Squirrel Stew and Pulled Javelina, Too: It's All in Girl Hunter
Hunting for sport is kind of creepy; if the payoff is killing living beings, then it seems a little sadistic. It seems a lot sadistic when modern hunting technology is utilized and the prey does not have a sporting chance. Since I am not a vegan or vegetarian, I am more accepting of hunting for food. I don’t like it, but if hunters are going to use every bit of what they kill, as our ancestors did, I am in no position to criticize.
Girl Hunter: Revolutionizing the Way We Eat, One Hunt at a Time by Georgia Pellegrini is an account of how Pellegrini, a city gal chef-to-be, moved on to become a woman who not only kills her dinner, but knows where it came from “and what kind of life it led before ending up on her table,” while stomping through swamps and foraging in forests, tracking and killing animals for their meat. Well written, Girl Hunter is not a book for vegetarians, vegans, or even flexitarians–especially those moving towards meatlessness.
In addition to sharing her experiences and expertise, Pellegrino shares recipes for such dishes as Balsamic Deer Heart, Smoked Whole Hog, Corned Elk, and Quail en Papillote. There are meatless recipes for sauces, marinades, rubs, and sauerkraut, all designed to accompany the rabbit, deer, elk, squirrel, and other game the chef will prepare.
Since the only hunting I’ve engaged in has been for blackberries, it’s unlikely that I will be serving any of the dishes in Girl Hunter, and cannot honestly comment on the recipes. However it’s a rewarding read for those who want to explore wilder territories of haute cuisine and “rolling up [their] sleeves and getting to the heart of where food comes from.” Publication date is December 13, 2011.
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