In the coastal mountain range of the Pacific Northwest, one of the first things folks learn to hunt for is ruffed grouse; a ground-dwelling bird, highly skilled at flying in short spurts that will startle a hunter even if you’re prepared for it. In Oregon, grouse are abundant, and easily found if you are willing to put the work in on foot. Sure, having a good birddog makes it easier but that is an entirely different level of hunting. Just putting one boot in front of the other is all it takes to get into grouse. Walking grassy abandoned logging roads far off the beaten path during the early fall season is a recipe for running into a tasty free-range feast, provided you can draw your shotgun or bow fast enough. And when it comes to recipes, there are few that are as deliciously autumnal as my famous 10 Grouse Soup. Combining fresh picked chanterelle mushrooms, venison bone broth and whole lot of grouse, this soup is a surefire way to stay fat and happy during the harvest season. This recipe works well for Blue Grouse as well…a cousin of the Ruffed Grouse that happens to live in Oregon also, at higher elevations. Blue Grouse are generally larger, growing almost to size of a domestic chicken. They are just as tasty. Oh, and you don’t exactly need to bag 10 grouse to make this soup work, be creative, 8 grouse and a very large wild pigeon could work if you’re a bit short on supplies.
Ingredients:
10 Grouse
Carrots
Celery
Garlic
Chanterelle Mushrooms
Bone Broth
Large pot
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Heat up bone broth (bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes)
2. Dice carrots, garlic, celery and mushrooms
3. Chop breasted grouse meat into cube-sized pieces. (This part is somewhat subjective, depending on how large you prefer your chunks of soup meat to be)
4. Place diced carrots, garlic, celery, mushrooms and meat into broth. Ass salt and pepper accordingly.
5. Cover pot with lid and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
NOTE: This amount of soup is intended to be shared with friends or pressure canned and stored for the winter.
