Avid outdoorsman Rob Phillips (’78 Comm.) started hunting and fishing as a boy with his dad “and always enjoyed it.”
He didn’t stop when he came to college at Washington State University. “My roommate and I liked to hunt pheasants on the Palouse. It was a big part of my time at WSU.”
Today, the retired Yakima advertising executive continues to hunt for elk, deer, and more. He documents his outdoor adventures in his long-running column in the Yakima Herald-Republic and writes mystery novels set in the North Cascades.
Here, he shares a couple of tried-and-true recipes for putting wild game to good use.
Apple Cup Game Day Stew
From Rob Phillips (’78 Comm.)
This hearty, belly-warming dish is as good or better the next day. It’s best served with biscuits or cornbread, a cold beer, and a particular football game.
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
3 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne, divided
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 pounds venison stew meat, such as chuck, round or neck roast, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
4 medium carrots peeled, halved, and chopped into ½-inch pieces
4 ribs celery chopped into ½-inch pieces
4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 medium potatoes (Phillips recommends russets but says Yukon Gold or red potatoes hold up a little better.)
2 cups beer
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
4-5 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
4 cups beef stock
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons butter
Mix flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons pepper, and ½ teaspoon cayenne in a shallow dish or plate. Heat grapeseed oil in a skillet or oven-safe Dutch oven over medium heat. Dredge meat in the seasoned flour and brown in the pan, in batches to avoid crowding, maybe 1 minute per side, browning all sides. Set meat aside on a covered sheet pan or plate.
If the skillet or Dutch oven has good brown bits from the meat left over, you’re set. If some of those bits are blackened and burnt, drain the oil, wipe the pan out, and start over with some fresh oil over medium heat, no harm done.
Cook onions, carrots, and celery 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, thyme, and remaining salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir to coat everything well, and cook another 5 minutes, stirring often. If using Dutch oven, heat oven to 250 degrees.
Add beer to deglaze, making sure to scrape up all the browned bits off the bottom of pan. Add bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce.
Layer on potatoes, then browned meat, and add enough stock to cover everything. Top with some water, if needed. Bring to a simmer, cover, and put in the oven for 2 hours, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
If using a slow-cooker, complete all steps through deglazing, then add mixture to the slow-cooker, layer on potatoes and meat, cover with stock and cook on low for 4-5 hours until the potatoes are tender.
Five minutes prior to serving, add peas and butter, and stir to mix everything together.
Kyle’s Tenderloin au Palouse
From Rob Phillips (’78 Comm.)
This recipe was developed by Rob’s son Kyle, who spent some time working in the restaurant industry. Now it’s a family favorite. The dish pairs well with garlic mashed potatoes or a creamy risotto, and roasted Brussels sprouts, broccolini, or other flavorful veggies. The flavor of the venison and sauce will stand up to the biggest boldest red wine in the cellar, such as Barolo or Cabernet.
2 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or another oil with a high smoke point)
2 venison (deer or elk) tenderloins, room temperature
Coarse kosher salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, divided
2 tablespoon minced shallots (approximately 2 medium shallots)
2 cups sliced mushrooms, such as Cremini or Shiitake
1 cup dry sherry
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
Heat a skillet, preferably cast iron, on high heat until it is extremely hot, then add oil. Season tenderloins with salt and pepper, and half each of the rosemary and thyme. Sear tenderloins, turning every 1-2 minutes, making sure to sear all sides and turning 3-4 times during the process, until the internal temperature is 125-135 degrees (130 for medium rare). The total cook time for deer tenderloins is about 5-6 minutes; for elk, it’s about 7-9 minutes. Set aside and rest uncovered for 7-10 minutes.
Turn heat to medium, and remove pan. Add shallots to pan and let the residual heat cook them for 30-60 seconds. Add mushrooms and return pan to heat, letting the mushrooms cook undisturbed for 5-6 minutes, then turn the mushrooms, and add salt and pepper and remaining rosemary and thyme, cooking another 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and deglaze with sherry. Scrape up all the brown bits off the bottom and sides of the pan. Return pan to heat, add cream, and reduce for about a minute. Add butter right at the end just before removing pan from heat for the final time.
To serve, slice the tenderloin into ½-inch medallions and top with the mushroom cream sauce.
Elk steaks and cooking ideas (Spokesman-Review, 2014)