Game spices

The secret game spices (shhhhh read this then eat it)


This could be counted as a spotted dick family recipe going back hundreds of years concocted in the times of the great spotted dick Druidess the good Hilda Marg! But as my mother never saw a wild boar never mind cook a one I feel free to divulge my game spices.

Dried Juniper berries
Dried cloves
Fennel seeds
Pepper seeds
Mustard seeds
Green Cardamom pods
Cinnamon bark
Bay leaves
Dried Rosemary needles
Some dried parsley root
Course sea salt
Dried chili.

Please don’t ask me quantities as I just add a bit of this a few of these, I have learned over the years that amounts are variable as not all spices the same intensity of flavour.
You can make this every time you do game, but as I cook game most weeks I roughly grind in a pestle and mortar and transfer to a grinder (from Ikea) and grind it over the game whenever needed.
For my marinade I will normally grind the above over the meat and rubbing into the meat. Then place the meat into a zip lock bag chop an onion, couple of cloves of garlic, a carrot, a piece of celeriac chopped, the white of a small leek; add a slug of red wine
and red wine vinegar (you can vary this add a spot of Marc de Provence or a drop of port, sherry brandy, calvados, grappa the choice is yours to add or not to add that is the question) I some times add prunes, dried apples, or some preserved blackberries, sour cherries, damsons to the marinade, as this makes a wonderful sauce when reduced.



P.S. Since I first wrote this for the BBC food board, I have now acquired a coffee grinder, this is kept for the sole purpose of grinding game spices. It cost the princely sum of €5,- in a cheap shop.