Waterfowl Recipes Part V

By Matt Porter, Education Committee

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s April, 2023 Newsletter edition.

As part of an ongoing series, Education Committee member Matt Porter has found some neat (and tasty) ways to prep your game birds for the table.  Some may be your old standbys, but most will challenge you to try something just a little different. We hope you enjoy this month’s recipes! To view past recipes simply search “waterfowl recipes” on our site’s search bar.

If you have a recipe to share and would like us to publish here, we’ll happily keep the series going into the fall. Please send your submissions to Matt Porter at WWARecipeCorner@gmail.com.

Duck Lasagna Soup

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 lbs. duck fennel sausage
  • 1 lb. lasagna noodles
  • 4 cups game stock
  • 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomato
  • 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • ½ pint heavy cream
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 4 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 2-3 cups yellow onion, large diced
  • ¼ cup garlic, minced
  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
  • 2 tbsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tsp. cracked black pepper
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • Garlic croutons
  • 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • Shredded mozzarella
  • Small curd cottage cheese
  • Parmesan cheese

Duck Fennel Sausage

  • 1 lb. ground duck
  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 4 tbsp. toasted fennel seed
  • 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. cracked black pepper
  • 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 4 tsp. onion powder
  • 4 tsp. dried oregano
  • 4 tsp. smoked paprika
ALSO WORKS WITH
  • Any ground meat or sausage
PREPARATION
  1. Make the croutons. Set the oven to 325ºF. Toss 1-inch squares of freshly cut bread with garlic salt, parsley, and extra virgin olive oil. Toast until golden brown and crispy.
  2. Make the sausage. Mix the ground pork and ground duck. Lightly toast the fennel seed in a saute pan. Thoroughly blend all of the spices into the meat and set aside.
  3. Prepare the rest of the ingredients. Chop the onion and garlic. Measure the spices and liquids. Open the cans and break up the noodles into 1- to 2-inch wide pieces.
  4. Start the soup. Add the olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Break up the sausage into large chunks and brown on all sides in 2 to 3 batches. Turn the heat down to medium, remove the sausage and set it aside. Add the butter, onion, and garlic. Cook until the onion begins to caramelize on the edges. Now add the fresh rosemary, dried oregano, and tomato paste. Cook the mixture for a minute. Deglaze the pan with red wine vinegar and add the game stock. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer.
  5. Add the sausage back into the pot. Add the crushed tomato, tomato sauce, and heavy cream. Check for seasoning. Bring the soup up to a simmer, cover, and lightly stew for another 20 to 30 minutes.
  6. While the soup is stewing bring lightly salted water to a boil and cook the broken lasagna noodles until al dente. Add them to the soup. If you’d like a thicker pasta-like dish, add the uncooked noodles to the pot before covering and simmer the noodles until tender. It will be much thicker than adding cooked pasta.
  7. Finish the soup. Mix in the parsley, basil, and mozzarella. Serve immediately with garlic croutons, cottage cheese, parmesan, and a healthy pour of extra virgin olive oil.

Source & photo: https://www.themeateater.com/cook/recipes/lasagna-soup

Routeed Ducks

INGREDIENTS
  • 5 whole ducks, halved
  • 2 large yellow onions, small diced
  • 2 stalks celery, small diced
  • 2 bell peppers, small diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 10 oz. mushrooms, cleaned
  • 8 oz. red wine
  • 2 qt. duck or chicken stock
  • 8 sprigs thyme, tied in a bundle
  • Salt and cracked pepper
  • 4 oz. cooking oil
  • 12 oz. reserved stock for adding during the cooking process
ALSO WORKS WITH
  • Any gamebird
PREPARATION
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large, iron pot, add half your oil and turn to high. Add split ducks, fat side down to the hot oil, and brown on all sides.
  2. Remove ducks from the pot and add mushrooms and the rest of the oil. Roast mushrooms in the pot until brown, about 15 minutes on medium-high heat. Next add onions, celery, bell pepper, bay leaves, and garlic. Sauté on medium to medium-high heat for 15 minutes, making sure to scrape fond (brown bits) from the bottom of the pot.
  3. Add red wine to deglaze and cook until the wine has fully reduced. Add duck stock and bring to a boil. Place ducks back in the pot in a single layer along with the thyme bundle. Cover and place in oven.
  4. Every thirty minutes, remove the pot from the oven, check the liquid (adding more if needed), and flip the ducks. Depending on what kind of ducks you’re cooking this process can go for 1½ to 2 hours. Careful that during the last 30 to 45 minutes you are not being too rough on the ducks so that you don’t get excessive bones in your gravy.

Source & photo: https://www.themeateater.com/cook/recipes/routeed-ducks