When my dad came back from his annual Idaho elk hunting trip this year, he said he had a surprise for me. What, I wondered, could be a better surprise than coolers filled with packages of ground wild elk, steaks, sausage, roasts and summer sausage? Well, my dear old dad saved me the heart. Feeling honored to eat such a vital part of this wild creature, I decided to save it for a special occasion. My husband and children made it clear that they did not want to have any special occasions where elk heart was on the menu, so I saved it for a hearty meal with my friends who would appreciate it. When Jeff, Taryn and baby Bracken, my homesteading friends out on the Siuslaw River invited me over for lunch, I could think of nothing better to share than my heart. I made a brown rice stuffing with dried apples, shittake mushrooms and fresh sage, and brought it over for lunch, seasoned, stuffed, and ready to bake.
Now, I realize this might sound gross to some of you. Perhaps you are vegetarian and the thought of eating a heart is most offensive, or maybe you have traumatic childhood memories of your mother making you eat organ meats. I have to be very honest that organ meats are one of those things I know are really good for me and I try really hard to like them, but usually the texture is what gets to me. I have fond memories of the chicken gizzard and macaroni dinners my grandma used to make for my brother and I, but I still can’t handle liver no matter how hard I try. I took a course one semester in college on world foods, and a big focus was how the United States is one of the few countries that mostly wastes the organ meats of the animals we consume. We read this wonderful book called The Eternal Food: Gastronomic Ideas and Experiences of Hindus and Buddhists, edited by R.S. Khare that I highly recommend. If you are an omnivore, it is certainly something to think about. I’m not into wasting anything, so I keep trying to stay open to organ meats.
Back to this heart. It looked and smelled delicious when it came out of the oven, and I was excited to try it with the blackeye peas, bear meat, and sauerkraut Jeff and Taryn had made. The flavor was very much like any other cut of elk, and the texture was a little more spongy than I am into, but overall, I thought it was good. As we were eating, it crossed my mind that this would make a very fitting Valentine’s Day meal. After all, what says “I love you” like a heart?
Jeff posted a picture of our meal on his Facebook page with some words of appreciation, and the thread of responses it elicited gave me some food for thought. I have noticed that there are many times when vegetarians pass harsh and righteous judgment upon folks who eat meat, even upon those who strive to do so very consciously and sustainably, yet I don’t often see omnivores making judgmental responses to vegetarians concerning the soybeans and corn they eat. I can see room on both sides for concern about sustainability and the widespread effects of our food production on the planet, but really I think we ought to all just have a heart (figuratively) and be respectful of one another’s choices. I was feeling especially appreciative of my vegetarian and vegan friends when I thought about all this, with whom I have had countless mutually respectful conversations about food and sustainability. I am encouraged by this, that respect and understanding are possible on a wider scale.
So, I encourage you to have a heart and to try some organ meats every once in a while if you are inclined. They are rich in nutrients and vitamins, and provide a good deal of energy in the wintertime. Know that somewhere in Oregon, I’ll be having some food adventures and challenging the preferences of my palate right along with you.
Mountain Hearth’s Wild Heart Recipe
one elk heart (or deer, moose, cow or sheep will do)
sage leaves
garlic
salt and pepper
1 cup cooked brown rice
a handful of shittake mushrooms
a handful of dried apples and/or pears
1/2 an onion diced
2 stalks of celery diced
sage powder
garlic powder
butter or coconut oil
1. Heat 2 tbsp butter in a pan and saute onions, celery and mushrooms
2. Stir with the rice, diced dried fruit, and seasonings
3. Stuff the heart and season the top with salt, pepper, garlic and sage leaves
4. Bake covered at 350 for about an hour
Happy Heart Day!
We are all about liver here. All three of us love it and nothing is better than a mess of liver and onions with gravy poured over top! I like heart as well, although it's a tougher meat than I like to eat. Tongue is about the only thing I'm not too keen on, and I'm determined to try it again, and I've never eaten kidney either….
It is respectful of the animal to not waste it. What a tragedy for an animal to lose it's life for one certain cut of meat, or even worse simply for it's head to be on a wall…..
I'm happy to hear from liver lovers and know that there are folks out there enjoying it while I'm still not there yet. My husband always tells the story of how I served him barbequed squirrel and elk tongue for our first dinner date at my house and won him over with my wild cooking!
We feed on a mess of chicken livers and hearts on the farm from time to time and beef tongue is a pretty good cut of meat. My hubs is into offal more then I am but I try. We make sausage with the offal as well when we butcher our pigs and tried our hand at some cured pork this year. As far as wild meat, we were gifted some deer meat my father shot on the farm. I believe that to honour and respect an animal you need to try and find use for as much a possible. Good post! fitting for Valentine'e day….
It was sooo good! Thank you for sharing! Beautifully written post.