If you love the outdoors—its beauty, bounty, and diversity—I am just like you. If you enjoy being creative in the kitchen as you prepare delicious and sometimes unusual meals for your friends and family, I am just like you. And if you take pride in savoring the rewards of your outdoor adventures in a carefully planned and prepared meal that makes the most of what you harvest in the field, I am just like you. I am not a professional fisherman, hunter, or chef: I am just like you.
As the idea for the content of this book began to come together, I decided that “just another cookbook”—even one that focuses on wild fish and game rather than their domestic counterparts—would probably not generate much interest, and that an approach that differed from other wild-game cookbooks would be essential.
First, you’ll find a series of stories that relate actual outdoor adventures I’ve been fortunate enough to experience over the past fifty-plus years. Second, you’ll note that each story features a complete-meal menu and the associated recipes at its conclusion. Third, there are complete-meal menus of complimentary dishes rather than single dishes that you have to decide how to combine with other items to make a complete meal. Finally, the recipes and menus are, with only a few exceptions, fairly simple and straightforward.
You’ll also be glad to know that in many instances, the game upon which featured recipes are based can be replaced with “domestic,” or commercially available, equivalents without completely sacrificing the intended essence. But this is a book about wild game, so I truly hope that you can experience the recipes as they were intended!
You will also find that there are some instances in which a particular recipe can be paired with more than one species of animal. Find combinations that work for you. Enjoying every aspect of your outdoor experiences is what this book is all about!
