Moose Pasta Sauce
Jackson finding out about hunting game in the Yukon – “Up here, this is how we shop local. Hunting is managed. Not everyone agrees or does it, but it’s been a way of life for the First Nations long before we ever showed up. They teach respect for the land and its offerings. The land offers. I accept what is given with gratitude and only take what I’ll use.” Yukon Winter, Chapter Twelve
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground moose/elk/caribou or the game of your choice
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 thinly sliced/chopped carrots
- 1 diced pepper, any color
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can stewed or diced tomatoes
- Herbs (fresh or dried) to taste, Oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, chili powder, cumin
- Seasoning Salt (add at the end to intensify other flavors – just a pinch because it can overwhelm)
Directions
- Fry meat, Onions. Once browned, add carrots, peppers, and garlic
- Add Tomatoes and spices.
- Simmer, stirring every 20 minutes. (Jackson, please set a timer for this). This is a thick sauce, and prone to sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning if not watched vigilantly. Half an hour before eating, taste, and adjust spicing. This is the time to start the pasta of your choice, put the garlic bread in the oven and have the salad tossed and ready for dressing.
Notes:
Most game or domestic meat will work in this recipe. Try it with beef or a mix of beef and pork.
Wes’s notes: When we cook in the Yukon, we work with what we have and what came in on the grocery truck this week, especially in the winter or spring when the roads are snowed in or washed out keeping the trucks from getting through. Substitute where needed. If tomatoes aren’t available, use tomato paste. Make sure to add it with water. Herbs to taste too. Try some of the local boreal forest herbs, available through foraging. Chickweed, lambs’ quarters, and nettle, fresh or dried will add flavor if the stores don’t have what you need. Follow local foragers in the woods to find out what you could use or check out, “The Boreal Herbal: Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North.” By Beverley Gray (Beverly is a great friend to those who want to forage in the nature’s grocery store. There is a beat-up copy on Isabelle’s bookshelf.
(Thanks to Ely Boivin for his contribution to this recipe)
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