Woodcock, like hazel grouse, has surprisingly tender, tasty meat with a very subtle and pleasant aroma. It is quite simple and quick to prepare a wonderful dish from it.
We can safely say that one of the most popular ways of preparing it, along with stewing, is frying. Because it is during the frying process that the taste of game is revealed very well, and the appearance of a golden brown crust only enhances the appetite.
Of course, if you cook a bird on, you will get a dish with an unusual aroma, but not always and not everyone has such an opportunity, so we will cook in conditions that are more familiar to many - just on the stove.
Products
– woodcock – 3-4 pieces,
- butter or vegetable oil,
- seasoning for game,
- mayonnaise,
- salt,
- sprigs of parsley or dill.
Preparation
For such a dish we need 3-4 woodcock carcasses. Remove the skin from cleaned and prepared game.
We cut each bird carcass into two parts. It can also be divided into four, in this case the spine with the cervical region, ribs and sacrum are removed. There remain two halves of the chest and two hind legs.
Woodcock does not have any specific taste, so, as a rule, it is not pickled
To add a spicy taste, dressed game must be coated with a special mixture. To prepare it, take a deep plate, put mayonnaise, salt and, if desired, a mixture of peppers or ready-made seasoning for game birds; if you don’t have it, regular seasoning for chicken will do just fine.
We choose the amount of pepper and seasoning based on our own taste preferences - some like it spicier, others don’t. Some will probably prefer to make do with a minimum amount of spices so as not to overpower the delicate taste of tender meat.
Mix mayonnaise with seasonings.
Then put the woodcock pieces into this plate and roll them thoroughly.
After lightly frying them, add a little boiled water and, closing the lid, simmer over low heat.
We check from time to time. When the water has almost boiled away, release steam from under the lid and fry until golden brown, then turn over and fry the other side.
Stewing and frying time is approximately 25 minutes.
Woodcock is a small bird well known to all hunters. The carcass weighs about 300 g and easily fits in the palm of your hand. The woodcock lives almost throughout the CIS and is a desirable prey for every hunter. The most common hunting seasons are in the spring when hunting and in the fall when the bird is migrating. Game meat is not fatty, environmentally friendly, and woodcock dishes have long been considered a tasty delicacy.
Cooking features
This bird is prepared mainly by hunters who caught it themselves, and woodcock dishes can be found on tables quite rarely. If the game falls into your hands, you need to know some rules and features of its preparation.
The difference between an ordinary bird and game is the peculiar smell that game has. In order for the meat to be tender, juicy and without a characteristic odor, it must first be soaked. Hunters recommend soaking game in water, but if you use lemon juice or vinegar, the smell is guaranteed to go away and the finished meat will be softer. Many chefs consider woodcock meat to be a universal product.
Recipes for preparing this bird involve pre-processing the carcass; at the first stage, it is plucked and gutted, after which the cooking process begins. After this, the head of the game is folded under the wing and the carcass is tied with thread. If you decide to fry a whole bird, you can stuff it with onions and lard. In this case, the game meat will become softer and juicier.
It is better to fry the bird not in sunflower oil, but in butter, and during heat treatment it is recommended to add a little beef broth to the frying pan. Game meat goes well with almost any side dishes and sauces.
Woodcock recipes
Woodcock can be prepared using several technologies, but dishes made from baked, stewed and stuffed poultry are especially popular among gourmets.
Woodcock fried with red wine
Ingredients: one woodcock carcass, 50-60 g lard, 100 ml red wine, 1 tsp. juniper berries.
Method of preparation: carefully slide the skin from the carcass to the neck, without completely removing it. Rub the meat with salt and crushed juniper berries, cover it with thinly sliced lard, then stretch the skin again and wrap the bird with thread.
Add wine to the roasting pan and fry the carcass for 30 minutes.
Woodcock stewed
Recipe I
Ingredients: 2 woodcock carcasses, 50 g sl. oil, 70 g bacon, 100 g mushrooms (champignons), 2-3 onions, caraway seeds, salt and pepper to taste.
Rub plucked, gutted and washed carcasses on all sides with a mixture of salt and pepper. Place two slices of onion, a slice of bacon and a small piece of butter into the carcass. Wrap in thin slices of bacon and tie well. Chop the remaining butter and lard, melt in a frying pan, add chopped mushrooms, onions and 0.5 teaspoon of cumin. Fry all the ingredients, add the prepared woodcocks, add water if necessary and simmer in the oven at 220° for 40-50 minutes. Cut the finished woodcocks in half and pour over the juice released during stewing. Serve boiled or fried potatoes, tomato and sweet pepper salad as a side dish.
Recipe II
Ingredients: for 2 woodcock carcasses you will need 100 g of lard, 50 g of lard. butter, a glass of beef broth, 0.5 teaspoons of curry.
Preparation: Rub plucked, gutted and washed poultry with salt and curry. Place a slice of bacon in the middle of the carcass, cover the breasts with thin slices of bacon, and tie with thread. Fry the game in melted butter, pour in all the beef broth and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Serve the dish with baked apples, lingonberries or rice.
This method of cooking game at home is one of the simplest.
Ingredients: 2 woodcock carcasses, 100 g bacon, several juniper berries, 2 medium onions, 50 g sl. butter (margarine), 2 cloves, a few black peppercorns.
Preparation: wash the plucked and gutted carcasses, salt them, put an onion, a thin slice of bacon, giblets and cloves inside each carcass. Cover the breasts with slices of bacon, tie the carcass with thread in such a way as to secure the bacon. Place the prepared carcasses with spices in butter and fry over low heat. Add water or beef broth if necessary.
Serve the dish with boiled or fried potatoes, rice, lingonberry jelly or raw blackcurrant.
Peasant-style woodcock
This is an old recipe that will decorate any holiday table.
Ingredients: for 8 servings you will need 4 carcasses for frying, 900 ml chicken broth, 3 tbsp. l. olive oil, 2 onions (finely chopped), 3 carrots (chopped), 350 g of small fresh mushrooms, 50 g of butter, 2 celery stalks (chopped), clove of garlic (chopped), 300 g of cereal (any), 200 g of onion - shallots, 300 g artichokes (cut into 4 parts), 0.5 tsp. salt, ground black pepper, saffron leaves - for decoration.
Preparation and serving:
- Heat a mixture of olive oil and butter, then fry the prepared woodcocks in it (3 minutes on each side). Remove the carcasses and set aside. Fry the onion in this oil over low heat (5 minutes), add carrots, mushrooms, celery, garlic, and fry, stirring, for another 10 minutes.
- Pour in the broth, add cereal, carcasses, shallots, salt, pepper and saffron. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for half an hour.
- Place the artichoke pieces on top of the carcasses and simmer for another 10 minutes. until the game is ready (all the broth should be absorbed into the cereal).
- Serve the woodcocks in the container in which the dish was baked. Garnish the finished dish with saffron leaves.
Woodcock stuffed
You can cook woodcock in the oven according to a recipe from Polish cuisine; for this you will need: 2 game carcasses, 100 g of bacon, 4 tbsp. l. dry red wine, 70 g sl. oil, 1 bay leaf, allspice.
Filling: 100 g chicken liver or liver dressing, 100 g mushrooms (can be champignons), 50 g sl. butter, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, a pinch of ginger, nutmeg black pepper, parsley, 2 sprigs of tarragon, a little zest and 0.5 tsp. lemon juice, salt.
Cooking algorithm:
- Wash and salt the plucked and gutted carcasses well. Cover the belly with thin slices of bacon. Prepare the filling: mix chopped chicken liver or liver dressing with egg, chopped mushrooms, butter, zest, lemon juice and spices. If the mass is of a liquid consistency, you can add two teaspoons of breadcrumbs.
- Stuff the woodcocks with the filling, put one sprig of tarragon inside and wrap with slices of bacon. Tie tightly with thread or secure with toothpicks. Fry the carcass in the oven on a baking sheet greased with butter, pouring red wine, beef broth or water over the carcasses. Add black peppercorns and bay leaf. The rest of the filling can be placed on slices of fresh bacon and fried with woodcock. Cut the finished game into two parts.
- Cover the woodcock pieces with the filling, which was fried on slices of bacon. Pour the hot juices released during frying over the dish.
- Serve baked apples, boiled or fried potatoes, head salad with sour cream or green beans as a side dish.
Woodcock dishes are not often found on the table, but if you are lucky and you have game, these simple recipes will help you appreciate the delicate taste of this bird.
Spring woodcock is a very difficult culinary target. If in the fall the meat of males is juicy, soft and covered with a layer of fat, then in the spring, after a long tedious migration from wintering grounds to their homeland and daily mating flights, it is dry, tough and absolutely non-greasy
Spring woodcock is a very difficult culinary object. If in the fall the meat of males is juicy, soft and covered with a layer of fat, then in the spring, after a long tedious migration from wintering grounds to their homeland, and daily mating flights, it is dry, tough and absolutely non-greasy. But thanks to this, it is a good dietary dish, the preparation of which requires a certain skill. Only a few recipes are given here (the weight and volume ratios of the components are not given intentionally, since this is a matter of everyone’s taste).
The day after shooting woodcock, you cannot cook it. The meat should “ripen”, become more tender and juicy. Birds should be hung in a cool, dark place or placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Every other day, pluck and singe. Woodcock, like all other birds of medium and small size, cannot be cut along the midline of the belly, i.e. along the keel, before gutting. The meatiest part is the breast with well-developed pectoral muscles. They need to be preserved. To do this, an oblique incision is made from the anus at an angle of 45° to the angle of the ribs and, having thus opened the abdominal cavity, the intestines and stomach are removed. Some gourmets cook woodcock uneviscerated, especially since during traction, as a rule, there is little food in the bird’s stomach. But it’s still better to gut the bird, leaving the lungs and heart behind. After this, you need to place the woodcocks in a bowl of cold water for soaking for 3-4 hours. This is necessary so that the meat is freed from blood and becomes more tender and lighter. The water can be changed several times. Moreover, the less the wood screw is damaged by the shot, the less time this procedure takes. Then the woodcock is washed, turned over onto the breast to drain off excess water, and placed in a dry bowl. It is ready for further culinary processing.
Woodcock stewed with black plums. Salt the carcasses of prepared (see above) spring woodcocks and stuff them with lard, cut into thin narrow slices. Put 2-3 black plums into each carcass. Quickly sew up the abdomen with thread or tie it with twine. Fry in a frying pan with a thick bottom on margarine or a mixture of vegetable oil with butter and a small amount of lard. After a golden brown crust has formed, add boiling water to the frying pan so that it does not completely cover the carcasses, transfer to low heat and simmer for 35-40 minutes. The best side dish is boiled potatoes. You can cut it into large slices (still raw) and put it in a frying pan 20 minutes before the end of stewing so that it is saturated with juice.
Woodcock in Drovnovsky style. Pour boiling water over the carcasses of gutted woodcocks in a saucepan, add finely chopped onions, garlic, carrots and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes, then sauté with flour and continue simmering. After 5 minutes, add boiling water and chopped potatoes into large slices and simmer for another 20 minutes. 5 minutes before the end of stewing, add salt and, if desired, add spices to taste.
Pokrovsky-style woodcock in sour cream. Stuff the woodcock carcass with finely chopped onion and garlic, fry in butter until golden brown, then put aside temporarily on a plate and fry the finely chopped onion and garlic in the melted butter remaining after frying. Place the carcass on the frying pan again and pour in sour cream, to which add a little salted flour. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Garnish with boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes, if not available, pasta.
Woodcock fried with wine. Carefully slide the skin from the carcass to the neck without removing it completely. Rub the meat with salt, crushed juniper berries, cover with very thin slices of lard, tighten the skin again and wrap the carcass with thick threads. Fry for 40 minutes, adding dry red wine to the roasting pan.
Autumn woodcock stewed in Pokrovsky style. Gut the woodcocks, wash them, salt them; put finely chopped onion and garlic into a small cut in the belly through which the entrails were removed, fry in butter until a crust forms, add boiling water so that the birds are half covered with it and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Then add coarsely chopped potatoes and simmer until the last one is ready. When the water boils, add boiling water. Before serving, the woodcock should be removed from the heat and left to stand in the thick-bottomed frying pan or duck pot in which it was cooked. Consume with cold (kept in the freezer) vodka or dry red wine.
Woodcock is widespread throughout almost the entire CIS and is known to all hunters. The most common hunting seasons are in the spring when hunting and in the fall when the bird is migrating. This is a small bird weighing 300 grams, motley-red plumage, long-beaked and with large eyes. Woodcock is best fried without even gutting it. Below are examples of dishes and recipes.
Preparation
woodcock roast
You will need for one woodcock:
- piece of lard - 100 g;
- juniper berries - 1 teaspoon;
- table salt - 1 teaspoon;
- black peppercorns - 20 peas;
- parsley, green or dry;
- lemon zest from one lemon.
Start by preparing the carcasses, clean them and gut them,
Set aside the liver and heart separately. The skin is removed by pulling it towards the neck, slightly
trim it, but do not remove the skin completely, leave it at the neck.
Now take care of the pepper and juniper berries, they can be crushed
together, then add salt to the mixture according to the recipe amount, stir, and
Rub the woodcock carcasses with this seasoning. Now put very thin ones on top
slices of lard, 100 grams, cut very thinly and stretch the skin on top. To from the neck
If the juice does not ooze, tuck it into the breast, and tie the carcass itself with a thick thread.
Now fry the carcass on all sides in melted butter in a Dutch oven,
then pour in sour cream and let it fry well for 15-20 minutes.
A delicacy dish is also prepared from the liver and hearts.
Finely chop the liver and hearts into pieces, add parsley and zest from
one lemon, grated on a fine grater. Mix all this thoroughly and
add salt, the dish is prepared quite quickly, within 10 minutes on butter
oil This roast is surprisingly delicious when served spread on slices.
black bread.
Fried
woodcock with red wine
Composition for one woodcock:
- pork lard - 50 g;
- juniper berry - 1 teaspoon;
- dry red wine - 100 gr.
The skin, as in the previous recipe, should be pulled over the neck.
Juniper berries should be crushed and mixed with salt, now the carcass
cover with lard, cut the slices very thinly, as in the previous recipe.
Now pull the skin back, stretch it and wrap the carcass with thick threads.
The dish is cooked in a Dutch oven in red wine for 20 minutes.
Cooking woodcock the peasant way
The dish is designed for four woodcocks:
- four woodcock carcasses, weighing approximately 300 grams;
- olive oil - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- butter - 30 g;
- chopped celery - 2 stalks;
- onion (finely chopped) - 1 onion;
- carrots (chopped) - 3 pcs;
- garlic (finely chopped) - 1 clove;
- fresh mushrooms - 350 gr;
- chicken broth - 900 ml;
- cereal - 250 gr;
- table salt - half a teaspoon;
- ground black pepper;
- sage - 1 tbsp. spoon;
- shallots - 200 gr;
- artichokes (divided into 4 parts) - 250 g;
- saffron leaves are placed as a decoration on the bottom of the dish.
Heat butter and olive oil together in one
pan, a thick-walled pan is desirable. Fry the woodcocks for 5-10 minutes
2 pieces each, after frying all four, add the onion and brown it in
for 5 minutes Then place there: mushrooms, carrots, garlic and celery and
fry for another 5 minutes, stirring all this time.
Now you can add chicken broth, along with it you need
add saffron, pepper, shallots, salt, cereal and woodcock. On high heat
let it boil, and then transfer to low heat and cook, covered
cover for half an hour. After 30 min. open the lid and top the woodcocks
add the artichokes, cover again and leave for another 10 minutes, until
The broth was completely absorbed by the cereal. Once cooked, place underneath and on top
saffron leaves.
Woodcock,
cooked with cauliflower
Ingredients for three woodcocks:
- parsley root - 1 piece;
- onions - 2 pcs;
- carrots - 1 piece;
- cauliflower - 800 gr;
- breadcrumbs - half a glass;
- nutmeg (grated) - just a pinch;
- sour cream - 200 gr;
- green parsley or dill - 1 bunch;
- black pepper and salt.
The woodcock must be cut lengthwise completely, add pepper and
salt. Now, along with the parsley root, place the woodcock halves in a saucepan,
Also add whole onions and carrots. Add cold water by half
game and set to cook, pour the broth on top of the bird and sometimes turn it over.
After readiness, add a glass of sour cream, a pinch of nutmeg, crackers
breading mixture, let it boil again and remove from heat.
The cabbage is cooked separately, and then taken apart, then
placed on a dish around the game, you can decorate it with herbs on top.
Braised woodcock
Woodcock stewing is done according to two recipes.
1-recipe
- lard - 70 g;
- butter - 50 g;
- beef broth - 200 g;
- curry - 0.5 teaspoon.
Gut and wash the game, rub with curry and salt, add
put the bacon inside, also put a few slices of bacon on the breast, then the bird
tie with thick thread. Now fry the carcass over high heat with butter
butter and slices of bacon, then add beef broth and simmer in it
25-30 minutes, until fully cooked. It is very tasty to serve stewed woodcock with
rice, lingonberries and baked apples.
2nd recipe
Ingredients for 2 woodcock:
- lard - 70 g;
- butter - 50 g;
- champignons - 100 gr;
- onions - 2 pcs;
- pepper, cumin and salt.
Woodcock carcasses are rubbed inside and outside with pepper and salt according to
taste, then a couple of slices of onion, a slice of bacon and a small
a piece of butter. Just like in the first recipe, the breast should be
cover with slices of bacon and tie the game with thick thread.
Now melt the bacon and butter in a frying pan.
Add mushrooms, chopped onions, and half a spoonful of caraway seeds. After light roasting
put woodcocks, if there is not enough liquid, you can add water and a cube
chicken broth, simmer in the oven. They are best served with potatoes and
fresh vegetables.
Stuffed
woodcock
Ingredients for 2 woodcock:
- lard - 70 gr;
- margarine - 50 g;
- dry red wine - 4 tbsp;
- bay leaf - 1 pc;
- black pepper;
Ingredients inside:
- chicken liver - 100 g;
- mushrooms - 100 gr;
- butter - 20 g;
- chicken egg - 1 piece;
- tarragon - a couple of sprigs;
- parsley - two teaspoons;
- lemon juice - 0.5 teaspoon;
- zest;
- breadcrumbs;
Season the cleaned woodcock with salt and pepper, and
Cover the inside of the carcass with thin pieces of lard. Now it's time for the filling,
mix boiled liver with egg, butter, mushrooms, lemon juice and zest,
It is recommended to add some breadcrumbs. Add the prepared filling
inside and add tarragon sprigs, tie the carcass with thick thread. Getting ready
this dish is cooked on a frying pan with butter, red wine is poured on top when
enough juice will appear, add pepper and bay leaves. In addition to wine you can
use broth or just water. The finished woodcock is cut, stuffed
cut into pieces and placed around the game on a platter. Season the dish
juice in which the woodcock was cooked. If you have filling and lard left, then use them
can be cooked together with game in a roasting pan. Tastes best as a side dish
potatoes, boiled or fried.
It has long been considered a gourmet dish. This bird is prepared mainly by hunters who have caught it themselves. Cooking has its own rules and features that must be taken into account if you want to prepare a delicious dish.
When preparing many types of game, hunters first soak the game in water or a specially prepared marinade so that the meat does not have a specific odor characteristic of game, and also becomes tender and soft. The meat has a soft and delicate taste and does not have a specific smell for game, so there is no need to soak or marinate it.
In order for the meat to remain soft and juicy during cooking, it is recommended to place thin slices of lard inside the carcass and wrap the outside of the carcass. Thanks to it, the meat will be very juicy and soft.
When frying, it is best to use butter rather than sunflower oil; you can also add a little beef broth to the frying pan during cooking.
The meat goes well with any kind of side dishes: fried and boiled potatoes, rice. Good served with meat and some sauce.
Woodcock fried with red wine
In order to prepare this delicious dish you will need: one woodcock, 50 grams of lard, 100 ml of dry red wine and juniper berries.
Slide the skin from the carcass onto the neck, then salt the meat and rub it with juniper berries, put chopped lard on the woodcock, then pull the shifted skin back onto the woodcock and tie it with thread. Pour wine over the woodcock carcass and fry the carcass for 30 minutes.
Fried woodcock
Many hunters consider fried woodcock one of the easiest and most delicious dishes to prepare.
In order to prepare this dish you will need: 2 woodcock, 100 grams of lard, juniper berries, 2 medium-sized onions, 2 tablespoons of butter, cloves and black pepper.
Pluck the woodcock carcasses, gut them and wash them, add a little salt, put an onion, slices of lard, cloves and pepper into each woodcock carcass. Cover the outside of the woodcock carcasses with slices of lard and tie them with thread. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the woodcocks over low heat.
You can serve fried woodcock with potatoes or rice, adding lingonberry or blackcurrant jelly for piquancy.
Woodcock stewed
In order to prepare stewed woodcock you will need: 2 woodcock, 50 grams of butter, 70 grams of lard, 100 grams of champignons, 2 onions, caraway seeds. You can add salt or pepper to taste.
First you need to pluck, gut and wash the woodcock carcasses, rub the woodcocks with a mixture of salt and pepper, put a few slices of onion, a slice of lard and a small piece of butter into the woodcock carcass. Wrap in slices of lard and tie well. Melt the butter and lard that remains chopped in a frying pan, add chopped mushrooms, onions and half a teaspoon of caraway seeds to the butter and lard. Fry all the ingredients, add the woodcocks to the other ingredients, and cook in the oven at 220 degrees for 50 minutes.
You can serve with side dishes such as potatoes or tomato and sweet pepper salad.
Woodcock stuffed
To start cooking woodcock you need: 2 woodcock, 100 grams of lard, 4 tablespoons of red wine, 70 grams of butter, bay leaf and black pepper.
If desired, you can prepare the filling, for this you will need: 100 grams of chicken liver, 100 grams of mushrooms, 50 grams of butter, an egg, breadcrumbs, a pinch of ginger, black pepper, parsley, 2 sprigs of tarragon, a little zest and half a teaspoon of lemon juice , salt.
First, the carcasses must be plucked and gutted, washed and lightly salted. Place thinly sliced pork lard on the belly. For the filling: cut chicken liver, mix with egg, chopped mushrooms, butter, zest, lemon juice and seasonings. If the mass is liquid, you can add crackers. Mix woodcock carcasses with the filling, put a sprig of tarragon inside the carcass and wrap it in slices of lard. Tie with thread. Fry woodcocks in the oven on a baking sheet greased with butter, pouring dry red wine. Add a little pepper and bay leaf.
Place the remaining filling on the lard and put it in the oven to roast along with the woodcocks.
Cover the finished woodcocks with pieces of lard and filling.
You can serve potatoes, green beans or baked apples as a side dish.
Woodcock with feathers in clay
In order to cook woodcocks with feathers in clay you will need: 1 woodcock, butter, lard, salt.
Without plucking the feathers, gut the carcass, put a little butter or a little bacon into it, add salt and tie it with thread or grass. Wipe with clay and place on hot coals. When the clay hardens and begins to crack, the carcass will be ready to eat. Remove the carcass from the fire, cool and break the clay. Along with the clay, feathers easily come off from the game. Then you can put the carcass on skewers and cook it like a kebab.
Woodcock roasted in the ground, hunting style
In order to prepare fried game you will need: 1 woodcock carcass, salt, pepper.
Plucked, singed and gutted carcasses must be washed, salted, peppered, and placed in foil. Dig a hole in the ground 25 cm, 35 cm wide, make a fire in it, put the game in it. Cover with foil. Cover it with earth, build a fire in that covered area, and leave it like that for 1-2 hours.
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