Moose hunting season is under way, and red deer and ptarmigan have already been fair game for several weeks – according to my dad. But what I do know is that the taste of game is back on the menus. You’ll find it at the meat counters too, for those who want to cook their own game dinner.
I’d say there’s something special about game. The meat carries with it the landscape the animal has lived in, and the flavour is deeper and earthier than that of farmed animals. For many, it’s also a meat you can eat with a clear conscience. The animal has lived freely, and Norwegian hunting is strictly regulated through quotas.
From the mountains to the city
For a long time, game was something you only got served at your in-laws’ in Western Norway, or if you knew a hunter. That’s no longer the case. The city’s head chefs have embraced game, and many restaurants build their autumn menus around it. Here, tradition and modern Nordic cuisine go hand in hand: venison fillet with pickled onions, moose tartare with juniper berries, ptarmigan roasted pink with a rich sauce.
We came across an autumn campaign at BigHorn Steakhouse, which has put venison on the menu for just NOK 495!
This campaign applies at Big Horn Steakhouse: Aker Brygge, Bergen, Drammen, Harstad, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Lillestrøm and Møllergata.
If you’d rather make it yourself, game can be found at many ordinary meat counters in season. Specialist butchers often have a wider selection and can advise on which cuts suit what. Cuts like shoulder and leg are cheaper than fillet and excellent for slow cooking.
The stew that saves October
The classic game stew needs little attention and rewards patience. It can be made the day before, and it actually gets better for it. Lingonberries and juniper berries are the traditional companions, and a piece of dark chocolate gives the sauce a richness that’s hard to put your finger on.
Game stew with juniper and lingonberries (4 servings)
- 800 g venison or moose (shoulder or leg), in large cubes
- 100 g diced bacon (optional)
- 1 onion, 2 carrots and a piece of celeriac, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 8–10 juniper berries, lightly crushed
- 2 bay leaves and a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 300 ml red wine
- 400 ml game stock
- 250 g button mushrooms or chanterelles
- 2 tbsp lingonberry jam
- 10 g dark chocolate
- 100 ml cream or sour cream
- Butter, salt and pepper
Method
- Pat the meat thoroughly dry and brown it in butter in a heavy casserole. Do it in several batches, otherwise the meat will boil instead of getting a seared crust. Set aside.
- Fry the bacon, onion, carrot and celeriac in the same pot until the vegetables take on colour. Add the garlic and tomato purée and fry for another minute.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom. Return the meat to the pot and add the stock, juniper berries, bay leaves and thyme.
- Cover and let the stew simmer over low heat for one and a half to two hours, until the meat is tender.
- Fry the mushrooms until golden in a separate pan and fold them in. Stir in the lingonberries, chocolate and cream, and season with salt and pepper.
Serve with mashed potatoes or a root vegetable mash, ideally with something tart on the side, such as pickled red onion or lingonberries. In the glass, a juicy red wine with good acidity works well, for example from the Northern Rhône or Piedmont. A dark beer might work just as well.
One last tip
Game doesn’t like being cooked for too long. Fillet and sirloin should be pink in the middle, or the meat becomes dry and tough. For stews, the opposite applies: here, time is the most important ingredient.