The Mountain Life, Elk Hunting, and Beanie Madness
As a private chef in Steamboat Springs AND a small handmade knitwear business owner, November is the start of what I consider the silly season!
What does November mean when it comes to living in Steamboat Springs?
It’s the kick off to our ski season, it’s when winter starts to set in, and it’s when all of the local hospitality and retail businesses prepare for the craziness that is soon to occur! In addition to working with clients to confirm bookings for holiday dinners, I am knitting away to make stock for my other business and to stock my online shop! If you’re interested in seeing what I do besides cooking, click on the button below!
In the spirit of the holidays, I also attended 2 Thanksgivings and cooked a full Thanksgiving meal for a wonderful client.
Every year since I’ve lived in Steamboat, my friends from when I worked at Bistro CV get together for what we call “Chefsgiving.” Thanksgiving Day was the only day we had off during the winter season, so we took advantage of it! This year, our Chefsgiving included prime rib, crab legs, and local ham!
For this month’s recipe, I decided to share my elk liver and heart pot pie.
Why? My husband got his first elk this year! If you didn’t know before, Routt County offers some of the most premier elk hunting in the entire country. As a chef who cares about local and seasonal eating as well as sustainability, hunting is a great way to provide meat for our family while adhering to those values. I also try to cook as waste free as possible which means utilizing every part of the animal.
I know there are a lot of opinions when it comes to hunting, but when done responsibly and with respect, I believe it can be a great thing. For Colorado Parks and Wildlife, hunting is a means for them to maintain the wild populations. For us, this one elk will provide meat for an entire year or more!
The meat is as free range, local, and sustainable as it gets
(if you choose to eat meat, of course)!
Because we also bought a half pig and quarter cow this year, we will end up sharing our elk with the same friends that we shared the pig and cow with. Getting an animal is never guaranteed, so this was particularly exciting! During my chef training, I was so fascinated by butchery and learning how to break down whole animals, and being able to do this as a part of the hunting process is so fulfilling.
Being able to feed ourselves from the land is quite humbling, and we’re thankful for living in the mountains.
Happy Eating!
Chereen