Of Hunting and Hossenfeffer

I knew I'd forgotten something! Walker's rabbit stalking has been paying off. He got two rabbits in one night last week. I think that makes five total. We made Hossenfeffer several weeks back and it was awesome. Remember "BRING ME MY HOSSENFEFFER!" from Bugs Bunny? Well, this 'stew' has a flavor I've never experienced in all my years of cooking. He has put the latest catch in the freezer and is saving it for his sweetie to experience when she comes this weekend for spring break.

Hasenpfeffer (Rabbit Stew) --



.INGREDIENTS
3 pounds rabbit meat, cleaned and cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon currant jelly
10 black peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


..DIRECTIONS
1.Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Sprinkle rabbit with salt and coat with 1/3 cup flour, shaking off excess. Brown rabbit in remaining bacon fat. Remove from skillet, along with all but 2 tablespoons of the fat, and reserve.

2.Saute shallots and garlic in skillet for about 4 minutes, until tender. Stir in wine, 1 cup water and bouillon. Heat to boiling, then stir in jelly, peppercorns, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. Return rabbit and bacon to skillet. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until rabbit is tender.

3.Remove bay leaf and discard. Place rabbit on a warm platter and keep warm while preparing gravy.

4.To Make Gravy: Stir lemon juice into skillet with cooking liquid. Combine 3 tablespoons water with 2 tablespoons flour and mix together; stir mixture into skillet over low heat. Finally, stir in thyme. Pour gravy over stew and serve, or pour into a gravy boat and serve on the side.

Walker & I Fishing at Tuckasegee - photos

Here are the photos that didn't publish with the last post.

 

 

 

Fishing With Walker @ Tuckasegee

 

 

 

After work on Thursday in Flat Rock, I tooled on over to Tuckasegee where Walker is warden for the summer. We spent just over 24 hours together talking, cooking, digging a new outhouse hole (he did the digging, I did the watching), looking for bear signs, sitting around the campfire, picking blackberries and fishing in the Tuckasegee River. We caught quite a few brown (native) trout which are not really brown but full of beautiful color patterns. At one point while I was digging for worms for our fishing trip, he yelled, "Mom, come here quick." I ran up to his cabin and he showed me his resident black snake that was crawling around his kitchen sink and then heading up into the rafters to look for mice.

He returns to Fairview in two weeks after being in Chapel Hill for two years and at Tuckasegee this summer. He's going to be the farm manager for the organic pasture meats business at the end of our road (Spring House Meats - you can check them out on the web). They have an old very small house for him to live in less than a mile from us!! His girlfriend is waiting to hear on the 25th whether or not she gets a job with one of the Clarke clan right here. If she does, we've offered her Jake's room. I had such a great time with Walker that I hope to go again next week before he moves back here. If so, more photos will be forthcoming, especially if we DO see that bear he's sighted several times already.

Last Tuckasegge Photos

 

Here are the last few Tuckasegee photos for now. This first one is of the campfire where we've eaten many a breakfast and dinner. It's a great place to dry off after dunking and many a poem has been recited, many a story told and many a song sung here. Walker has to keep the woodshed stocked so family can be supplied when they come on the weekends.

 

Here's the path leading to the river where we swim and dunk. It's tradition that you have to dunk (skinny dip dunk) before eating breakfast. The women and kids and teens all seem to do it but most of the men find a way to get out of it.

 

Here's the actual dunking hole. Once you're standing knee-deep and naked in the river, you're wondering why you ever thought this was a good idea. It's only five seconds of brain-numbing exhilaration, and then your skin sends urgent messages of, "send blood, send blood" and quickly you're warm as toast. Really. Almost as soon as you surface, you feel warm, alive and twenty years younger. I remember Pa Pa Pete saying that in Sweden it was common for them to go in the sauna then roll in the snow. I'll be glad to give you the opportunity to say you did it if you're ever so inclined.

 

This is another photo on the front porch of the clubhouse. I liked the way the morning light looked on the table and chairs. This is the overflow area for when the campfire is crowded and it's where we've eaten many a meal.

Warden Walker Wakes

 

Here's the side of Walker's cabin.

 

And, opps, here's Walker just waking up. Looks like a bear stumbling out of hibernation. I was snooping around taking photos when he came out to say goodmorning. My theory is that this new hairy look gives credence to his words when he's chasing off trespassers. It also fits with the motorcycle persona.

 

This is a view of his 'kitchen'. The only stove is an old woodstove. I'd say his cabin is even more rustic than the clubhouse if that's possible.

 

Former wardens hung these trophies (black snake skins)on the cabin wall. The snakes keep the mice down - somewhat!

Our Tuckasegge Visit to See Walker

  Most of you have never seen "Tuckasegee", a place we go at least once a summer that belongs to the Clarke family. Tuckasegee is also the name of the 'town' but we call this place simply "Tuckasegee". This first picture is of the front of the 'clubhouse'. It used to be an old post office and who knows what else. From this porch you look out and see the river through the trees. The same river we have to skinny dip in before breakfast!! Tradition!! Walker's the warden here this summer so I thought I should publish some photos of the place.

 This is the view out the back of the 'clubhouse' and the field Walker has to mow by hand and where we play ball, 500, Frisbee, shoot the spud gun, etc.

  This room is (I have been corrected) called the 'game room'. Each of the rooms has a name. This is where most card playing takes place and is the last room to see 'lights out'. On the wall are tracings of trout people have caught in the river with the name of the person and a description of the fish, date, etc.

  A close-up of the front porch. This place is Rustic with a capital 'R' and is surrounded by non-stop beauty. More photos to come soon.