By David Draper

Maybe it’s just a matter of growing older, but something interesting happened when I moved into my late grandparents’ house a few years ago. No matter what project I was tackling, whether in the kitchen or on the farm, the overriding idea that grandma and grandpa got by with what they had so I could, too, kept popping into my head. This way of thinking not only changed the way I worked (and ultimately my career), but also changed my shopping habits.

Sure, whenever I get a cooking-related catalog or visit a kitchen store in the big city I drool a bit over all the cool gear and gadgets for home cooks. Same goes for the Northern Tools catalog or the farm store. Every item holds the promise to make my life easier and raise my abilities to the next level. Most of the time, I resist the urge to buy one of everything, content with my uncluttered, if somewhat underequipped, kitchen. If Grandma Draper could make the world’s best lemon meringue pie in this kitchen, I could certainly scrape up something to eat here as well.

By David Draper

For this spicy venison stir-fry, inspired by a recipe from Eileen Clarke’s Slice of the Wild cookbook, I used a few tablespoons of Asian garlic chili sauce that is so potent it’s barely edible on its own. Mix it with a little soy sauce and broth to make a marinade and then add some to the broth/corn starch finishing sauce. The result is a sinus-clearing venison dish that’s sure to spice up your night.

By David Draper

This week, Food Photo Friday features photos from Wild Chef reader Mike Duni of Freedom, Maine. Mike is a Registered Maine Master Guide who sometimes spends his summers working the kitchens of some of that state’s fine coastal restaurants. From the looks of his photos, Mike is not only an avid outdoorsman, but also a great cook, a skill he picked up from his Italian grandfather.

Pan-seared venison with garlic potato pancakes, caramelized onions and red wine sauce.

By David Draper

Do a little research, and you’ll find there are no hard-and-fast rules for making a traditional Irish stew. Or, more accurately, there are a hundred different hard-and-fast rules as to what constitutes a traditional Irish stew. The one thing most agree on is the use of lamb or mutton, but from there the opinions diverge.

For this recipe, we’re going to throw out that one constant and replace it with venison, which was probably in the original recipe to begin with only to be replaced in modern times after sheep came to outnumber red deer on the Auld Sod.

As for the rest of the ingredients, I’ll say this is my authentic Irish stew, but like any recipe, it’s meant as a guide, not a rulebook. If your mom put carrots in her Irish stew, feel free to add them to yours. Same goes for flouring and/or browning the meat first, two steps I omit.