A Little Inspiration For Canadian Wild Game By The Paisley Notebook

A little inspiration for Canadian Wild Game by The Paisley Notebook

By Aman Dosanj, creator of The Paisley Notebook, Okanagan, British Columbia.

Food geek, marketing geek, former England and Arsenal footballer (soccer), people watcher, feminist, BSc Business Graduate, middle child, Virgo, planner, anti-racism ambassador, Slow Food Member, adventurer, From The Wild alumni, imperfect environmentalist, storyteller, and just weird enough to be interesting. The former Poppadoms owner and Western Living Magazine ‘Foodie of the Year’, organizes pop up dinners and collaborative events across the Okanagan aimed at bringing the community together. Winner of the ‘Culinary Tourism Experience’ category at the 2018 Canadian Tourism Awards, and a two-time gold winner for the Food Day Canada ‘Good Food Innovation’ Award in 2018 and 2019, Aman and The Paisley Notebook has raised over $60k for local charities since 2017, making her own little path in food and drink.

Here’s a quick field lunch idea for an edible adventure with an Indian-ish vibe.

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RECIPE

What you’ll need: 

  • The Paisley Notebook’s garam masala 

  • Canadian wild venison loin or ethically and humanely-farmed beef steak or lamb (you do you)

  • Chilli powder (for a kick, optional) 

  • Rendered animal fat or cooking oil 

  • Butter (cubed)

  • Garlic (chopped) 

  • Wild juniper berries

  • A sprig of spruce/fir or pine for an extra forest something.

  • Cast iron pan

  • Salt to taste

Forest Foraged Chutney/Salsa Verde: 

  • Clover

  • Dandelion greens

  • Wild mint

  • Fir/spruce/pine needless (whatever you find, chopped)

  • Wild mustard flowers

  • Wild onion or green onion (charred and diced) 

  • Garlic clove (roasted and chopped)

  • Leftover pickle brine, or Canadian white wine vinegar, or citrus 

  • West Coast sea salt (to taste)

  • Organic canola oil (or whatever you have)

  • Pestle & mortar

2. Spice-rub the venison loin with garam masala, chilli and season with salt. Tip: the spices need just the right amount of salt for their powers to kick in. Leave to the side. 

3. Take the foraged greens and roughly chop. Add to the pestle & mortar with a pinch of salt at a time, the garlic, a splash of brine or acid and the oil. Pound together. Taste, tweak and taste again to figure out what’s missing. 

4. Heat up your cast iron, add in the fat or cooking oil, then sear the spice-rubbed meat on all sides until medium-rare. Baste with butter, garlic, juniper and either fir or spruce or pine sprig. Remove from the pan and leave to rest to help all those juices do their thing. 

5. Slice and top with the forest chutney for a field lunch (or at home). 

Aman Dosanj / The Paisley Notebook

Instagram/Facebook: @paisleynotebook

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