What could be more natural and paleo than finding your own wild game, that has been living free range, and feeding on the natural herbs and leafy tree greens in the forest?
The herbal diet of the bird will be passed on to us to our health and infused with the delicious flavour of the leafy forest flora.
Once we are blessed with a fresh ruffed grouse the forest, its time to head back to the kitchen.
We often search the local grocery store for organic foods free from additives, and pesticides. I personally tend to veer away from the meats department because of sad stories about factory processed meats, the awful things the livestock are fed and then passed on down the food chain to us.
After the parts we did'nt want were removed, and the feathers disposed of, we are left with a small skinless poultry similar to a cornish hen.
Since grouse a small bird, I did'nt want to over cook it and so chose to slow simmer it in a bath of herbs and natural butter in the slow cooker.
Begin prepping the grouse by gathering your ingredients:
- 1 mature grouse (around 375 grams uncooked)
- 1/8 cup butter
- 2 tbsp pure organic lemon juice (not from concentrate)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Melt the butter. Add the lemon juice, thyme, garlic powder and red pepper flakes and stir well.
Add the chicken broth and stir with the butter lemon spices mixture until all combined.
Pour the mixture over the grouse and rub in the spices.
Place the grouse in an oiled slow cooker and pour the broth/lemon/spice mixture over top.
Place pats of butter in the grouse cavity and on top of the bird. Put the lid on the slow cooker and leave it on high for about 3 hours.
While the grouse is cooking, you can check on it and baste it a few times until it is done. You will know it is done when the legs fall away and the meats looks flaky tender and white coloured. When the bird is done, turn the slow cooker down to the warm setting.
A gravy can be made from the buttery bath the grouse simmered in.
Melt 2 tbsp butter over medium/low heat in a pan.
To the melted butter, add a heaping tbsp of flour, and whisk continually until it comes together and starts to sizzle.
Pour the butter broth bath from the grouse cooker into the pan with flour butter mixture, all the while whisking continuously.
Keep whisking the broth and flour butter mixture, and it will thicken. Add enough boiling water as you keep whisking to get a desired creamy consistency for your gravy.
The gravy looks ready to be served with the grouse keeping warm in the cooker.
Remove the grouse from the warming slow cooker. It can be divided into 2 servings.
The result was a tender and delicately flavourful poultry. Served with simple side dishes to not overpower the main entree. The recipe also includes a gravy sauce derived from the bird drippings and spices.
A half grouse with a couple spoons of gravy works out to around 700 healthy organic protein rich calories.
See how I made this recipe on my You Tube Channel.
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