Marinades
The word MARINATE comes from an old Spanish word meaning “to pickle,” and it is the acid of the marinade that does the work, adding new flavor, softening tough fibers, increasing their natural sapidity through the action of penetration, lifting ordinary foods out of the commonplace an in most cases ensuring their preservation.
There are several kinds of marinades:
THE LIGHT MARINADE — Usually used for small game, fish, meats, vegetables and fruits. It is also called instantaneous marinade. It may be plain and consist of only a little lemon juice, vinegar, mixed with a little oil and a few spices and seasonings.
Tomato juice, French dressing, vinegar, fruit juices, spices sauces (cooked or uncooked) and sour cream are the most used in cookery.
A few drops of prepared sauces, such as Worcestershire sauce, chili, mustard. or Madras.
Ingredients for a light marinade:
- 1 small lemon, sliced fine
- 1 small raw carrot, sliced fine
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1sprig of thyme or thyme leaves
- 2 small bay leaves
- 3 whole cloves, slightly bruised
- 1 large sprig parsley, or parsley root
- 12 peppercorns, slightly crushed
- Salt to taste
All the above ingredients are placed in a flat-bottomed dish, usually of earthenware; then the meat, fish or game is placed in it, stirred gently once in a while and turned over often. the meat, fish, or game should always be completely subjected to the marinade, lest the action of the air decompose the exposed part. Keep in a cool place.
ORDINARY MARINADE — This kind of marinade may be made hot or cold, according to indications, but it is more often made hot and for the same kind of meat, fish or game. the ingredients are almost all the same as for LIGHT MARINADE, and are prepared in the same way, except that they are heated up, nearly cooked, then poured cold over the meat, fish or game to be marinated.
The purpose of cooking is to precipitate more rapidly the essences, aromas and extracts from the ingredients used, thus producing a stronger effect. keep in a cool place.
MARINADE FOR LARGE PIECES OF MEAT, GAME but seldom fish — This marinade may be hot or cold according to indications in the recipe. It is employed mostly for large pieces of game such as wild boar, deer and bear. In it are included additional aromatic herbs, such as rosemary, sarriette, sweet basil, salt, mace and sage. The directions are the same for LIGHT MARINADE and ORDINARY MARINADE, except that the proportions are larger, according to the size of the piece of game or meat; and if the meat or game is to remain several days in the marinade, the vinegar is less in proportion to the other liquids; if of short duration the vinegar is equal or thereabouts. Keep in a cool place and covered with a cheesecloth.
This is an excerpt from The Derrydale Game Cookbook by L.P. De Gouy. Available for purchase in the Sporting Classics Store.
Like the hunting and fishing classics Derrydale published in the 1930s, this cookbook has only improved with time. This is a no-nonsense, practical guide to cooking virtually every kind of wild game with everything from simple recipes to gourmet level preparation.
L.P. De Gouy is the author of the Pie Book, The Soup Book, Sandwich Exotica, The Derrydale Fish Cookbook, and more. Buy Now
