Diners feast on exotic game at Unity

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Fried beaver nuggets, antelope ragout, and wild turkey chili are dishes that rarely appear on the average buffet line.

At the 2nd Annual Unity College Game Dinner, those entreZs were standard fare. The unique fundraiser drew over 170 people to help support the 63-member college archery club.

The $1,200 raised will be used to send members to tournaments and to help build a new indoor archery range for winter practice.

Since over 85 percent of the archery club's members are hunters, the idea of a wild game supper seemed a perfect way to raise money.

"We wanted to put together an exotic menu with dishes that people don't get to see every day," said Joe Saltalamachia, an archery club co-supervisor. "It was an opportunity to try out unique recipes and for hunters to show that what they catch doesn't go to waste."

With the exception of four domestic smoked turkeys that were donated, all the meat on the menu came from wild game. Most of the moose meat and venison was provided by Unity College students and alumni, while other meats were donated by local businesses, community members, and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Archery club member Amanda Hardaswick brought several ducks up from Connecticut that her boyfriend shot last season.

"Barbequed duck nuggets just aren't that common, and it's fun to see people try new food for the first time," said Hardaswick.

Some other creative dishes included the cheesy venison pie, Italian squirrel over penne pasta, and sweet and sour mule deer meatballs.

Saltalamachia said that the most popular dishes of the evening were the pheasant salad and the black bear stroganoff. He added that the moose meatballs were a little dry for his taste, but by next year he should be able to nail the recipe.

The archery club has made great strides recently. Four members qualified for the International Bowhunters Organization World Shoot in West Virginia this August.

"We'd love to be able to send our qualifying members to this event," said Saltalamachia. "If it means making another pot of caribou summer sausage or goose stir fry to raise the money, then we'll do it."

Contributed by Joshua Anchors