Recipe of the Month

by Duane Radford

Canada Goose Stew

● 2 goose breasts
● 1 red onion (chopped)
● 1 red pepper (chopped)
● 1 green peppers (chopped)
● 3 carrots (diced)
● 2 teaspoons of prepared garlic (minced)
● 1 can of diced tomatoes (28 ounces)
● 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
● 1 cup button mushrooms (halved or quartered)
● salt (1/2 teaspoon)
● pepper (1/2 teaspoon)
● 1 teaspoon basil
● 1 teaspoon savory
● 2 tablespoons duck fat or butter

This recipe is featured in the “Canadian Cowboy Cookbook” recipe book that I co-authored with Jean Paré and Gregory Lepine. I made a few changes to suit my particular tastes. This cookbook is based on genuine cowboy genre cuisine, simple home-style dishes that are easy to make and filling after a day on the range. As I noted in the recipe book, Canada geese are like wild ducks and tend to be quite lean compared to their domestic counterparts that have a lot higher fat content. Consequently, they should be cooked in a manner that doesn’t dry them out; for example, slowly in a Dutch oven or slow cooker for best results.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash the goose breasts under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Cut the breasts into halves and then quarter them or even cut them into bite-sized pieces (depending on your preferences), and place them in a slow cooker or Dutch oven with a couple of tablespoons of duck fat or butter. Duck fat is absolutely delicious and can be purchased in aerosol cans or rendered in containers. Retailers can be sourced online.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours in a slow cooker. You could also prepare the stew in an oven roaster on a stovetop by browning the stew-sized goose breasts, adding the ingredients and simmering them for around 1 hour.

The “Canada Goose Stew” is actually a meal in itself. However, if you want to make it last and have leftovers you could serve some creamy mashed potatoes with the stew as well, and/or a garden salad featuring your favourite kind of lettuce with diced tomatoes. Make a homemade salad dressing with the following ingredients: 1-1/2 red teaspoons wine vinegar, 2-1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (or canola oil), 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or summer savory, 1 teaspoon honey. Stir well. Add some capers and grated parmesan cheese along with some garlic croutons to the salad.

This easy to make recipe brings out the best flavour in geese and will tenderize even rather large, old birds that can occasionally be a bit tough.

Back in the day when cowboys roamed the range, a feast of waterfowl would be a nice change-up in their routine diet.

For a wine pairing, I’d opt for a medium-full bodied red wine. You can’t go wrong with a Baco Noir or a Cabernet sauvignon. The recipe could also be paired with a brown ale, a cool stout or dark ale.