SQUIRREL - A Sustainable Food Source

As the autumn leaves turn, walking with my dog Bertie in the woods, becomes a noisy event. He goes off yelping looking into the trees hoping to catch a 4 legged, grey, bushy tailed creature who runs very fast along the ground and up the trees. As long as I can remember, Bertie, has never managed to catch a Squirrel.

The grey Squirrel is very active at this time of year gathering food for storage to see them through the harsh months of winter. Since their introduction from America at the turn of the 19th century, the Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) or Tree rat (as they are called in America) have reproduced to produce an epic population and have almost taken our native Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)to the brink of extinction.The Grey Squirrel also does a lot of damage to native woodlands and a large amount of tax payers money is spent keeping their population to a manageable level. 

In today's environment of food waste, food shortages, increased food prices and concerns about animal welfare we are looking at a sustainable, cheap, safe and welfare friendly food source. Squirrels can be bought from a butchers (if you pre-plan and ask) or can be bought prepared and vacuum packed online. It is best to ask them to be prepared for you, as with any game, they are best skinned and gutted fresh.

The meat is a cross over between chicken and rabbit but much sweeter. Squirrel can be used as an alternative to most chicken or rabbit recipes but are particularly good either in a casserole or cooked on a BBQ.

Here is one of my favourite Squirrel recipes combining a stew with mushrooms and roasted vegetable. A good hearty autumn recipe.

I hope you have a go and enjoy the delicious flavours.

Yvette x

SQUIRREL STEW with mushrooms and autumn vegetables.

• 2 squirrels, skinned and gutted, chopped into quarters

• 1 tbsp flour

• 200ml red wine

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp chopped pancetta or streaky bacon

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

• ½ bay leaf, finely chopped

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• sea salt

• pinch cayenne pepper

• 50g unsalted butter

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

• 100g brown mushrooms

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, plus extra to serve

• 300ml chicken stock

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, sliced thinly

• 1 celeriac, peeled, sliced thinly

• 2 turnips, peeled, sliced thinly

• 1 tbsp clear honey

• 2 beetroot, cooked, peeled, sliced thinly

• 3 onions, sliced thinly

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 fresh bay leaf

• sprig fresh thyme

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 50g pine nuts, toasted, to serve

• Cover the squirrel pieces in the flour and set aside.

• Warm the wine in a saucepan.

• Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add the pancetta/bacon and squirrel pieces and fry for 4-5 minutes, turning regularly, until golden-brown all over.

• Add the warmed wine, thyme, bay leaf and lemon zest to the saucepan containing the squirrel and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the squirrel is cooked through.

• Season, to taste, with sea salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

• Meanwhile heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the shallot, garlic and mushrooms for 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir in the parsley.

• For the autumnal vegetables, preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7.

• Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a saucepan then turn off the heat. Add the butternut squash, celeriac and turnip. Heat for five minutes, or until slightly softened. Remove the vegetables from the stock using a slotted spoon and set aside.

• Add the honey to the stock, return the mixture to the boil and continue to boil until the volume of liquid has reduced in volume and resembles syrup.

• Arrange the butternut squash, celeriac, turnip, beetroot and onion on a large baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and pour over the reduced stock mixture. Add the bay leaf and thyme and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

• Bake the vegetables in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until tender.

• To serve, arrange the vegetable on a serving plates. Top with the squirrel pieces and spoon over the mushrooms. Sprinkle with the flatleaf parsley and toasted pine nuts.

Seasonal Recipe - Make the Most of Pumpkins

Erin Baker, Chef Tutor at Harts Barn Cookery School and Founder of Natural Cookery School Shares Her Pumpkin Pie Recipe

On my way to the Forest from Stroud to teach at Harts Barn Cookery School I pass Over Farm just outside of Gloucester.  Right now there are piles of pumpkins ready for the eating.  Pumpkins can be used in sweet an savoury recipes ranging from soup to curry to pie.  My favourite way to use them is in Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie has got to be the quintessential American autumn treat. As I am an American living in England I recreate this classic pie every year to remind me of home. Until they have tried it, most people I have met in the UK are not convinced they will enjoy a piece of pumpkin pie. When asked to describe pumpkin pie I refer to it as a spiced pumpkin flavoured custard tart. This generally warms people to the idea of it and after they have scoffed it, they are completely in love. Most recipes in found in the states call for tins of pumpkin purée and evaporated milk, two things I would rather not use! This recipe calls for fresh pumpkin and replaces the evaporated milk with double cream. I grow a special type of pumpkin called New England Pie Pumpkin that is perfect for this recipe. This variety is sweeter and less watery than the type for carving. When people ask if I am going to carve my precious beauties, they are often glared at with offensive eyes and are then told the tale of pumpkin pie. When making the pastry, make a double batch, wrap in cling film and place in the freezer, always great to have some spare. The recipe can be made with butternut squash, but really it should be pumpkin, hence the name.  I hope you enjoy.  
Pumpkin Pie
Pastry
150g plain flour
75g cold butter
1 medium egg, beaten
Filling
600g pumpkin puree
200ml double cream
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
100g brown sugar
75g granulated sugar

To make the pastry, cut the butter into small pieces and place with the flour in a large bowl.     Rub the butter into the flour gently using your fingertips.  This can also be done with a food processor.  Continue until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, working quickly so the dough does not become too warm.  Add the egg and stir together with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to form a dough.  Turn the dough onto a lightly flour surface and knead gently to fully combine and form a ball of dough.  Wrap in cling film and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

To make pumpkin puree, slice a pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds.  Preheat oven to 200C/180 Fan/Gas Mark 6.  Place cut side down on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife can easily be inserted.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Scrap pumpkin away from the skin and discard the skin.  Puree pumpkin with a food processor or hand blender until smooth.  Measure 600grams for the pie.  The rest of the puree can be used in soups, made into a sauce, used in cookies, to fill pasta, muffins or simply warmed, seasoned and eaten as a side. 

Preheat oven to 180C/160 Fan/Gas Mark 4.  On a lightly floured counter, using a rolling pin, roll out pastry to fit a 9inch/23cm pie tin.  Place the pastry in the pie tin and trim the edge or pinch together to form a crust.  Blind bake using ceramic baking beads or dried beans on top of parchment paper for 10 minutes.  Remove baking beans.  If the edge begins to darken during the bling baking process, cover with aluminum foil for final baking. 

Combine pumpkin puree with cream, eggs, spices and sugars, this can be done in a food processor or in a bowl with a whisk.  Gently combine as not to thicken the cream.  Pour filling into blind baked pie crust.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until filling has just set.  Cool on a baking rack.  Serve warm with whipped cream.
ENJOY! 
Erin

BUYING LOCAL,  AVOIDING FOOD WASTE - MAKE YOUR OWN

There has been a lot of press about using local produce and reducing food waste.
In our beautiful 'local' area here in the Forest of Dean we have a wealth of excellent Food Producers as demonstrated by 70+ producers at the Forest Showcase Food Festival at the beginning of October.
Lucky for me the Forest Bakehouse, with their excellent bread, is just around the corner but it is only open on a Friday and Saturday. Do I buy in bulk and then freeze? Or do I buy more than I need and risk wasting the bread if it isn't consumed?

These are my mantra's to avoid food waste:

• Buy little and often.
• Menu plan so you don't buy unnecessary and unwanted ingredients.
• Check your cupboards, fridge and freezer to make sure you haven't already got items.
• Avoid BOGOFF and ask yourself 'Do I really need two packets'?
• Have a good store cupboard of essential ingredients and then buy the extras locally.
• Preserve when products are in season.
• Make your own. Harvesting from your garden or hedgerow is free and is also good exercise.

Yesterday I was very lucky to be given some Crab Apples from a neighbour's tree free. I used 1kg of sugar (£1.99) from my store cupboard, some water from the tap, a bit of electricity and some time. I now have 8 jars of lovely crab apple jelly in my cupboard costing me less than £4 or 50p a jar!

That is what I call cost effective, local and there will be no waste.
Mmmm, the photos have made me hungry. Bread, local cheese and crab apply jelly for lunch.

Until next time

Yvette

Ever Thought of Eating Dandelions?

Yvette Farrell - Trained Horticulturist, Principal of Cookery School and Lover of Foraging..

Did you know that the definition of a weed is 'A plant in a place where you don't want it to be'
If you are an avid gardener then you certainly can't miss that most evasive 'weed', The Dandelion. If you can look beyond a dandelion as a weed it's bright yellow colour brightens our hedgerows, fields, vacant plots and our gardens even on the most grey of days.

In many parts of the world the dandelion is viewed very differently and consumed as a delicious vegetable.
Nutritionally, dandelion greens and roots are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and are one of the most nutritional greens you can eat. They have many medicinal qualities as well. They are potassium-rich and have a strong diuretic quality (we all know the 'wee' stories!), as well as and efficient blood detoxifier and good for the liver. They have long been used to treat digestive disorders and to treat arthritis and eczema.
Dandelion leaves can be quite bitter when mature so the best time to harvest is either in early spring before the flowers appear or early autumn when the leaves flush again. Do not forage from the road side verge or in areas where there is heavy chemical use.


Young dandelion leaves are tender and delicious served raw in salads or sandwiches. If you use the greens that have been harvested after the plant has flowered, you can blanch them in water to remove the bitterness; throw away the bitter water, and blanch them again. You will loose a lot of vitamins this way, but there are still plenty of beneficial nutrients left. Use sauteed or steamed dandelion greens as you would any other greens. Dandelion root can by ground and used as a substitute for coffee, and dandelion flowers can be used in recipes and for garnish.

The French make a soup called Crème de Pissenlits of Cream of Dandelion Soup.

INGREDIENTS
1 kg dandelion leaves, trimmed and washed
1 tbsp. butter or olive oil
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced
1 carrot diced
2.5 cups of milk
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD

If using more mature leaves, blanch the first. Squeeze out the excess water, chop and set aside.
Heat the butter or oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the dandelions, carrot and leeks and cook for 15 mins stirring often.

Add the stock and simmer for a further 15min. Reduce the heat and whisk in the milk. Cook and stir frequently until slightly thickened.
Puree the mix in a blender or with a hand blender until smooth
Season with salt and pepper, and add the mustard.
Serve in a bowl garnished with Dandelion flowers.

Hopefully you can now view the Dandelion as a versatile food source and not just a weed.
Happy foraging.
Yvette x

   

Interested in Meals That Can Heal? Read on...

Health and Nutrition Expert, Karen Maidment is coming to Harts Barn Cookery School this summer, offering talks and cooking workshops all about how to improve your health with food. Here is a blog from Karen all about being Grain Free and Glorious! 

Cooking Grain Free, Gluten Free and Dairy Free

Have you ever heard of the phrase a Paleo Diet? How about a Primal Diet? These basically mean; Food as Mother Nature Intended! In my Meals That Heal cook book and Cookery Workshops all our recipes are naturally grain, dairy, soy, nut, seed and processed sugar free. Why? Because these foods are often challenging for the digestive system to breakdown and use, and can create mass inflammation (heat, pain and disease) in the body.

Common health complaints such as:

• Arthritis
• IBS / IBD
• Coeliac disease /gluten sensitivity
• Depression / anxiety
• Weight gain
• Diabetes
• Asthma
• And so many more!

Can all be relieved and greatly reduce through this style of anti-inflammatory eating.

Now you may have made the decision to go Gluten Free and subsequently experienced a great reduction in your symptoms. But did you know that Gluten is actually a grass seed as are all other grains, including rice, millet and corn. According to Dr Peter Osborne a leading expert in Gluten sensitivity, simply removing the grains containing Gliadin, a particular gluten protein (there are over 60!) found in wheat, barley, rye and oats is not enough to bring about true healing and optimal vitality, that’s because these other grass seeds such as rice, millet and corn still contain gluten compounds!

In 7 years of clinical practise as a Health & Nutrition Specialist and Personal Cookery Coach I am now finding that removing all grass seed based foods including grains, legumes and seeds is the sure fire way to radically catapult the body into an incredible phase of healing.

Now excluding these foods doesn’t mean a hungry tummy or a boring repertoire of meals. It simply means getting creative and back in tune with the best of Mother Nature’s ingredients.

I love creating recipes such as Sweet Potato Flatbread, Coconut Flour Donuts and Cauliflower Crust Pizza, as well as Crust-Less Quiche and Free From ‘Cheese’ Cake! You see no grains but tonnes of taste.

If you want to learn to cook Paleo, Primal foods without the stress, come and join me on one of my forthcoming Meals That Heal Cookery Workshops where you will experience Grain, Gluten, Dairy and Processed Sugar Free cooking delights. The cookery day even includes a private mini health assessment and coaching session to propel your health to the next level. 

To book one of Karen's workshops visit www.hartsbarncookeryschool.co.uk

Karen Maidment – Health & Nutrition Specialist, Personal Cookery Coach, Author & Speaker. For more information visit www.endibsnaturally.com

Finally the weather has warmed up enough for the plants to grow and bloom. The wild daffodils are now flowering and the wild garlic is up enough to start foraging. This fragrant woodland plant is everywhere in the woods around my garden and adds a fragrant element to my walks with Bertie, my jack russell and walking companion.
I noticed even today that the flowers are starting to develop in their protective sheath so another week and we will have a beautiful white fragrant carpet under foot.

 

Wild garlic is the ultimate foraged food as it is in abundance for about a month, is easily recognised and can be picked, developed into recipes that can be stored and frozen so we can enjoy the glory of wild garlic the whole year round.
Wild Garlic Pesto is a useful recipe to make as it is quick, easy and makes pesto cost effective,  the main ingredient is free. I recomend you make the pesto and  store over night as the wild garlic is quite pungent when fresh.

WILD GARLIC PESTO

• 80g Washed wild garlic
• 50g grated parmesan
• 50g Pine nuts (other nuts can be used depending on personal taste)
• salt and Pepper
• 100ml Olive oil

Place all ingrdients into a food processor.
Mix until combined.
Taste and add more parmesan, nuts or oil depending on taste.
Use imediately or place in an airtight jar. The pesto will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

There are many different ways you can use the pesto. I made Wild Garlic Pesto rolls in my Tuesday Demo class. Very easy to make and delicious with additional wild garlic butter or wild garlic mayonnaise.

 

I hope you enjoy the wild garlic season as much as I do.

 

Yvette

The 'Horse Debate' - Why do we keep horsing around?

This is less an issue of horse meat but more one of deception; selling something as beef that isn’t. In the 80’s there was a similar issue of horsemeat being discovered in a certain brand of pie but back then, we had no easy way of telling what meat products contained. But 30 years on we do……so why is this happening?

Is it a simple mistake? Is it a matter of some suppliers conning these multi-million pound supermarkets and food manufactures? Is it that the supermarkets and food suppliers no longer care about the quality of the food they supply to us? Or is it the continuing price pressure put on suppliers by supermarkets? My belief is it is probably all of the above.

I even wonder if these large companies are rapidly going the way of the banks. Organisations have got so big that their focus is now on money and shareholders and that we ,their customers, have been forgotten. In turn we, the customers, are losing faith in them.

What is it that we are buying when we pick up packet food? I am no longer sure. Some years ago I was a technologist working for one of these food manufacturers and supplying supermarkets. Then, I was confident and proud of the quality of the food we sold. I can only think that now, the the financial pressures has meant that quality teams have been reduced to such an extent, that they can no longer work effectively. At the same time, we have reduced funding to the FSA and trading standards, so even our back-stop has been weakened.

What should we do? Buy locally is one answer but that has cost implications, as well as practical ones. Although I do think with clever buying, cheaper cuts etc. we can mitigate the cost. The reality however, is we can’t do without the supermarkets - so let’s do more cooking from scratch!

I know we don’t have the time… but perhaps to avoid not knowing what we are serving, we need to somehow find the time, because if we don’t perhaps we are getting what we deserve!

Andy @AndyBakeIT