Foraging is like turning the forest into a supermarket and nothing is more rewarding than harvesting fiddleheads. Making gnocchi at camp seems complicated but with just a few simple ingredients these satisfying little dumpling are just the ticket after a long day outdoors. Sure-Fire Recipe Techniques are proven and they’ll guarantee results in your kitchen!
THE OUTDOORS CHEF How to Angle, Hunt, Cook, and Store Wild Recipes #OutdoorChefLife #SureFireRecipes
The Outdoors Chef is an Wild Recipe Cooking Series about how to enjoy wild food in the FIELD, from the KITCHEN, and in the BACKYARD. Exploring a broad range of cooking techniques like sauté, poaching, grilling, braising, roasting, smoking, frying, char-broiling, curing, rotisserie and more. Viewers learn how to prepare wild fish, birds and game in three unique environments, at camp, at home and in the backyard. Watch as white tail deer brisket is braised to tender over an open fire in the wild, tenderloin sliced into medallions and sautéed with wild mushrooms and fiddleheads at the dining table, and a whole leg smoked into venison prosciutto in the backyard. The Outdoors Chef will create wild recipes that utilize all cuts of fish, birds and game with sure-fire techniques and recipes.
FIRESIDE WILD FIDDLEHEADS AND POTATO GNOCCHI SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS Fiddleheads – cleaned and trimmed 3½lbs (1.5kg) Russet Potatoes 1cup Bread Flour – plus more for dusting 100g (3½oz) Parmesan Cheese – thinly sliced or peeled Extra Virgin Olive Oil as needed Flaked Sea Salt to taste Ground Black Pepper to taste
TECHNIQUE 1. Position a large, flat stone or piece of wood in the center of the fire to rest the cast iron pan 2. In a medium pot of cold water, add unpeeled potatoes, set on fire-stone, bring to rolling boil, move off direct heat 3. Test potatoes by piercing a knife into the largest spud, it should pass cleanly through the flesh with little resistance 4. Remove potatoes, while warm, gently peel the skin, mash potatoes on a lightly floured plate to even consistency 5. In a medium pot bring water to boil, season with salt 6. Create a well in center of potatoes, add flour, season with salt, use a fork to combine flour and potatoes 7. When mixed, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed, continue to knead until supple to touch 8. Quarter the dough, covering unused pieces with a damp towel 9. Roll dough into 1” (2cm) dowels and slice dowels into 1” (2cm) long pieces, gently press with fork 10. Drop into boiling water and cook until gnocchi floats to the surface, remove and set aside 11. In a cast iron pan, heat oil, add fiddleheads, toss to lightly coat with oil, season with salt and pepper 12. When lightly browned, add gnocchi, tossing to coat with oil, season with salt and pepper, sauté until golden brown 13. Finish with Parmesan cheese, return to fire for a quick bake, serve
BUILDING A COOK-FIRE 1. Build a rock fire pit where possible, protected from the elements 2. Start fire 45 minutes prior to cooking, and prepare a wood stock-pile 3. Light fire with small, dry kindling, increasing the size of wood as the fire grows 4. Oak, maple, walnut, cherry and hickory hardwoods burn hotter and longer 5. Build a large fire and allow the wood to burn down to coals 6. A base of hot, white coals that can be stoked will allow temperature control
