Hello From the Kitchen!
Going into March, we celebrate the coming of spring, and of course daylight savings, losing that precious hour of sleep. I say forget sleep, and embrace your wild side, and lead the pack. Remember if you’re not the lead dog, you know what your view is.
When I think of the wild side of things, I reminisce about hunting and camping with my grandfather. We had a huge ranch in Texas and that man loved to hunt and fish. Being outdoors just seemed to bring him peace and center him. My Grandfather was a successful businessman and a big figure in our community. I guess all that responsibility can wear down the average man, but not my grandfather. He would take the grandkids —of which there were 8— and show us our wild side in the lush forest near our town. Focusing on the things that truly matter in this world like how to take care of ourselves in the event of nuclear war. This was the 80’s so…ya know.
HUNTING & HASENPFEFFER
Exclusive Chefs prepares all types of meals as we are regional cuisine chefs. Game is always popular during certain times of the year and we always jump at the chance to prepare a “woodsy” experience. Rabbit was one of those animals we would hunt with grandad, clean and skin right there in the woods, and then that night we would make Hasenpfeffer! I just love saying that; remembering Bugs Bunny running from the hunter as he would yell at Bugs…Hasenpfeffer! Sorry I got off track tract. Hasenpfeffer is a traditional German stew. Incredibly rich and aromatic, it was made to warm you up for Bavarian winters, making it just the cozy dish to enjoy during chilly Spring nights in March. If you’re not quite sure about rabbit meat, here are some quick facts about it.
- Rabbit meat culinary history: it’s a long favorite on the tables of Europe: in Italy, Germany, and France, but also long ago embraced by indigenous people in America along with venison and duck.
- Rabbit meat nutrition: it is a healthier protein source compared to beef, pork, chicken, with the lowest percentage of fat, highest percentage of protein, and the fewest calories per pound
- Rabbit meat sustainability: it is lighter on the environment. According to Slow Food USA, rabbit can produce 6 pounds of meat using the same amount of food and water it takes for a cow to produce only 1 pound
I know, I know there are many of you out there who do not like the “gamey” taste. Well read through this recipe and you will see how to cook rabbit right, and how to season this dish and lessen that flavor you dislike in your meat.
HASENPFEFFER
Chef Dennis Hicks
A traditional German stew made with rabbit meat, red wine, bacon, and aromatic spices.
PREP TIME: 30 minsCOOK TIME: 1 hr 30 minsTOTAL TIME: 2 hrsCUISINE: GermanSERVINGS: 4 people
INGREDIENTS
- 3 lbs Rabbit meat
- 1/2 tsp salt, kosher
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 lb bacon diced
- 1/2 cup shallots minced
- 1 cup red wine dry, preferably
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp chicken base
- 1 tbsp currant jelly
- 10 each black peppercorns crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary crushed
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp flour all purpose
- 1/8 tsp dried thyme crushed
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place bacon in a deep cast iron skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until browned.
- Remove the back and drain on paper towels.
- Adding salt to the rabbit and coating with 1/3 cup of flour, shake off excess and brown in the bacon fat. Remove everything but reserve 2 tablespoons of fat.
- Sauté the shallots and garlic in skillet for about 4 minutes.
- Add wine, 1 cup of water and chicken base and boil.
- Stir in jelly, peppercorns, bay leaf and rosemary. Return the rabbit and bacon to skillet.
- Heat to boiling, and then reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 1 ½ hours or until the rabbit is tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and discard. Place the rabbit on a side plate.
- Back to the skillet, stir in lemon juice.
- Combine 3 tablespoons of water with 2 tablespoons flour and mix together. Stir into skillet, on low heat.
- Finally stir in the thyme.
- Pour gravy over the rabbit and enjoy.
HOW TO COOK CROCK POT HASENPFEFFER: Some of you out there are huge crock pot fans. Follow this guideline.
- Add all the ingredients but the flour and 3 tablespoons of water into your crock pot.
- Cook on low for 6 hours.
- 30 minutes prior to the 6 hour mark, combine your flour and water until it’s a smooth paste. Add this to your crockpot, stirring well.
- Place the rabbit back to the crock pot and continue for 30 more minutes.
NOTES
WHERE TO BUY RABBIT MEAT IN LAS VEGAS: If you appreciate fine meat products, Village Meat & Wine provides the best assortment of game and other prime meats.
FIRES & OLD FASHIONEDS
Do you enjoy making a fire? I loved to help grandad make the fire. We would dig a hole; surround it with rocks and stones, gather up the logs and dried brush from the woods, and place it into the hole. This fire would rage for hours. Embers and coals slowly burning that would ignite a glow that was warm and alive. This memory brings to mind a cocktail I tried years ago: an old fashioned with maple syrup. This maple old fashioned recipe is a twist on a classic. The amber color of this drink and how warm it makes you feel reminds me of that fire I would build with my grandad. I tell you here and now. One sip of this cocktail and you will be building fires.
MAPLE OLD FASHIONED
Chef Dennis Hicks
An old fashioned cocktail made with maple syrup.PREP TIME: 5 minsTOTAL TIME: 5 minsSERVINGS: 1 person
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 oz bourbon
- 1 each grapefruit squeezed to equal 3 tbsp
- 1 tbsp dark maple syrup
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the bourbon, grapefruit juice, maple syrup and bitters to your glass.
- Stir to combine.
- Add ice and drink up!
RETURNINGS & RHUBARBS
One of the best parts of those outings was returning home. My grandmother would have a fresh, hot pie on the dining table waiting for us. This was not just any pie, this was rhubarb pie. Rhubarb? You mean that red celery? Sadly, no. They may look alike but celery is from the parsnip family while rhubarb is from the buckwheat family. They could not be more different. Rhubarb was first used as medicinal properties being cultivated in 2700BC China. During the tea and spice trade with the west, it gathered fame as the English brought it back with them during the 18th century and the British began cooking with it. What does rhubarb pie recipe taste like? It’s sweet, yet a little tangy and will hit all your taste buds. I hope you enjoy trying this dessert as much as I loved writing it. I feel grandma would be proud we are keeping up the tradition.
RHUBARB PIE
Chef Dennis Hicks
A sweet and tangy pie with rhubarb filling.PREP TIME: 30 minsTOTAL TIME: 1 hrSERVINGS: 1 hr 16 minsCOURSE: DessertSERVINGS: 8 people
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups rhubarb chopped
- 1 1/3 cups sugar granulated
- 6 tbsp flour all-purpose
- 1 tbsp butter unsalted
- 2 each frozen pie crust 9 inch round
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Combine sugar and flour and sprinkle over the bottom of your pie tin.
- Add rhubarb over the mixture and dot with small pieces of butter.
- Cover with top crust.
- Place on lowest rack and bake for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for another 45 minutes.
I know some of you are thinking, “Where is the pie crust recipe?”. I will get one out later but for right now, let’s eat this motha!
-Written by Chef Dennis Hicks
Exclusive Chefs wants you to know that whether a small gathering and intimate dinner or a large gathering for celebration, we will prepare game and exciting libations for all occasions. Take this time and focus on the things that really matter: teaching your grandkids how to rough it or share sharing a cocktail with a good friend. Open up your wild side this month and the next time they ask you, your response should be Covid who? Stay Calm and Chef On!
