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Published: Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 / Updated: Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 04:22 PM

Warm up with wild game chili and stews

Despite the fact that we’re now officially into March, it’s still quite cold outside. Turkey season is still a few weeks away and, although I love fishing, I’m just not one for getting out on the water when I know that I’ll spend more time shivering than catching.

Of course, there’s still a great way to enjoy the outdoors even when we’re inside and if you’ll give these recipes a shot they’ll go a long way towards warming you up as well!

Wild Turkey Chili

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of uncooked wild turkey breast cut into cubes

1 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic

4 teaspoons of ground cumin

1/2 cup of minced onion

4 cups of chicken stock

1 teaspoon of dried marjoram

1 teaspoon of dried savory

2 tablespoons of chopped jalapeños (no seeds)

2 medium potatoes peeled and diced

1 16-ounce can of navy beans

1 16-ounce can of great northern beans, drained and rinsed

Grated cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Hot sauce (Tabasco, Texas Pete, etc.)

Salt

Pepper

Vegetable oil

Preparation

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender. Add cumin then stir for about 30 seconds. Toss in the turkey breast and continue to sauté until the meat is no longer pink (4 to 5 min.)

Pour in the chicken stock along with the marjoram, savory and jalapeños. Next, stir in the potatoes and beans.

Simmer covered for about 45 minutes. The chili should be thick. Season with hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Place into bowls and garnish with cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Serves 4.

Lowcountry Catfish Stew

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of catfish filets cut into bite size pieces

Cooked rice

2 slices of salt pork or bacon

16 ounces of tomato sauce

1 can of tomato paste (6-ounce size)

4 cups of water

1 large onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 clove of minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon of oregano

Worcestershire sauce

Salt

Pepper

Hot sauce (Tabasco, Texas Pete, etc.)

Preparation

In a large pot, cook the salt pork or bacon until crisp and remove. Add the garlic and chopped onion and cook them in the drippings until soft and translucent. Pour in the four cups of water, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Season the mixture with the bay leaves, oregano, two to four dashes of Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer for about 30 minutes. Add in the catfish and cook for 15 minutes more.

Serve in bowls over rice and kick it up a notch with a bit of hot sauce if you’d like it a bit spicier.

Serves 4.

Cooter Stew

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small cooters, cleaned (That’s a snappin’ turtle, for you folks not originally from these parts.)

Flour

1 large onion, chopped

2 teaspoons of Allspice

3 tablespoons of dry sherry

1 potato, diced

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

12 whole cloves

4 quarts of water

Salt to taste

Red pepper to taste

Preparation

After removing the head, hang the turtle to drain. Next, place the turtle into boiling water for approximately five minutes. Carefully, crack the shell all around. The meat you’re after is found in the front and hindquarters, along with a strip of meat along the inside back of the shell.

Remove the outer skin which should come off pretty easily after boiling. Rinse the pieces thoroughly and place them into ice water for 20 to 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.

Next, place the meat back into boiling water along with the diced potato and onion. Continue to cook until the meat falls off the bone (approximately 2 hours.)

Remove the meat and separate it from the bones and any remaining skin, discarding them. Cut up the meat with scissors and return it to the stock. Add in the Allspice along with salt and red pepper to taste.

Using a bit of the stock, brown flour in a skillet to make a paste and add to the stew to thicken it. Just before serving, pour in the sherry.

Serves 6.

Y’all enjoy!