THE ROADKILL CONNOISSEUR – FERAL FUSION – “Southern Fried Squirrel” and “Squirrel Pot-Sticker Dumplings” or the MUNCHIES TV Channel

 THE ROADKILL CONNOISSEUR

Making the most of two squirrels!!

“Southern Fried Squirrel”

& “Squirrel Pot-Sticker Dumplings”.

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Recipes and methods:

“Squirrel Pot-Sticker Dumplings”.

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These pot-sticker dumplings – also called ‘Gyoza’ – are a bit of a fusion signature dish of mine as they are quick to make, use only one pan and can contain tiny portions of ingredients.  Great if what you have to cook is small like a crow, magpie or tiny mammal.

Ingredients:

1 x roadkill squirrel (meat only for this recipe)
Small handful of shredded Chinese Cabbage

few sprigs of coriander and chives
1 x Spring Onion
2cm Ginger
1x tsp Sesame Oil
1 x Clove Garlic
Approx 16 Gyoza Skins (bought frozen from the Asian supermarket)

For the frying pan
A tspn of Sesame Oil
Enough hot water to cover the dumplings half way up.

 Dipping Sauce:
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Saki
1 tspn Mirin
Sprig of coriander and a chilli to garnish (optional)

Method:

Skin squirrel then remove as much meat as possible from the bones and mince with a sharp knife. It’s fiddly work!  Chop vegetables, blend all dumpling ingredients together and let stand for 10 minutes to allow flavours to mix.  The dipping sauce can be made whilst the dumplings are cooking, simply blend ingredients together and garnish!

Add mixture to dumpling cases and form a tight seal at the edges.This method uses the fry and steam method and will take about 14 minutes per batch of around eight dumplings. Heat the pan, drizzle the oil over the base, and when hot, add the dumplings flat side down.  Add water and cover the dumplings half way up their sides. Place a tight fitting lid on the pan and turn down the heat to medium – simmer and steam.  Remove lid when water has completely evaporated and fry for a minute more and remove when their bottoms are golden brown.  Serve crispy side up.  There you have it!  Easy peasy, Tufty-Tastic, “Squirrel Pot-sticker Dumplings”.

Next….

“Southern Fried Squirrel”

Ingredients:

1 x roadkill squirrel

Sprig of coriander and a chilli to garnish (optional)

For the wash
1/4 pint of water
Squirt of your favourite chilli sauce!

For the flour
1 x tspn corn flour
1 tspn salt
1 tspn pepper
1 tspn garlic powder

For the frying pan
Enough oil or lard to shallow fry

Method:

Remove legs from skinned squirrel.  Marinate in the chilli wash for 10 minutes.  Heat the pan and oil ready for frying.  Remove squirrel legs from wash and coat thoroughly in flour mix.  Add to hot oil and fry on a medium heat, not too hot, until cooked through and golden brown.  Drain on a piece of kitchen roll.  Serve with garnish.

They are also delicious dipped in the dipping sauce recipe used for squirrel Pot-Sticker Dumplings.  Other small animal legs, wings or strips of meat can be substituted for this recipe!

Cleaning up:

Don’t waste the squirrel!  Boil the carcass to make a Squirrel Soup stock.  The skin can also be preserved to make a little squirrel skin rug.

So please do try these two delicious recipes…. they truly are the “Squirrels Bollocks”! lol

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“Southern Fried Squirrel”

& “Squirrel Pot-Sticker Dumplings”.

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A ‘How to’ film for the MUNCHIES food Channel.

I spent a very pleasurable half day with two guys from VICE / Freemantle Media UK making a show for their “How to…” series.

MUNCHIES chronicles the wide spectrum of the global culinary experience. They liked how I combine roadkill with various forms of cookery styles and ingredients and asked if I would cook for the show. I enjoyed links to the other episodes so said yes!

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I made two of my “Feral Fusion” recipes using squirrel – “Southern Fried Squirrel” & “Squirrel Pot-Sticker Dumplings”.  They were very tasty and the show is pretty funny, lol.

 

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“THE SILK PURSE” -aka- “PEPPER PIG”. Pigs Head Terrine – “FERAL FUSION” – Wild Food Recipes with Ears!

“THE SILK PURSE” -aka- “PEPPER PIG”

Pigs Head Terrine

Made with the whole head, in particular the Ears!

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“This dish was totally awesome, the flavours and textures rivaled any I’ve had in my favourate restaurants!  This terrine was made out of a pigs ear and a trotter!  It was a beautiful thing to look at, and tasted damn good too, dipped in an Asian style sauce made from soy sauce, mirin and sake, with ginger, garlic and spring onions…. mmmmmm!”  

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TERRINE is one of my favourate dishes!!  It has humble beginnings as a hearty meal for French labourers, but is now served in upscale restaurants as a starter.  You can experiment with terrine ingredients as much as you wish, nothing is carved in stone when it comes to these kinds of recipes!  It depends on what nature offers you at the time and your personal tastes!

Since the meat mixture is best marinated and left in the fridge for a day, cooked and cooled the next day and then left up to two days for proper pressing to occur, terrine can be a time-consuming dish. But it doesn’t have to be!

This terrine came about whilst visiting a friend in Scotland.  My friend and I often swap oddities, techniques, recipes and make things from dead bits, this occasion was no different.  This trip consisted of much outdoor cookery, taxidermy practice and a pigs head!

Ingredients 

• 1 pig head
• 2 tblsp pink peppercorn
• 1 tblsp black peppercorns
• dash salt and pepper

“I don’t always use bacon to line the tin, often I use a jelly, say, from a pigs head, ham hock or trotters.  I  like to decorate the top (first layer in the tin) with a few foraged edible leaves and/or fruits“.

Other Ingredients 

Asian dipping sauce! 

• Soy sause
• Sake
• Mirin
• ginger
• garlic
• Spring onions

Method 

“The gelatin removed from the meat is used as a preserving & jellying agent (as in the making of pork pies).  Nowadays artificial gelatin is often added, but I prefer the traditional method”.

1. Boil the pig head in a large pan covered with water until the meat starts to fall off.  Then pull as much meat off as you can.
2. Make a pork ‘binding’ jelly.  This can be made a day in advance by boiling the trotter or hock in a sauce pan, then simmering on a low heat for 3 hours, until the skin dissolves and the knuckles separate.
3. Season the jelly with salt and pepper
4. Line the tin in layers, starting with the pink peppercorns.  Add layer by layer of meat pausing to pour some of the melted jelly binder.
5. When finished put in fridge till set.
6. Turn out and serve with the delicious Asian dipping sauce.

 

 

Also think about including… 

• Foraged herbs and fruits of your choice – autumnal fruits such as plums, blackberries,cherries, apple or apricots work really well!  Be creative!!  Why not make your own chutney too?
• Wild foraged meat – ROADKILL!

I often make my terrines from Accidental Meats/ Roadkill.  It sparks conversation and debate….

 

 “…so whats the difference?”

Wild Game Terrine was one of the dishes I served up on Come Dine With Me many years ago, alongside Curried Pheasant & Quinoa Roadkill Pies.  I served two dishes as I wanted to spark a debate if my guests wouldn’t eat the roadkill, but would eat the butcher bought meat.  My question was – “so whats the difference?”  It was the same wild animal, the difference being one had been deliberately shot with a gun, the other had been accidentally hit by a car!  If it was a question of ethics, which one was the most humane?  If it was a question of freshness, one had been hit by a car within a few hours, the other had been hung for over a week in the butchers shop…. which one would you eat?

As it happened they devoured them, and loved it all!    Phewwww!!

Click here for the 2 min trailer…

I hope you enjoy my other ROADKILL & “FERAL FUSION” recipes!

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………………….oOo………………..

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“FOOT & FADGE” – Roadkill Terrine – “FERAL FUSION” – Wild Food Recipes with Trotters, Uterus and Goji Berries

 

Roadkill Rabbit and Pheasant Terrine with Pig’s Uterus, Trotters, Bacon and Goji Berries.

Enjoy!!

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“FOOT & FADGE” – Roadkill Terrine – “FERAL FUSION” – Wild Food Recipes with Trotters, Uterus and Goji Berries

“FOOT & FADGE” – Roadkill Terrine

Roadkill Rabbit and Pheasant Terrine with Pig’s Uterus, Trotters, Bacon and Goji Berries.

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TERRINE is one of my favourate dishes!!  It has humble beginnings as a hearty meal for French labourers, but is now served in upscale restaurants as a starter.  You can experiment with terrine ingredients as much as you wish, nothing is carved in stone when it comes to these kinds of recipes!  It depends on what nature offers you at the time and your personal tastes!

This terrine came about from acquiring a recent roadkill rabbit and pheasant, a bag of organic pigs trotters from a local farm and a pigs uterus from the Chinese Supermarket!

Since the meat mixture is best marinated and left in the fridge for a day, cooked and cooled the next day and then left up to two days for proper pressing to occur, terrine can be a time-consuming dish. But it doesn’t have to be!

 

Wild Ingredients 

• 1 roadkill pheasant
• 1 roadkill rabbit

(Or whatever nature provides when using road-kill.  Use the breasts of pheasant, pigeon (or other bird) and saddles of rabbit, fox, deer, hare, etc, for the terrine; throw the rest of the game meat and bones into the stock pan, cook, cool and pick clean the bones, you can freeze the meat bits for later to use in another recipe). 

 

For the forcemeat  – This is a cold pressed terrine!

• Chosen cuts of cooked meat, or/ and cold meat picked off the carcasses of pre-boiled game
• livers from all the game (optional) fry off/ cook first
• 1 handful fresh breadcrumbs (optional if Gluten Free)
• 1 tbsp (lemon) thyme, finely chopped
• salt and pepper
• trotter jelly
• 1 tbsp dried and powdered nettle leaves  (these I forage every spring in bulk and dry out for the whole year.  Mostly dried for tea, I also powder and chuck into soups, stews, mash, gravy…all sorts!)

 

“I don’t always use bacon to line the tin, often I use a jelly, say, from a pigs head, ham hock or trotters.  I  like to decorate the top (first layer in the tin) with a few foraged edible leaves and/or fruits“.

 

Other Ingredients 

• 6 rashers of smoked bacon
• pre-soaked Goji berries (in Brandy tastes really good!)

 

 

Method 

Day One…

1. Marinate the choice cuts of the game (saddles, breasts and thighs) in a generous splash of red wine (you could also throw in a few teaspoons of soft brown sugar if you want).
2. Make a pork ‘binding’ jelly.  This can be made a day in advance by boiling the trotter or hock in a sauce pan, then simmering on a low heat for 3 hours, until the skin dissolves and the knuckles separate.

The gelatin removed from the meat is used as a preserving & jellying agent (as in the making of pork pies).  Nowadays artificial gelatin is often added, but I prefer the traditional method.

 

Day Two…

1. Mix (in a blender) the cooked meat, cooked livers, breadcrumbs, season with the salt and pepper and mix together thoroughly with 4 or 5 tbsp of melted trotter jelly.  This is the forcemeat.
2. Cut the marinated game meat into long strips about 2 fingers thick.
3. Fry the game in oil/ butter until nicely browned, do not overcook the meat.
4. Grease a 1lb loaf tin or glazed earthenware terrine dish with the butter.
5. First cooked bacon rashers into the buttered base.  You can first add some pretty herb leaves for decoration if you fancy.  Be creative!!  Pour on a little of the warm, liquid jelly to bind the first layer, then a layer of forcemeat!  Allow to cool and set.
6. When set, add another layer of forcemeat followed by a layer of game meat, and repeat this action until the game is gone.  Be mindful, think about the finished pattern when it is cut into slices.  Add the Goji berry layer somewhere in the middle.  Finish with a layer of the forcemeat.
7. Terrines must be pressed as they cool to release trapped air.  This makes for a smooth texture and they’re easier to slice.  Find a piece of wood or plastic that fits snugly inside the terrine dish and weigh it down with a house brick (wrap in cling-film or foil in case it is a bit dirty).  If you have a spare loaf tin the same size, use that with a brick inside it.  Put the terrine in the fridge for 24 hours.

 

Day Three…

1. To serve, remove from the tin, guide the knife around the edges and tap upside down on a chopping board to release.  If it doesn’t come out, pour some boiling water into a baking tin and warm the terrine for 10 seconds at a time, so the jelly begins to melt inside, but not so much that it melts the bulk of the terrine. When released, chill again and slice thickly while cold with a very sharp knife, clean the blade between slices.  Arrange on a plate with some chutney, jelly and warm brioche.

 

Also think about including… 

• Foraged herbs and fruits of your choice – autumnal fruits such as plums, blackberries,cherries, apple or apricots work really well!  Be creative!!  Why not make your own chutney too?

 

 “…so whats the difference?”

Wild Game Terrine was one of the dishes I served up on Come Dine With Me many years ago, alongside Curried Pheasant & Quinoa Roadkill Pies.  I served two dishes as I wanted to spark a debate if my guests wouldn’t eat the roadkill, but would eat the butcher bought meat.  My question was – “so whats the difference?”  It was the same wild animal, the difference being one had been deliberately shot with a gun, the other had been accidentally hit by a car!  If it was a question of ethics, which one was the most humane?  If it was a question of freshness, one had been hit by a car within a few hours, the other had been hung for over a week in the butchers shop…. which one would you eat?

As it happened they devoured them, and loved it all!    Phewwww!!

Click here for the 2 min trailer…

I hope you enjoy my other ROADKILL & “FERAL FUSION” recipes!

.

………………….oOo………………..

.

“THE SILK PURSE” -aka- “PEPPER PIG”

Pigs Head Terrine

Made with the whole head, in particular the Ears!

 

“This terrine was made out of a pigs ear and a trotter!  It was a beautiful thing to look at, and tasted damn good too, dipped in an Asian style sauce made from soy sauce, mirin and sake, with ginger, garlic and spring onions…. mmmmmm!  

 

Will finish that blog and publish soon…

Enjoy!!

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THE ROADKILL CONNOISSEUR- Making a film for the ‘MUNCHIES’ food Channel – “Southern Fried Squirrel” & “Squirrel Pot-Sticker Dumplings”.

Intrepid Culinarian and Global Connoisseur

The ‘MUNCHIES’ Food Channel Presents:

 THE ROADKILL CONNOISSEUR

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Cooking, and especially EATING has been a life long passion.  I have travelled the world in search of the weird and wonderful.

It’s ironic that I then become famous for a strange little quirk that I discovered whilst learning the art of Taxidermy….

This 5 minute film is a nice little introduction to said ‘quirk‘!  lol.

So, this is me cooking…

“Southern Fried Squirrel”

& “Squirrel Pot-Sticker Dumplings”.

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Click here to watch the film on YouTube, or the image above for the official MUNCHIES 5 min film (can be glitchy!)

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A ‘How to’ film for the MUNCHIES food Channel.

I spent a very pleasurable half day with two guys from VICE / Freemantle Media UK making a show for their “How to…” series.

MUNCHIES chronicles the wide spectrum of the global culinary experience. They liked how I combine roadkill with various forms of cookery styles and ingredients and asked if I would cook for the show. I enjoyed links to the other episodes so said yes!

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I made two of my “Feral Fusion” recipes using squirrel – “Southern Fried Squirrel” & “Squirrel Pot-Sticker Dumplings”.  They were very tasty and the show is pretty funny, lol.

 

Click on the recipe titles for ingredients and methods.

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“Southern Fried Squirrel”

&

“Squirrel Pot-Sticker Dumplings”.

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Orientation Travel Productions and Dutch host Thomas Acda go on a “Roadkill Road Trip”.

Orientation Travel Productions and Dutch host Thomas Acda go on a “Roadkill Road Trip” around North Yorkshire with yours truly!

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Spent a wonderfully full day on a warm and sunny Summer Solstice filming a pilot episode with the Orientation Production team of five wonderfully funny folk from the Netherlands.

The host, Thomas Acda, is a well known rock star, song writer, actor and comedian.  He is making a series very similar to that of Anthony Bourdain; traveling the world, meeting new and interesting people and having epiphanies through culinary experiences.

The day was spent foraging, exploring the beautiful countryside, looking for roadkill, cooking it, chatting and having a fun time.  We ended around a camp fire with some fantastic friends/ local musicians.  We certainly showed them some good old Yorkshire hospitality.

Sorry, not allowed to post anything else until the program is aired on mainstream Dutch TV this year.  Will post links ASAP.

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Making a film for the ‘MUNCHIES’ food Channel – “From Tarmac to Table”.

Making a “How To…” film for the ‘MUNCHIES’ food Channel!

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“How To Cook Roadkill” for the MUNCHIES food Channel.

I spent a very pleasurable half day with two guys from VICE / Freemantle Media UK making a show for their “How to…” series.

MUNCHIES chronicles the wide spectrum of the global culinary experience. They liked how I combine roadkill with various forms of cookery styles and ingredients and asked if I would cook for the show. I enjoyed links to the other episodes so said yes!

I made two of my “Feral Fusion” recipes using squirrel – “Southern Fried Squirrel” & “Squirrel Pot-Stickers Dumplings”.  They were very tasty and the show promises to be pretty funny, lol.

It should be ready to view online in a few months with a working title of “From Tarmac to Table!”.

Can’t disclose anything else because it hasn’t aired yet but will post the link ASAP. X

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TUFTY-TASTIC “Red” Squirrel Sausages – Casting lessons from the “Roadkill-Sausage Queen”.

During our last venture around Mainland Scotland, Skye and The Orkneys, we called in to see a dear friend of ours – Mother Malarky.

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Mother Malarky was one of my very first roadkill mentors and we always look forward to playing with dead things whenever we get together, be it learning how to taxidermy in her kitchen, skinning moles on the beach or holding impromptu roadkill workshops in a field somewhere!

It was at her house one evening in front of the fire that my beaver-fur bikini-bottom performance art piece “Nice Beaver” was re-named “Kali’s Pants” after it took on a greater spiritual and emotional meaning – and the addition of a pikes jaw bone from the Malarky mantelpiece and a handmade red velvet vulva, lol.  Ahhhh, some friends you just know you can be yourself with. lol.

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Well, one fine day back in October we descended on Ms.Malarky and her beloved fella.  We have always managed to make magic in her kitchen and this time was going to be no different.  Amongst other things, Mother Malarky is a fantastic cook, shamanic drum maker, wild food forager and roadkill recycler.  I have learned many things from her, and on this day, she taught me the fine art of sausage casting!  Yayyyyyy!  I had always wanted to do this, ever since I was a kid watching random folk on the ‘Generation Game’ totally fluffing it up.  Many a time since then I had wanted to make sausages but never had the equipment.  I often make terrines or pie and dumpling fillings out of small random bits of roadkill, but you can just about put ‘anything’ in a sausage.   Ahhhh, happy days, and Ma Malarky has just the tool for the job.

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Malarky has now been dubbed The Queen of Roadkill Sausage Making.  Since purchasing her wonderful sausage machine she has just about ‘sausaged’ everything she can get her hands on!  Even Ozzy the cat and her beloved fella have stayed well out of the way!  lol.

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Now…first we had to decide what kind of sausages we wanted to make so we had a rummage in Pandora’s Ice Box.  A mammoth task!  This is a freezer I wish I had, it has more surprises than a ‘Forest Gump’ box of chocolates, everything but the mammoth.  It feels like Christmas opening the lid… well, it does to a dead thing lover like me, lol.  Every time she finds something on the road, and if the law allows, it goes straight into her ‘special’ freezer.   On this day she decided we will make squirrel sausages and she dug three out of the freezer. Two greys and one red.

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A word about Squirrels and the Law….

The red squirrel is a protected species in the UK and is included in Schedules 5 and 6 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) (amended by the Countryside & Rights of Way Act 2000). It is an offence to intentionally kill or injure a red squirrel or intentionally or recklessly damage or destroy any structure or place a red squirrel uses for shelter or protection, or disturb a red squirrel while it occupies such a place.
Therefore you must be very careful about when and where you fell any trees. See the section on felling advice for more detail.

The grey squirrel is regarded as an invasive non-native species following its inclusion under Schedule 9 of the WCA. Grey squirrels are also listed in the IUCN international list of 100 worst invasive non-native species. This highlights the damage that grey squirrels cause to our native flora and fauna; a problem severe enough to be recognised at a level of global significance. As such, the grey squirrel is regarded as a pest species and is afforded no protection under the WCA. Under Schedule 9 of the WCA, it is illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild, or allow one to escape.

This means if you trap one, you are obliged to humanely dispatch it. You must not let it go as this act would be illegal.

Anyone who carries out, or knowingly causes or permits any of the above acts to occur could be committing an offence.

NOTE: ALL THREE OF THESE WERE ROAD TRAFFIC CASUALTIES.  IF THAT WERE NOT THE CASE WITH THE RED SQUIRRELS I WOULD NOT BE SO STUPID AS TO WRITE THIS BLOG!!

Of course we would rather see these sweet creatures hopping around quite happily alive and kicking, we would rather eat veggies than see them dead, but  this was an exercise in ‘Waste Not Want Not’ guided by our moral code and ethical stance on foraging.  We respect Nature’s delicate balance and Natural Law.  The eating of Red Squirrel could be a controversial issue, but we do “controversial” very well and are both up-to-date on the latest conservation and foraging laws in England and the UK.  We support the various efforts to save the Red.  We still love th grey though, he is still a beautiful creature and can’t help what colour he is.  Ultimately, they both taste pretty much the same!  Life and Nature is all about change at the end of the day!

Here is a well-informed page relating to Foraging and the Law by ‘Roadkill Chef’ and friend – Fergus Drennan – Wild Man Wild Food.

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Okay, that said, let’s get on with some sausage making!! Yayyyyyy!!!

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It was hard and cold work de-fleshing the tiny squirrel bones, but the meat is easier to work and mince when frozen, so prepping took a while. We added ‘red’ things (smoked paprika & sundried tomatoes) seeing as there was a tiny amount of Red Tufty in the mix, and to give the finished bangers a red colour.  Eventually we got to putting all the mixture through the machine and into the castings, which were actually made of Collagen and pretty easy to work with. This bit was fun and I found it hard in the midst of my enthusiasm to work slowly, lol. I wanted full speed and maximum comedy – just like the old days watching the Generation Game! Anyhow, Ms. Malarky reined me in and we produced a huge amount of wonderful sausages that were absolutely TUFTY TASTIC!  Hence, the name was born.

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The following morning we were treated to some of her POACHED PIKE sausage for breakfast with homemade chestnut bread and damson sauce. They were absolutely delicious. If you don’t know already, a pike is a predatory fish found in the UK and is not eaten much these days. Sometimes, it can be a bit ‘bottom-of-the-river’ tasting and has bones as vicious as its teeth! But, these sausages were soooo delicate in texture and flavour, poached to perfection.

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One day, when I have the kitchen space, I will definitely acquire a sausage machine!

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RECIPES TO FOLLOW… you won’t be disappointed!

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Not long after we made Roadkill Sausages for the Beyond Production team whilst filming the ‘Food’ episode for ‘FORBIDDEN’ on the Discovery Channel.

The photographer Jonathan Mcgee has an eye for capturing the moment and a fab sense of humour, lol.

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TUFTY-TASTIC RED SQUIRREL SAUSAGES – Sun-dried Tomato and Smoked Paprika.  (Gluten Free)

PRE-POACHED PIKE SAUSAGES – With Methy Leaf and Thyme.  (Gluten Free)

PHOTO GALLERY

           

Roadkill Recipes – Wild Game Terrine

I have been asked to put up some of my ROADKILL recipes.   There are lots so I will start with one of my favourites… TERRINE!!

It has humble beginnings as a hearty meal for French labourers, but is now served in upscale restaurants as a starter.

Wild Game Terrine was one of the dishes I served up on Come Dine With Me earlier this year, alongside Curried Pheasant & Quinoa Roadkill Pies.  I served two dishes as I wanted to spark a debate if my guests wouldn’t eat the roadkill, but would eat the butcher bought meat.  My question was – so whats the difference?  It was the same wild animal, the difference being one had been delliberatly shot with a gun, the other had been accidentally hit by a car!  If it was a question of ethics, which one was the most humane?  If it was a question of freshness, one had been hit by a car within a few hours, the other had been hung for over a week in the butchers shop…. which one would you eat? 

As it happened they devoured them, and loved it all!    Phewwww!! 

I hope you enjoy the following recipes!

 

Wild Game Terrine with Foraged Fruit Chutney & Toasted Brioche

Since the meat mixture is best marinated and left in the fridge for a day, then cooked and cooled the next day and then left up to two days for proper pressing to occur, terrine is a time-consuming dish.

Roadkill/ Meat Ingredients 

• 1 pheasant
• 1 rabbit
• 1 organic (if possible) pigs trotter 

 

(Or whatever nature provides when using road-kill – however, the trotters are hard to find on the road!! LOL.) Use the breasts of pheasant, pigeon (or other bird) and saddles of rabbit or hare for the terrine; throw the rest of the game meat and bones into the stock pan, cook, cool and pick clean the bones, you can freeze the meat bits for later to use in another recipe – or, include them in this dish). 

Also think about including… 

• Herbs and fruits of your choice – for example; parsley, lovage, thyme and Autumnal fruits such as plums, apple or apricots!  Be creative!!

 

For the forcemeat  – This is a cold pressed terrine!

• Chosen cuts of cooked meat, or/ and cold meat picked off the carcasses of pre-boiled game
• livers from all the game (optional) fry off/ cook first 
• 1 handful fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp (lemon) thyme, finely chopped
• 1 tbs red wine or brandy
• salt and pepper
• trotter jelly
• coriander leaves
• 6 juniper berries

(My own special touch…If I don’t use bacon to line the tin, and use a jelly, say, from a pigs head, ham hock or trotters, I occasionally like to decorate the top (first layer in the tin) with a few foraged edible leaves, like lovage.  I love using offal, I once tried a terrine using a pig’s uterus and trotters, it was incredible!  I called it the ‘Foot & Fadge’ – opposite.)

 

Method 

Day One…

1. Marinate the choice cuts of the game (saddles, breasts and thighs) in a generous splash of red wine (you could also throw in a few teaspoons of soft brown sugar if you want).
2. Make a pork ‘binding’ jelly.  This can be made a day in advance by boiling the trotter or hock in a sauce pan, then simmering on a low heat for 3 hours, until the skin dissolves and the knuckles separate. 

The gelatine removed from the meat is used as a preserving & jellying agent (as in the making of pork pies).  Nowadays artificial gelatine is often added, but I prefer the traditional method.

Day Two…

1. Mix (in a blender) the cooked meat, cooked livers, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, thyme, juniper berries, wine/ brandy, season with the salt and pepper and mix together thoroughly with 4 or 5 tbsp of melted trotter jelly.  This is the forcemeat.
2. Cut the marinated game meat into long strips about 2 fingers thick.
3. Fry the game in oil/ butter until nicely browned, do not overcook the meat.
4. Grease a 1lb loaf tin or glazed earthenware terrine dish with the butter. 
5. Press some herb leaves to the buttered base for decoration.  Be creative!!  Pour on a little of the warm, liquid jelly to bind the first layer!  Allow to cool and set.
6. When set, add a layer of forcemeat followed by a layer of game meat, and repeat this action until the game is gone.  Again, when layout of the meat strips, be mindful, think about the finished pattern when it is cut into slices.  Finish with a layer of the forcemeat.
7. Terrines must be pressed as they cool to release trapped air.  This makes for a smooth texture and they’re easier to slice.  Find a piece of wood or plastic that fits snugly inside the terrine dish and weigh it down with a house brick (wrap in cling-film or foil in case it is a bit dirty).  If you have a spare loaf tin the same size, use that with a brick inside it.  Put the terrine in the fridge for 24 hours.

Day Three…

1. To serve, remove from the tin, guide the knife around the edges and tap upside down on a chopping board to release.  If it doesn’t come out, pour some boiling water into a baking tin and warm the terrine for 10 seconds at a time, so the jelly begins to melt inside, but not so much that it melts the bulk of the terrine. When released, chill again and slice thickly while cold with a very sharp knife, clean the blade between slices.  Arrange on a plate with the chutney and warm brioche.

 

For the Foraged Fruit Chutney: 

Gathering the fruits, jars, and the time consuming job of peeling, stoning and chopping is often made easier and more fun by working as a team.  We all then get to share the end product. This was originally my amazing friend Tina’s recipe.  She doesn’t really use weights and measures, but to make it easy she gave a ‘guess-timation’. 

 

Ingredients 

• 1 lb small yellow wild plums
• 10 fl oz white wine vinegar
• 1 onion – finely chopped
• ½ tspn pepper
• 3 whole dried chillies
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 black pepper corns
• ½ tspn cumin seeds
• ½ tsp celery seeds
• Honey to taste

 Method 

1. Wash, slice and de-stone your chosen foraged fruits.
2. Put all the spices in a muslin bag.  You can make one by cutting a large circle of muslin, putting all the ingredients in the middle and tying securely with a piece of uncoloured/ clean/ unbleached cotton or string. 
3. Gently soften the chopped onions in a little butter.
4. Put the vinegar in the pan and add the plums and spice-bag.  Bring to the boil, and then simmer until soft – about 15 mins is okay.
5. Add honey to taste.
6. Pour into hot, sterilised jars if preserving.  Try not to use the dishwasher to sterilise your jars, it makes them smell.

…serve with lightly toasted slices of Brioche or toast

 

You can experiment with all of this in your own way of course…nothing is carved in stone when it comes to these kinds of recipes!  It depends on what nature offers you at the time and your personal tastes!   This terrine was made out of a pigs ear and a trotter!  It was a beautiful thing to look at, and tasted damn good too, dipped in a chinese style sauce made from soy with ginger, garlic and spring onions…. mmmmmm!  It was called “The Silk Purse Terrine”!

Enjoy!!

 

………………….oOo………………..