Our dear Lizzie has quite the discerning palate -- and when I say discerning, I mean that she's impossibly picky, even for a toddler. Last May, we celebrated her second birthday at The Woodspeen near Newbury, which is a village about an hour west of London. Lizzie is partial to all things crunchy junk and food she can suck out of a packet -- she eats like an astronaut, by choice -- so we thought wild mushroom soup would have the best chance of making it past her tight, stubborn lips.  To her credit, she did eat a couple spoonfuls, but alas, decided that wild mushroom was a bit too sophi ..read more

This is a light, refreshing salad inspired by Thai-style beef and mint. Serve the venison warm, at room temperature or cold. For convenience, cook the loin the night before and store in the refrigerator, and then slice it right before serving. This recipe also works well with leftover meat. Palm sugar is a staple in Thai cooking, and it is sold as cakes. It is made from the sap of coconut palm trees and has a light caramel-like flavor. To use palm sugar, shave the cake with a knife. If you can’t find palm sugar, brown sugar will work in this recipe. Fresh bird’s eye chili is the correct c ..read more

  Goulash in America and goulash in Europe are nothing alike. I’m well aware of their differences—I’ve had enough people tell me that my Hungarian recipe is not “real goulash.” But I can see why people love American goulash so much. It’s a one-pot combination of meaty and cheesy -- sort of a hybrid between pasta stew and chili. While venison might make this recipe leaner than the beef goulash you know and love, it’s no less comforting. Find the recipe on MeatEater: https://www.themeateater.com/cook/recipes/venison-goulash-recipe     ..read more

Avgolemono, meaning egg (avgo) and lemon (lemono), is a Greek chicken soup that’s creamy without the use of dairy. Eggs and rice thicken it and give a silky texture that is to die for on a cold winter day. Actually, it reminds me a lot of the Vietnamese rice porridge I grew up eating, except the tartness of avgolemono might make you pucker. That leads to my next point: Traditional recipes for avgolemono call for copious amounts of lemon juice. I’ve cut down the amount of citrus in my recipe, but if you’re looking for more excitement in your life, add as much lemon as your tastebuds desire. Th ..read more

  This summer roll recipe combines Vietnamese and Chinese cooking. Tea-smoking is a simple Chinese cooking technique that infuses the gentle aromas and flavors of Szechuan peppercorns, tea, rice and star anise into meat, and it’s delicious with waterfowl. The smoke adds a different level of complexity, and when added to Vietnamese summer rolls, you have a light appetizer, perfect for the warmer months. You can make these rolls a few hours ahead, wrapped in plastic wrap to keep the rice paper moist. Or to save on work and make the experience more interactive, offer all the prepared ingred ..read more

This pheasant tortilla soup recipe is an opportunity to utilize the whole bird. There’s no need for a perfectly plucked pheasant—use a skinned bird that might be too shot up. Dark meat legs and thighs will become tender in this soup, and bone-in pieces will impart their flavor to the stock. If you’re not saving the organs for something else, add them to the pot and they’ll help to enrich the flavor of the soup. However, if you don’t have a whole pheasant in the freezer, don’t sweat it. Breast meat is fine—the chicken stock and bouillon in the recipe will make up for any shortage of flavor. Fi ..read more

Vietnamese-French bread is the ideal sandwich bread. When fresh, its thin, golden-crispy crust offers a satisfying crunch that yields to every bite. And unlike traditional French bread, its crumb is tender and airy – not dense – perfect for filling with generous amounts of meat and vegetables, while inviting warm juices and sauces. Delicious stuffed or simply eaten with butter, Laughing Cow spreadable cheese or a few dashes of Maggi sauce – one of my mom’s favorite snacks – there’s nothing like enjoying fresh-from-the-oven bánh mì by itself. You always have to sacrifice a piece while traveli ..read more

Several years ago, I found an Irish pub cookbook in the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble. While its cover bore no author, this collection of classic Irish recipes has become one of my most cherished cookbooks. The dishes tend to be seasonal, and they highlight local ingredients—the kind of food you’d expect out of a decent pub that cares about its vittles just as much as its drink. Also, they’re the kind of recipes that work well with wild game. One recipe that stood out to me was goose with apple stuffing. In Ireland, Scotland, and England, it was tradition to eat a young goose on Michaelmas ..read more

Passover is upon us, and although I'm nowhere near being Jewish, I am an enthusiastic matzo ball soup lover. For a non-meat ball that's made of mostly unleavened bread, called matzo meal, the texture is surprisingly satisfying and "meaty." And the chicken stock that the balls are traditionally served in is deliciously savory, rich and aromatic. Because this soup is fairly simple, the texture of the matzo balls and the flavor of the broth are critical. This is one of my favorite soups, one that I could enjoy year round. Obviously, my wild game matzo ball soup recipe isn't kosher by any means ..read more

Recipe sponsored by Walleye Direct. Servings: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: - 4 salmon portions - Olive oil - 4 tablespoons of shallot, finely chopped - 2 clove of garlic, minced - 4 handfuls of fresh spinach - Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, to taste - Splash of white wine or vermouth - 2 cups of heavy whipping cream - Fresh lemon juice, to taste - Salt and pepper, to taste Directions: 1. Take salmon out of the refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking. When you’re ready to cook, pat fish dry with paper towels and season it with salt and pepper.  2. Coat a non-sti ..read more