily in the process of procuring my own food. My hobbies of hunting, fly-fishing and gardening fill my freezer and the bellies of myself and loved ones. In times like these, my bounty eases my anxieties. This wasn’t always the ...

Venison Tartare with Truffle and Lemon Zest By Montana BHA Life Member Corey Ellis What You'll Need 10oz finely diced, raw, quality venison or antelope (backstrap, tenderloins or rump meat without any silver skin or fat) 3 brown anchovies rinsed and minced 2t capers rinsed 2T sweet or red onion finely chopped 2T Italian parsley chopped 1T Dijon or coarse ground mustard 1 large egg yolk 2t extra virgin olive oil 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce 1t salt 1t pepper ½ t truffle zest or oil 1 t ...

With turkey season quickly approaching but winter weather still holding on, I dream of mornings in the woods listening to gobbles breaking the silence of the pre-dawn darkness. Every year I save some turkey in my freezer until this time to remind me of – and to forestall my longing for – the hunts ahead. A wild turkey ragu over pasta is a welcome dish in my house any time of year, but it is especially inspiring now. This particular ragu recipe utilizes legs and wings – parts of the turkey ...

I don’t really have “four seasons” in my life; instead, I have duck, turkey, mushroom, fishing, berries and big game seasons. This abundance in the Pacific Northwest is rare; It is one of the only places in the world rich enough in wild food to support a sedentary society without agriculture. Think about that: tribes in the Northwest did not need agriculture to be self-supporting. Nor did they need to move. They could forage, hunt and fish for everything they needed.  The forager and the ...

If I had to pick between eating crappie and bluegill, I’d choose bluegill every time. I think crappie tastes bland, whereas bluegill are sweet and firm. The downside, this sunfish family member tends to grow on the smaller side. Bluegill fillets resemble “chips,” and few anglers venture beyond frying them because there’s not much else you can do. Those thin, small pieces can’t hold up to too much handling, let alone any amount of marinating. My solution, prepare and eat the fish whole on ...

I was introduced to carpaccio about a year ago while doing prep work in a commercial kitchen. At the time, we used beef eye of round from steamship rounds we butchered in house. This is an exceptional cut for carpaccio, but in the back of my mind I had a feeling that venison loin would be even better. It turns out I was right. Carpaccio first arrived on the culinary scene in 1950, dreamt up by Italian restaurateur Giuseppe Cipriani. Cipriani was the owner and founder of Harry’s Bar in ...

My mother always kept store-bought Vietnamese fish paste on hand. Sold in plastic containers, fish paste freezes well and its uses are versatile: Form the paste into balls and drop into boiling soup; shape into patties and fry; slice and serve over white rice, noodles or inside a bánh mì sandwich; or eat as a snack. A less obvious way to use fish paste is to stuff it into jalapenos and then sear them golden brown. Mom often called upon this recipe when she was too tired to cook a complicated ...

Whether a grizzled veteran hunter or relatively new to pursuing sustenance from the backcountry, we share a common desire for comradery and to impart our experiences to others. While some endeavors are best undertaken in solitude, the foundation of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is reliant on the efforts of sportsmen and women in passing along their experiences to ensure the future of hunting, and thereby assure the continued support for our wild places and wild creatures. ...

Like most other chefs, I enjoy reading and talking about food almost as much as I enjoy cooking and eating. In fact, I definitely spend more time thinking about food than cooking the dishes I prepare. That may seem odd to some, but there is a great deal of behind-the-scenes work that goes into the creative process of developing a dish. This recipe is a fine example of just that. This meal is not uniquely my own. The concept of a Scotch egg has been around for a very long time. I have seen ...

Nothing makes me feel richer than eating foods historically made by the poor: soups, stews, organs, ferments, sinewy cuts of meat, unrefined grains and fats and sugars. Most peasant foods are born from a combination of necessity, accessibility, and a little of what we in Maine call “redneck ingenuity.” You take what you have and use what you know to turn it into something more. The ancestral need to feed ourselves in lean times has led to methods of preparation and preservation that yield ...