Hunting & Cooking: Spicy grouse noodle soup

The fall big game hunts are fully underway. I have spent the fall chasing a variety of animals, including mule deer and even moose. Some of the hunts have resulted in a successful harvest, but most have actually not, which is the nature of the game. 

As with most things in life, the destination might be the goal but it isn’t what creates the memories. The memories come from everything else encountered along the journey. I was incredibly lucky to be part of the moose hunt, which was an amazing experience. But one of the things I remember most about it was during the scouting before the opening day: The hunt was in a new area, so before the start a lot of time was invested in traveling new roads, searching for innovative spotting sights, and climbing unfamiliar trails. 

Scouting an area creates a lot of pre-hunt emotions that are sometimes hard to control, such as feeling overly anxious if you see animals and hoping they will stay in the area or falling into somewhat of a pre-hunt depression if the forest is quiet and even squirrels aren’t moving around. It is amazing how empty the forest can feel.

The scouting on this particular moose hunt was definitely feeding that pre-hunt depression. In an attempt to ward off the feeling, I told myself to focus on why I was actually out there: the quickly fading crunchy fall leaves, the evolving figures in the floating clouds across the autumn-toned sky, the way wind whispers through pine needles, the trunk creaks of the upward reaching aspen trees. It always helps to realize that while the forest seems depleted of life there is so much happening in your peripheral, and you just need to be open to it.

I always try to take a shotgun on scouting trips because it is also the perfect opportunity to look for upland game. Grouse season in Utah runs from September 1 until the end of December. It is a backdrop season for most all the big game hunts, and the perfect little journey to add to your big game adventure. Carrying my shotgun during the moose hunt turned out to be a fruitful effort this year. I came upon a single grouse and was able to harvest him. 

Upon returning to camp, I pulled out my Dutch oven and used ingredients I had brought along to mix up a spicy grouse noodle soup. No moose were spotted during the pre-hunt scout, but I didn’t have the usual disappointed feeling. Having gratitude for the day, the experience of simply being outside, and that amazing grouse soup helped cure all those negative feelings away.

Ingredients

1 grouse – plucked, skin on

6 cups water

3 carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

2 zucchinis – diced

1 medium onion

1 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Package egg noodles

Parsley and green onion for garnish

Instructions

1. Place a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed ceramic pot over medium heat. Add the six cups of water to the pot.

2. Nestle the grouse into the water. The water should cover about three quarters of the grouse. This dish is best prepared with a plucked, skin left on grouse. The bones will add fats and collagens to the broth, making for a heartier and richer soup; however, the dish can be successfully prepared with just the meat of the bird.

3. Add the diced onion and sliced carrots and celery to the pot. Bring the water to a simmer, cover the pot, and allow the grouse to simmer for two hours over the medium heat. If the water is boiling more than simmering, you can drop the temperature to low.

4. After two hours, pull the grouse from the water. The skin should easily pull off and the meat tender and starting to fall of the bones. Shred the meat into bite size pieces and return to the pot.

5. Add the diced zucchini, soy sauce, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot. Cover and simmer the soup for 5 minutes.

6. Bring the soup to a gentle boil. Add egg noodles to the pot and cook for 10 minutes, until the noodles are just al dente. 

7. Taste if more salt is necessary. The soy sauce adds a lot of salt to the soup so I didn’t find additional salt necessary, but it is always best to test and see if it fits your personal liking. 

8. Scoop a big serving into a bowl and top with fresh chopped parsley and green onion for serving. Enjoy!!!!

Lindsey Bartosh is an eighth-generation Moab girl who loves hiking, hunting, fishing, cooking, writing, photography and working on www.huntingandcooking.com.