Spring is sprung…away we go on a another planting season here at The Elms. Planting takes place both inside our Home 900 acres and outside our gates where we place crops into another 3,000 acres. The Elms Plantation came to be back in 1866, and for but a brief time, our family has owned and operated it since then. Fun for us to imagine we began operating as a farming business the same year Winchester was founded…two great brands no doubt.
This time of year always begins with the height of optimism for us – our farmers work hand-in-hand with us in selecting crops which are not only good for them, good for the market, but also optimum food sources for the waterfowl we hunt in the season-to-come. This year, we will be laying in rice, corn, milo and chufa. Our farm operations manager Randy will oversee planting again this go round as he does each and every year, well, least for the last 15.
Needless to say, we are excited and ecstatic to get back at it, get crop into the ground and carry on with other new and exciting construction projects at The Elms…mum is the word for now, but do stay here for details-to-come.
What’s cooking? In this issue we spotlight a dear friend of ours, Scott Leysath. Scott is known as the “Sporting Chef”…and indeed he is. He has multiple, and long-standing, television series on the likes of Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel. His series have spanned from The Sporting Chef to Dead Meat to The Fish Monger to his newest launch, Ranch America which chronicles the ebb and flow of a California ranching family. Make certain to pour a glass of wine or favorite libation at the very end of this recipe…and do enjoy:
Duck “Steak” Sandwich (Scott Leysath; @sportingchef)
In the tradition of the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, this non-traditional waterfowl recipe is a quickly that will fool some of your friends who claim that they don’t like the taste of duck. The meat is sliced very thinly so the cooking part only takes a few minutes from start to finish. Some folks add a splash of Italian dressing to the duck while cooking.
4 servings
3 cups skinless duck breast fillets
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
dash Tabasco
8 slices provolone cheese
4 Italian rolls, split
1. Slice duck breasts as thinly as possible. If possible, place in the freezer for an hour or so to firm up meat before slicing. Season liberally with salt and pepper. 2. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add onions, pepper and garlic. Cook until onions are lightly browned. Add mushrooms and sauté with onions and peppers until soft. 3. Move vegetables over to one side of the skillet and add duck breast. Cook meat until lightly brown, but not overcooked. Season with a dash or two of Tabasco. 4. Mound meat into 4 rectangular piles, about the size of the Italian rolls. Top with equal portions of the vegetable mixture. Top with 2 slices of cheese for each mound until the cheese melts.
Please enjoy, and come make memories with us sometime soon at The Elms Lodge.
Duck Diva
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