The R&V Kitchen

Every now and then, the local wildlife guru Doug Leier will send me an invitation to discuss food, particularly wild game, on his AM radio show. Even though we’ve recorded a few of these chats in months past, I’m still surprised when these messages come across. A note from Doug will pop up in my email inbox, usually saying something like this:

“Beth. You, me, and radio make three. Let’s talk meat.”

Somehow Doug got this weird notion that I actually know something about cooking game…and even more astonishingly, that I can speak intelligently about it. And despite my stammers and dry sense of humor on the air, he continues to invite me on. A glutton for punishment, I suspect.

So it’s February and there isn’t much going on hunting wise, so I thought about discussing sausage making, something most ND hunters do after they bring home the kill. Shortly after making that suggestion to Doug, I had this running through my head:



There is no way I could talk about sausage on the radio without breaking out into a case of the giggles. Delicious Dish, indeed.

Thankfully, instead of the gigglefest sausage discussion, Doug threw me a spontaneous curveball and asked me to talk instead about a few things I must have in the kitchen, my absolute necessities, whatever came up off the top of my head. What? I can’t type out a page of notes on the topic? I can’t conduct hours of research for our four minute chat? You want me to, like, wing it?

Wing it I did. I’ll post the clip when it is available, but for now, these were my top-of-my-head must-haves in the kitchen – and I think they are pretty spot on for me.

1. Microplane. I think I called it a microplaner on the radio, but whatever, it’s a grater/zester. I use it constantly for shredding up citrus zest, hard cheeses, nutmeg, chocolate, ginger – a quick grate across the microplane creates all these little bits of concentrated flavor that can turn a good dish into a great one. It’s handy and dandy.


2. A decent bottle of wine. Not only because it makes a tasty beverage, but it’s great for deglazing the pan, making quick sauces, adding to soups, stews, roasts; I even put a pop of sherry in my stir fry. Wine and game are two earthy foodstuffs that go perfectly together.


3. Shallots, onions, garlic. I don’t know why I said shallots. Shallots are great, and I use them on occasion, but they aren’t my basic. Onions are my true go-to. Nearly everything I cook starts with an onion, and often garlic as well, much to my breath-conscious husband’s consternation at times.


And Doug, thanks again for the forum. Keep doing what you're doing, promoting the Great Outdoors of ND - and I don't mean that in the John Candy kind of way. Unless you are going out for an 'Ol 96er. THAT is something I want to see.