Frischling Vorderkeule. Young wildboar leg (for those that want to be exact front LH)

I had a small (about 2kg and a bit)  leg  that had been languishing in my freezer since spring and as I want to make space in my freezer, I decided to do a game cooking and clay shooting weekend.

I removed the leg and three pigeons (these I found hiding at the back of one of the drawers) on Saturday evening and put them in the sink to defrost. The leg was defrosted, I dried it off and then covered it with my patent game spices (it is in my recipes). I wrapped it in cling film and left it overnight

Sunday morning up with the larks, went to get some rolls, had breakfast (I do lead an exciting life) then started on the job in hand, roughly chopped some root vegetables, 2 carrots, a slice of celeriac, the white of a leek and parsley(bund suppengrun).

I placed these in the bottom of the slow cooker,

next unwrapped the Wildschweinkeule,  rubbed in a bit more game spice and sprinkled it with some apple and honey vinegar

and placed that on top of the vegetables.

I spiked using a clove, a medium onion with 2 bay leaves and placed this in the pot along with two large stalks from my rosemary bush. I put another 5 cloves in the pot along with 6 crushed juniper berries and 2 crushed and roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves.

I had a slab of home cured/smoked pork belly, I cut a slice about 2cm thick and chopped this into 2cm pieces this also went into the pot. I had taken the breast and legs off one of the pigeons, roughly chopped I put the 

Next I made up 400ml of good vegetable stock (marigold) added this along with a schnapps glass of port, cassis and a wine glass of good Bordeaux (the rest we shall deal with later). All this went into the slow cooker at 08:00, switched on high for 4 hours and went out for a few hours shooting and missing clays.

On returning opened the door to the most wonderful smell. I had promised an OAP at the local a Sunday lunch so I set a cauliflower on to boil, I opened a packet of half and half potato dumplings (you didn't think I was going to start making them from scratch at this time on a Sunday afternoon, a pint was waiting), I opened a packet (shame, shame) of spiced red cabbage with apple this was ready for the microwave.

BUT the forester sauce was all my own,  I sautéd some shallot, smoked ham (schinken wurfel) diced ceps ( steinpliz) and champinions, I took three ladel fulls of the cooking liquor from the SC and placed this into a small saucepan and reduced by half tasted and then added to the sautéd mushrooms etc added a bt more game spice, bubbled up and set aside. By this time the dumplings where finished as was the cauli, into the microwave with the red cabbage, sliced some meat from the leg, put this in a microwave plate (those ones that are divided and have a lid) next came the cauli and dumplings poured over some of the sauce and ping went the sound of the microwave. Couple of spoonfuls on the plate, lid on and off to my OAP.

I had mine on returning and can tell you it tasted bloody good, the rest I am having for lunch!!!

Now I bet you are wondering what happened to the pigeons, well while I was finishing off the meal for the OAP I had put them in a pressure cooker along with freeze dried veg a bit of broth mix. I will tell you about this a little later.

The breasts  are secured away in my fridge for a nice salad tomorrow.

Cheers my dears