The autumn is burning in insatiable auburn flames and so is our palate craving for strong flavoured gamey meat. Yes the previous sentence might sound a little over-dramatic, but, hey, the wild is calling us! This is why we decided to make a short carnivore list for the meat-lovers of Switzerland. It’s something you have to try.
Bison meat is still kind of a niche product here, far from being a mainstream item in the supermarket, yet it’s become a vivid part of the agricultural scene in the Alps. Originally native to North America these animals finally pushed their way to the Swiss mountains where their meat quickly became popular fare among connoisseurs. It’s a tasty alternative to beef, a little sweeter on the palate and tender.
The ultimate low and slow Swiss steak
Venison meat is originally described as any game animal that’s been hunted down. In modern usage, it is usually referred to as the meat of deer, moose, elk or antelope. But we are especially interested in that classic Venison Swiss Steaks recipe. For that, you’ll need approximately 1kg / 2 pounds of deer meat (you can easily swap it for any wild meat of your choice), salt, pepper, garlic powder and flour applied to both sides of the meat. Then brown your steaks in a pan over high heat and put them aside. In the same pan saute some aromatics: onions, garlic and bell peppers. Then add some 0.5 kg / 20 oz of diced tomatoes and pour 350 ml / 1.5 cups of broth that you had saved presumably in the freezer for a moment like that. Add also some Worcestershire sauce and paprika, stir well, off the hob, add the steaks and into the preheated oven (150 C/ 300 F) for 2-3 hours. And there you have it: the ultimate low and slow Swiss steak.
Wild boar meat is sometimes referred to as ‘the wild version of the white meat’. And while you can totally replace ordinary pork with this meat to gain access to the wilderness you should be aware that the boar’s flavor is much more potent, overwhelming to some. And it’s not lean and white, it’s dark red meat. But it’s so deliciously sweet and even nutty due to its habitat diet. It can be gamey sometimes, the characteristic is often sought after by some chefs. Some people don’t like that on the other hand, but you should definitely give it a try – as in a stew or a roasting pan.
Autumn and winter are the best seasons to sink your teeth into the new meat varieties. But it doesn’t mean you should miss the seasonal vegetables offer of wild mushrooms, red cabbage, chestnuts. They go just well with the game of all sorts.
What do you think?