Feathers on the water means casserole in the oven

The alarm sounded and I jumped out of bed with all the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning, not because I was all that excited about the morning's adventure, but mostly out of anxiousness to get ready on time and get to our destination before the sun.  After donning two pair of insulated underwear, thick socks, toe warmers, boots, overalls, two jackets, a neck gator, and a fleece hat, I was dressed for the occasion.  My sleepy companions rummaged around in the darkness making coffee, checking field bags, grabbing decoys, and loading the ATVs.  The caravan pulled out at 4:42 AM, just 12 minutes after schedule.  A twenty minute drive, a bumpy ride on the back of an ATV, and a short walk through the delta mud and we were there.  The flooded timber of the Arkansas delta is a prime duck hunting destination.

I spent the morning hours watching the world around me wake up.  My companions called down dozens of ducks from the pink sky.  We watched them circle, sometimes calling back, and eventually gliding in to rest in the old abandon fishing hole.

Two hunts on opening weekend yielded 39 ducks that were cleaned and distributed to all hunters.  You know the rule, if you kill it, you eat it.  Last year was my first duck season, and I was assured that wild duck was delicious to eat.  I had eaten farm-raised duck in restaurants; when prepared well, it is phenomenal.  Wild duck is drastically different, but not necessarily in a bad way.  Until recently, the only wild duck I had tasted was wrapped in bacon, smothered in cream cheese, and stuffed with jalapenos.  Anything tastes good if you do that to it!  This year, I'm prepared.  I've scouted and tried new recipes and found ways to incorporate duck into my old favorites.  This recipe for Duck and Noodle Casserole is one that I modified from a Duck and Wild Rice Casserole, originally featured in an old Southern Living cookbook.  While the original recipe is delicious, I was out of rice and mushrooms, so I had to be a bit creative.

Duck and Noodle Casserole

Ingredients
4 wild duck breasts, tenderized
1 bay leaf
1 yellow onion
1 bunch green onions
2 cloves garlic, peeled
A sprinkle of herbs/seasoning of choice (I used Herbs de Provence)
Half of a box of pasta
1 can green beans
1/2 cup butter/margarine
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 tbs chopped parsley (fresh or freeze dried)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place duck, half of the onion, a bay leaf, two cloves peeled garlic, and herbs/seasoning in a large pot.
2. Add enough water to cover ingredients, and bring to a boil
3. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until ducks are tender
4. While the duck cooks, prepare pasta according to package directions
5. Remove ducks from stock, strain stock, and reserve
6. When duck is cool enough to handle, chop into bite size pieces, looking for and removing pellets
7. Drain green beans, reserving liquid
8. Add enough duck broth to green bean liquid to make 1 1/2 cups
9. Chop the other half of the onion and green onions and saute in a skillet with melted butter until tender
10. Add flour, stirring until smooth
11. Add green beans and gradually stir in green bean liquid/broth mixture
12. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly
13. Stir in duck, pasta, milk, and parsley
14. Spoon into a greased shallow casserole dish 
15. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top
16. Cover and bake at 350 for 15 minutes
17. Uncover and bake 5 more minutes 

You can see the recipe for Duck and Wild Rice Casserole here.

A full duck hunter is a happy one!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll!