Thursday, September 08, 2005
Dove Season
September 1 marks the opening of Dove season. This year, I ran into JT over the weekend. JT was O'Dell's best friend. They grew up together, entered the military in WWII together, and met on the porch many evenings to reminisce. Before O'Dell's passing, he and JT never missed Opening Day of Dove season. One year, I came home from work and there were O'Dell and JT sitting in lawn chairs in the back yard with their guns. They had played golf earlier that morning and just figured they didn't have to go anywhere else to hunt. Sure enough, they had a mess of Dove before sundown.
Going on those hunts was always a treat regardless of whether I got any birds or not. O'Dell and JT often met Forrest in the field (a dairy farm in Shelby County). Forrest was alledged to be an excellent shot, but his skills were declining (he was older than either JT or O'Dell). Forrest would walk across the field to a likely spot and, if he couldn't find shade, he'd build himself a little enclosure using corn stalks. Forrest would then promptly fall asleep much to the chagrin of JT. O'Dell and I found it hard not to laugh at JT's calls: "Bird! Forrest! Bird! Damnit, Forrest, wake up! Bird!"
O'Dell was, of course, a magnificent shot. He often got doubles and usually got his limit. On one particular occasion, a bird came over O'Dell very high. He stood, took a shot, and watched carefully as the bird dropped into the field. He walked over. Retrieved the bird. Then, he put it in the paper sack he was using as a game bag. With his gun lying across his lap, he lit a cigarette and reloaded, all the while keeping his eye on the sky. Another bird, another shot, and he got up to get it. He dropped the second bird into the bag, which promptly exploded. The first bird had only been stunned, and the second bird dropping into the sack startled it into frenzied flight. The surprise almost knocked O'Dell down.
Sometimes we'd hunt over a hog lot in LeCompte Bottom. That was where O'Dell shot me. It was a high shot and the pellets rained down trough the tree I was sitting under. Hot shot down the collar is uncomfortable. You had to get to any bird you downed and guard your game bag or the hogs would steal it from you.
Going on those hunts was always a treat regardless of whether I got any birds or not. O'Dell and JT often met Forrest in the field (a dairy farm in Shelby County). Forrest was alledged to be an excellent shot, but his skills were declining (he was older than either JT or O'Dell). Forrest would walk across the field to a likely spot and, if he couldn't find shade, he'd build himself a little enclosure using corn stalks. Forrest would then promptly fall asleep much to the chagrin of JT. O'Dell and I found it hard not to laugh at JT's calls: "Bird! Forrest! Bird! Damnit, Forrest, wake up! Bird!"
O'Dell was, of course, a magnificent shot. He often got doubles and usually got his limit. On one particular occasion, a bird came over O'Dell very high. He stood, took a shot, and watched carefully as the bird dropped into the field. He walked over. Retrieved the bird. Then, he put it in the paper sack he was using as a game bag. With his gun lying across his lap, he lit a cigarette and reloaded, all the while keeping his eye on the sky. Another bird, another shot, and he got up to get it. He dropped the second bird into the bag, which promptly exploded. The first bird had only been stunned, and the second bird dropping into the sack startled it into frenzied flight. The surprise almost knocked O'Dell down.
Sometimes we'd hunt over a hog lot in LeCompte Bottom. That was where O'Dell shot me. It was a high shot and the pellets rained down trough the tree I was sitting under. Hot shot down the collar is uncomfortable. You had to get to any bird you downed and guard your game bag or the hogs would steal it from you.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Vegetable Soup
One of my comfort foods is vegetable soup. In the 1960s, Dad would leave on a job early Monday morning for southern Illinois to describe coal cores and not return until Friday evening. Mom would often put a pot of soup on the stove and we'd eat on that all week. She'd keep it going during the week adding leftovers as she cooked. So...
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp cracked pepper medly (red, black, white peppercorns)
2 to 3 bay leaves
2 beef bouillon cubes
worchestershire sauce to taste
dash hot sauce (like Tabasco or Louisiana)
1 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatos
1 larger can diced tomatos
1 big can tomato juice
2 medium white potatoes
2 lbs frozen mixed vegetables
1.5 lbs round steak, chuck steak, etc (approx. weight) cubed
On the ingredients. I didn't forget salt; I just don't add any extra. As you cube the meat, trim off as much fat as possible. I get stewed tomatos because they have celery and green pepper. These are always good additions to the soup, but I prefer them in a quantity more as flavorings and spices than as main ingredients. You have a lot of choices for the frozen vegetables. The first choice is you can always go with fresh vegetables. At least one pound should be mixed carrots, (baby green) limas, corn, peas, and green beans. You can experiment with other mixtures; stir-frys with water chesnuts and peapods, broccoli, and others. If you like okra, go for it. Some vegetables like okra, squash, and zuchinni lose their texture after a couple of reheatings. Some stores offer a frozen vegetable soup mix. Mix and match, nothing is sacred here.
In a pot, combine the oregano, pepper, bouillon cubes, worchestershire, hot sauce, diced tomatos, and tomato juice. Add the stewed tomatos after you slice and dice them to bite-sized pieces. Stir and put this on a slow burner to bring it to a simmer. This is going to be thick and chunky so don't start it on too high a heat, you can scorch and burn it. Once it gets going, it's going to take about 2 to 3 hours of simmering to get right.
While the pot is starting to simmer, cube the meat. Trim off as much fat as you can (optional, but I like to do it). The amount of meat can vary: 1 pound is probably not enough and 2 pounds it too much. Check what is in your budget and what's on sale. Brown the meat in a skillet. I use high heat and a dash of olive oil. You can add a bit of pepper, garlic, onion (onion powder OK), or worchestershire.
Add the meat to the pot and clean your cutting board.
After the soup has started simmering (you did clean your cutting board, didn't you?), wash and dice the potatoes. I leave the skins on. Add the potatoes and vegetables to the pot. Bring it back to a simmer, stiring frequently. Once it's simmering, reduce the heat so that it just keeps simmering.
After 30 minutes or so, taste the soup. If it needs a little "something-something", add about half as much as you think might be needed. The soup is done, but is a bit "raw", when the potatoes are cooked through. The soup will improve with another hour or so of slow simmering, covered. Stir a bit just to make sure nothing is sticking.
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp cracked pepper medly (red, black, white peppercorns)
2 to 3 bay leaves
2 beef bouillon cubes
worchestershire sauce to taste
dash hot sauce (like Tabasco or Louisiana)
1 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatos
1 larger can diced tomatos
1 big can tomato juice
2 medium white potatoes
2 lbs frozen mixed vegetables
1.5 lbs round steak, chuck steak, etc (approx. weight) cubed
On the ingredients. I didn't forget salt; I just don't add any extra. As you cube the meat, trim off as much fat as possible. I get stewed tomatos because they have celery and green pepper. These are always good additions to the soup, but I prefer them in a quantity more as flavorings and spices than as main ingredients. You have a lot of choices for the frozen vegetables. The first choice is you can always go with fresh vegetables. At least one pound should be mixed carrots, (baby green) limas, corn, peas, and green beans. You can experiment with other mixtures; stir-frys with water chesnuts and peapods, broccoli, and others. If you like okra, go for it. Some vegetables like okra, squash, and zuchinni lose their texture after a couple of reheatings. Some stores offer a frozen vegetable soup mix. Mix and match, nothing is sacred here.
In a pot, combine the oregano, pepper, bouillon cubes, worchestershire, hot sauce, diced tomatos, and tomato juice. Add the stewed tomatos after you slice and dice them to bite-sized pieces. Stir and put this on a slow burner to bring it to a simmer. This is going to be thick and chunky so don't start it on too high a heat, you can scorch and burn it. Once it gets going, it's going to take about 2 to 3 hours of simmering to get right.
While the pot is starting to simmer, cube the meat. Trim off as much fat as you can (optional, but I like to do it). The amount of meat can vary: 1 pound is probably not enough and 2 pounds it too much. Check what is in your budget and what's on sale. Brown the meat in a skillet. I use high heat and a dash of olive oil. You can add a bit of pepper, garlic, onion (onion powder OK), or worchestershire.
Add the meat to the pot and clean your cutting board.
After the soup has started simmering (you did clean your cutting board, didn't you?), wash and dice the potatoes. I leave the skins on. Add the potatoes and vegetables to the pot. Bring it back to a simmer, stiring frequently. Once it's simmering, reduce the heat so that it just keeps simmering.
After 30 minutes or so, taste the soup. If it needs a little "something-something", add about half as much as you think might be needed. The soup is done, but is a bit "raw", when the potatoes are cooked through. The soup will improve with another hour or so of slow simmering, covered. Stir a bit just to make sure nothing is sticking.
