Off the Grid Gourmet

As our food culture has evolved to include an overabundance of processed dinners and fast food, there’s an equal force that pulls some of us to the other end of the spectrum – to a more natural way of eating. Plus, in a world of increasing connectivity, to decompress and enjoy peace and quiet, sometimes you have to go off the grid. Food has entered this category of living, taking cooking outdoors to a whole other level.

Quail a la Cast Iron

The Forest Grouse (Blue, Ruffed and Spruce) is commonly hunted in the Northwest region. When depluming, there are two standard ways to do it. The first is to place the bird on the ground, belly up, and stand on its outstretched wings. Pull on the legs and the bird will slide out of its skin, leaving the feathers behind for a perfectly field dressed specimen.

The second way is to submerge the bird in boiling water for 60 to 90 seconds, and then butcher the bird into small segments.

For the stew, dice two onions and slice two celery stalks and two carrots. Sauté in the Dutch oven with olive oil with 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour and dried sprigs of thyme until cooked. Remove the herbs and add the grouse and broth (either made from the grouse or from chicken bouillon). Cook over medium heat for one and one-half hours.

Charred Trout

After a day of fishing, clean and scale your trout fillets and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper, lemon slices and juice, garlic and fresh rosemary. Tear off square sheets of foil and place the trout on top. Fold the edges of the foil and drizzle olive oil over the fish. Fold the top of the foil over and seal the side edges, but leave enough room inside the pocket you’ve made. Grill for 5 to 7 minutes according to the size of the fish. Once cooked, the fish should flake easily to eat and avoid bones.

Wild Asparagus Skewers with Morels

Wild asparagus and morel mushrooms may be found in parts of the Pacific Northwest. Wild asparagus is a thinner version of its garden-grown cousin and is often found near areas where water collects such as the side of the road hence its nickname “ditch weed.” When searching for morels, make sure you can identify them from poisonous counterparts. Black morels are dark brown with a swirl-like top and a white hollow stalk. Watch out for the poisonous false morel which is shaped like a brain but is dark brown as well. When you’re ready to cook, clean your asparagus, cutting the woodsy end of the stalk. With the morels, rinse them in a strainer until they’re clean of dirt and pat dry. Place them in a bowl and drizzle melted butter and sea salt and toss. The morels may take up to 8 minutes to cook on each side over medium heat. Grilled asparagus will likely take less time.

Rough and Ready

Top your off-the-grid meal with fresh local, wild greens. A quick search online will show you an alphabet soup of wild, edible greens from agoseris to yellowcress. Make sure you can match your greens from online samples to what grows in your area. Clean your greens and drizzle lemon juice. Combine it with lobster mushrooms, which look like orange trumpets and are often found under hemlock trees during September and October. The mushrooms have brown spots to be trimmed off and should be white inside and blush lobster-red when sautéed. Make a basic creamy sauce by melting 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour. Add a cup of milk, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. When ready, pour the sauce over the mushrooms and enjoy!

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