Badger Stew

BY JOHN NASH

To cook one badger you’ll need:

Ingredients:

  • 1 badger
  • 1 glass of pig’s blood
  • 1 small glass of armagnac
  • 1 ginger root
  • 1 bottle of dry, sparkling white wine
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 pot of crème fraîche
  • salt and pepper
  • 500g forest mushrooms OR chestnuts to accompany
  • 100g butter
  • oil

Instructions:

  • Eviscerate and skin your badger, and soak it in a fast-flowing river for at least 48 hours. This will help you to de-grease it more easily.
  • Once the badger is de-greased, cut it into pieces and brown it in a frying pan with butter. When the pieces are golden and stiff, flambée with the Armagnac, season and add a grated soup-spoon of ginger, fresh if possible.
  • Pour over the wine, and simmer gently for at least two hours.
  • At the end of the cooking time, mix the chopped badger liver (cooked beforehand in a little oil), the glass of blood, two egg yolks, a coffee-spoon of ginger and the crème fraîche, and pour into the cooking dish. Serve immediately.
  • This dish goes well with wild mushrooms or chestnuts.