No More Goose
I haven’t had roast goose often. The last time was at least 16 years ago.
It was Christmas. In fact I have only ever had roast goose at Christmas.
Honestly, it tasted wonderful. All the fat rendered out, crisp golden skin, meat both tender and full of flavour.
Complimented by home made stuffing with fresh sage, onion, breadcrumbs, finely chopped white onions, pinch of fresh thyme and mandarin orange slices – plus a little bit of the zest scattered over.
Actually, the spectacular stuffing, served as the centrepiece to a Christmas dinner…
Cooked in a loaf tin. Moistened with vegan gravy. If you want to add interest, portobello mushrooms, gently fried in 1/4 teaspoon, or spray of oil. NOT that horrible fry light stuff where you can taste the chemicals. Get an oil spray bottle and fill with the vegetable oil of your choice.
Anyway, if you want to jushh up the stuffing, take barely fried portobello mushrooms and add in a layer at the bottom of the oiled loaf tin. Then a layer of stuffing, another layer of portobello mushrooms, final layer of stuffing, with mandarin orange zest mixed through top layer (reserve some to scatter over when serving), then thin slices of mandarin oranges laid down the middle over the top layer
Along with a homemade vegan gravy
Plus pickled red cabbage with sultanas, red wine, balsamic vinegar, sliced apple, powdered cloves, grated nutmeg, 2 cinnamon sticks.
Charred sweetcorn or if not too much effort sweetcorn fritters.
Tarragon butter glazed julienne carrots (vegan substitute for the butter)
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For vegetarians – homemade cauliflower cheese. For vegans, need to substitute the cheese sauce. This actually is not too hard now, although it used to be difficult. I like to scatter a pan grattata over the cauliflower cheese
Finally, Brussels sprouts cooked with finely chopped shallots and crushed sweet chestnuts. With maybe pine nuts scattered through five or ten minutes before they come out of the oven. (Parboil for five minutes, transfer to oven, add crushed sweet chestnuts, bake for 20 minutes, add pine nuts, bake for further 10 minutes).
Of course, roast potatoes.
Maybe a Yorkshire pudding if you can make the vegan version.
And all of that without turkey, chicken or goose.
I will never eat goose. They mate for life. They bond. They are ferocious farmyard defenders.
Fun facts:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-we-can-learn-from-geese-ray-anthony#:~:text=Geese%20are%20extraordinarily%20loyal.,and%20many%20even%20live%20longer.
Or without following the link, here is an excerpt
“They Are Extraordinary Animals. Geese are highly social animals. If they are raised around other fowl and livestock, they will typically bond with and get along well with them. Being social, getting along and developing good relationships with others are obviously important in our lives and work. Geese are extraordinarily loyal. They mate for life and are protective and caring of their partners and offspring. Geese have strong affections for others in their group. Wild geese will live between 10 and 25 years while domesticated ones live around 20 to 25 years and many even live longer.”…
Geese are not food
At least, for me, never again.
