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Oct 1, 2024 | 
minnpost.com | Lukas Leaf |Ingrid Lyons
Inextricable from Minnesota’s identity are the boreal forests and abundant freshwater in our state. In particular, northeastern Minnesota hosts the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness — our state’s crown jewel — a vast landscape home to the animals, fish, plants and memories that pervade our lives as Minnesotans. This is no happenstance. Indigenous communities, Minnesotans and advocates from across the country have persevered with passion and drive to steward this freshwater landscape.
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Sep 16, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley |Wade Truong |Justin Townsend |Lukas Leaf
Saltimbocca, meaning “jump in the mouth” in Italian, is a dish that originated in Rome and consists of thin pieces of veal wrapped in prosciutto and sage. Although American versions often substitute veal with chicken or pork, hunters can make this dish with venison, preferably from a young deer. I made this dish with the eye of round from the button buck I shot last December during muzzleloader season.
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Aug 28, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley |Lukas Leaf |Michael Vialpando |Danielle Prewett
Although cacciatore is most often prepared with chicken today, it’s an apt recipe for rabbit. After all, “cacciatore” does mean “hunter” in Italian. This tomato-based stew is delicious over polenta, rice, or couscous. You might see other cacciatore recipes that include the addition of olives and/or mushrooms. You can certainly add these ingredients if you like, but I prefer a simple tomato gravy.
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Aug 6, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley |Lukas Leaf |Wade Truong
Duration 1 hour Serves 4 Chef’s notes This recipe is a riff on Taiwanese popcorn chicken. The tapioca coating provides better crunch than all-purpose flour, and the aroma of Chinese five spices is mouthwatering and noteworthy. This recipe will work with any white-fleshed fish. You can find tapioca flour or starch—they’re interchangeable—at the Asian grocery store or in specialty flour sections at your local grocery store. You can also substitute with corn starch. Ingredients ½ lb.
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Jun 17, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley |Rick Matney |Lukas Leaf
Duration 4 hours Serves 4 to 6 Chef’s notes This simple herb, garlic, and lemon marinade is a go-to at my house. Although it’s a knockout with lighter-meat game birds, such as pheasant, it’s also tasty on venison. You could make this recipe on a gas grill, but charcoal adds an extra layer of smoke and flavor that’s irresistible. This recipe is so simple that you could make it at bird camp after the campfire has burned down, leaving you with hot embers to cook over.
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May 16, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley |Lukas Leaf
I love mushroom-filled ravioli, so I thought to add a few covetous morel mushrooms into ravioli this spring. With the addition of ground venison, you’ll get a meaty, satisfying meal. I use one of my favorite cooking shortcuts here: Instead of making homemade pasta, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, I use gyoza/pot sticker wrappers. My favorite brand is Dynasty, which seems to hold up well in the process. Of course, if you’d rather make your own homemade pasta, more power to you.
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May 9, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley |Jesse Griffiths |Lukas Leaf
Dubbed “fries with eyes,” most devotees love this small fish deep-fried and enjoyed as a snack. The bones of smelt are so soft and small that you hardly notice them, and their shape makes them ideal for dipping in all the sauces you can think of. There are several varieties of smelt, and while some can be fried whole—ungutted—I find the innards of lake smelt much too bitter and grainy. Gutted or ungutted, that’s up to you. Here’s a different way to eat smelt: in a taco.
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Mar 28, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley |Lukas Leaf |Kevin Gillespie
Tinga tacos are known for their smoky, earthy flavors. Succulent, shredded meat is coated in a spicy tomato sauce, and the smokiness comes from the inclusion of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. To add more smoke, I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes. As taco meat goes, this recipe is relatively simple, and the main sauce ingredients are canned. Pheasant works nicely, and so does wild turkey meat, though oven time might be longer. Two chipotle peppers added the perfect amount of spice for my taste.
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Mar 19, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley |Danielle Prewett |Lukas Leaf
Duration 1 hour Serves 4 to 6 Chef’s notes Bobotie pie—a casserole made of curried minced meat and topped with egg and milk—is a South African favorite. The dish is savory, sweet, and tangy. It was created by the Cape Malay, whose ancestors were Javanese slaves brought by the Dutch during the colonization of the Western Cape region. Bobotie is typically eaten with yellow (turmeric) rice. It’s also good over mashed potatoes. Ingredients 1 lb.
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Mar 8, 2024 | 
themeateater.com | Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley |Wade Truong |Lukas Leaf
Siu mai dumplings are a popular item in Cantonese Chinese dim sum, which describes an assortment of small plates typically served for brunch. These open-face dumplings are filled with a combination of pork, shrimp, and mushrooms, wrapped in a wonton wrapper, and steamed. I love siu mai for their savory, juicy succulence—they’re my favorite dim sum item, followed by bao buns.
