angelobiondo.com

By:  Ang Biondo

In my 45+ years of experience in the field, I have not only taken my fare share of game – but also accumulated tons of recipes, experience and advice.  I love to listen to hunting stories and like to think most of them to be true.  Of course there’s always that one that got away.

I especially remember one time when I was hunting pheasant with some friends. We didn’t have a dog at the time and we were walking through a field trying to flush some birds we saw land in this particular field.  We would get close and they would run but not flush.  Not being able to see the colors in the brush, we couldn’t shoot them on the ground (1) because you couldn’t verify the sex, and (2) because it was considered un-sportsmen like.  My buddy Joe was about 15 feet to my right when I heard him shout obscenities of frustration at the top of his lungs – summing it up with “What the hell is the matter with these things?  Don’t they know they are supposed to fly?”

The point is pheasant you take from the field, are not farm raised and extremely physical and active.  They are a favorite food source of many predators including man.  Un-like their farm raised cousins that are served in fine restaurants around the world, their flesh is going to be on the tougher side.  This must be considered when preparing the meat for the table.  Needless to say they are not candidates for the elaborate gourmet “Pheasant under Glass” dish served in five star restaurants worldwide.

There are however, many recipe’s available and easily available on the internet as well as libraries.  I find that like myself, people who hunt Pheasant also hunt Grouse (Partridge), Dove and Woodcock (where allowed),  I haven’t hunted Woodcock or Dove (which are migratory game birds)  for awhile so I don’t know the rule for taking them anymore.  When I was hunting them, you had to have a duck or migratory bird stamp to hunt them, and even then they were out of bounds most seasons.  Be sure to check your State’s hunting syllabus.  Hunting violations can be costly, and ignorance of the law is no defense.

The birds mentioned above are all similar in nature and any pheasant recipe can be used interchangeably for any of the birds listed.  Water fowl is not included in this group. We’ll cover the preparation of water fowl for the table at another time.

Cooking Info:

1 pheasant will generally serve 2 to 3 people

• The largest rooster I ever took was a few ounces short of 3 lbs. but I’ve heard stories of some birds as large as 5 lbs., but then they are stories.  As far as I know for sure roosters go somewhere between 2 ½ to 3 lbs. and hens a little smaller at 2 to 2 ½ lbs.  Think of them as about the size of an average fryer. The size of the bird and serving size will determine the number of side dishes and the recipe to use for best results.  Unfortunately game birds are not like super market poultry where if you need more you can just add another from the freezer.   You need to learn to work with what you have.  Like wise:

2 Grouse (partridge) will generally serve 2 people

2 Woodcock or Dove will serve 1 person

When dressing your take for the day, it’s a good idea to open the crop and see what your game has been feeding on.  This will give you a good idea of what the flesh will taste like.  I have found hazel nuts in pheasant crops and wild grapes in partridge crops, and the flesh was tainted likewise.  I have also taken deer from pines where the meat from the animal tasted like it was marinated in turpentine.

General cooking instructions:

• Roast pheasant at 350^o F for 35 to 40 minutes. 
• Stuffed and roasted: 350^o F for 1-1/2 hours. 
• Cook on spit for 45 to 50 minutes. 
• On a rotisserie for 40 minutes, basting frequently.

Some of these recipe’s call for wine, if using wine in a recipe I like to use a good high quality wine.  Any good chef will tell you if you wouldn’t drink it don’t use it in a recipe where you would like to sit down and enjoy with family and friends. The cooking wine you buy off the super-market shelf next to the vinegar is of poor quality. A wine that didn’t make the grade for table use at the winery and is labeled for cooking. To add to the insult they add salt to it.  You are better off to by-pass the cooking wine and grab the vinegar and cook with that.

When cooking with wine, the advice I got was to use a dry wine.  Dry wines are higher in alcohol as the sugar content has been mostly converted to alcohol in the fermentation process leaving a full body flavor.  You needn’t worry about the alcohol in your recipe as the alcohol is burned off (completely evaporated), leaving the full flavor to enhance and bring out the flavor of the spices and herbs used in your recipe.  If you are not familiar with cooking wines, I have listed some of the leading wines used in cooking:

The Dry white wines are:

• Sauvignon Blanc – known for its herbaceous quality as a wine, in a dish highlighting herbs used in the recipe
• Chardonnay - The Chardonnay grape is thought to have originated in Lebanon, and in France Chardonnay became the only grape allowed to be grown in Chablis, Burgundy.  These white Burgundy wines were well enjoyed, and the grape is also used in sparkling wines and Champagne. 
• Chenin Blanc - Arguably the most versatile of all wine grape varieties. Crisp, dry table wines, light sparkling wines, long-lived, unctuous, nectar-like dessert wines, and even brandy are all produced in various areas of the wine world, all of chenin blanc.
• Riesling - is a variety which is highly “ terroir-expressive”, meaning that the character of Riesling wines is clearly influenced by the wine’s place of origin.

Some of the leading red wines are:

• Zinfandel – Made into both red and white wines the red is known to reduce cholesterol.  A dry wine high in alcohol adding exuberance to any recipe 
• Cabernet Sauvignon - The green bell flavor of this wine is not considered a wine fault but it may not be desirable to all consumers’ tastes, however when used in recipe’s using vegetables it’s a great wine.
• Bordeaux – There are four different classes of Bordeaux which all come from the Bordeaux region of France.  Each has a distinct flavor and will change the flavor of a recipe.  If you intend to use a Bordeaux in a recipe, it’s best to ask Liquor Store and tell the clerk the flavor you ate looking for.
• Pinot Noir - well-suited to pair with poultry, ham, lamb and pork. Its flavors are reminiscent of sweet red berries, plums, tomatoes, cherries and at times a notable earthy or wood-like flavor, depending on specific growing conditions.
• Grignolino - Is a purple grape variety commonly grown in the Piedmont region of Italy. It makes light red wine and roses with very fruity aroma and strong acid and tannins. 
• Côtes du Rhône - Are the basic AOC wines of the Rhône region, and exist as red, white and rosé wines, generally dominated by Grenache (reds and rosés) or Grenache Blanc (whites).
• All of the recipe’s I present in this article can also be used with domestic fowl such as Chicken, Cornish game hens and even Turkey if you wish.  The flavor will be lighter in taste but similar.  Also for obvious reasons will be more tender in nature and you will have to adjust for cooking times.  Wild game is generally cooked for longer periods cooking thourougly and should never be served rare.  Always cut into the flesh and make sure the juices flow clear with no signs of blood.

A Great Pheasant Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 pheasants – boned and cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup flour

¼ tsp Salt (to taste)

¼ tsp Black pepper (freshly-ground - to taste)

½ tsp Garlic powder (to taste)
¼ lb. butter – (1 stick clarified) 

¼ cup olive oil (optional – in place of butter)
2 cloves of  garlic (optional)
2 medium onion - diced
1 cup Sauvignon wine – (See description above)

½ lb fresh mushrooms chopped & sautéed

8 oz. can black olives - sliced
1 12 - 16 oz. can chicken broth

Instructions:

• Place flour in a large plastic zip-lock bag and  season with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder
• Place pheasant pieces in seasoned flour, then shake off excess flour. 
• Sauté in clarified butter or olive oil until slightly browned. 
• Remove to crock-pot or roasting pan. 
• Add crushed garlic cloves to skillet juices and add onion, Sauvignon, mushrooms, olives, and broth.
• Heat to a bubbling boil and lower to simmer for five minutes. 
• Pour the contents over the pheasant. 
• Cook in crock-pot on low for 6 to 8 hours or in covered roasting pan at 325^o for 1 ½ to 2 hours. 

The Crock-pot method is preferred.  The long slow cooking enhances the tenderness and flavors better.  This dish goes well served with wild rice or white rice. The flavor is a rich delicious flavor I’m sure you will enjoy..   Serves 6

Pheasant under Glass:

Ingredients:

2 Pheasants (breasts, skinned)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (optionally lime juice works well too)
½ tsp Salt (to taste)
½ tsp Pepper (to taste)
3 tbsp  Butter (virgin olive oil can be used optionally)
1 tsp scallions - peeled, chopped
2 tbsp Brandy
1/3 c Sauvignon Blanc
1/3 c Heavy cream
1 tbsp Meat Glaze

A few dashes of cayenne
1 or 2 or morel mushrooms - cut into thin strips (you can use Truffles but they are on the pricey side)
¼ c Mushrooms – cut into thin strips

Fresh curly parsley

Instructions:

• Cut the breast and legs from the birds.  We actually will be using the breasts only from the birds, but if you wish you could cook the legs and wings as well.  Otherwise, freeze the other parts for use at another time.
• Remove the skin from the pheasant breasts, trim the edges and flatten them slightly using a kitchen mallet.
• Rub breasts with 1 tbsp of the lemon juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Melt 2 tbsp the butter in a 9-inch skillet. When butter foams, add breasts and sauté for 3 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. Use a low to medium heat, DON’T LET THE BUTTER BURN!
• Make a shallow cut in one of the breasts with a sharp knife. The meat should be pink and the juice that runs out should be clear yellow. 
• Remove breasts from skillet and keep warm. Add scallions to dripping and sauté until golden brown. Drain butter from scallions and set aside. 
• Add brandy and wine and reduce to heat setting. 
• Add cream and Meat Glaze and reduce heat to lowest setting. 
• Strain sauce, and add the remaining lemon juice, butter and cayenne. 
• Mix morals mushrooms
• Divide into 2 portions. Place warm breasts on a serving dish. Top each with morels and mushrooms.
• Pour sauce over breasts, garnish with parsley and cover with a glass cover. 

Pheasant Cacciatore:

Ingredients:

1 pheasant, cut into serving pieces
olive oil
1 medium onion, quartered
1 medium green pepper, chopped

½ lb. pitted olives (I prefer to use the green Sicilian, but the black are good too.)
1 qt. of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Instructions:

Prepare your favorite spaghetti sauce as you normally would.  I prefer to make my own, but you can use a jar of your favorite commercially prepared sauce.

In large skillet heat enough olive oil to cover bottom bring to heat on medium flame

Lightly flour pheasant pieces and brown in hot oil

Place in simmering sauce for 4 to 5 hours on low heat.

Roast Pheasant:

Ingredients:

2 - 3 pheasants
1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
5 tbsp butter
3/4 cup raisins
juice of 3 oranges
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 cup chicken broth, canned, homemade or made from bouillion
1/3 cup white wine

Instructions:

Rub the pheasants inside and out with the lemon. Salt and pepper inside and out to taste.
Put the pheasants in a baking dish breast up and spread on the butter.
In a bowl, mix the raisins, orange juice, lemon rind, chicken broth and wine.
Pour the broth mixture into the pan.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes basting every 10 minutes.
Serve and Enjoy

And here are a few good ones obtained from the internet.  The same identical recipes are listed on dozens of sites, so I don’t know who to give the credit to.  The point is game recipes are as readily available as the common recipes on numerous fine sites.

Breast of Pheasant with Grapes and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

2 pheasants
1/2 c Olive oil
6 cloves Garlic; peeled and chopped
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1 c Heavy cream
2 cans Cream of mushroom soup, condensed — (10-oz cans)
8 oz Fresh mushrooms
8 oz Butter
4 oz Flour
4 oz Pine nuts
8 oz Green grapes; cut in halves
4 Shallots
4 fl oz dry sherry

Instructions:

• With a sharp knife, remove the two breasts from the center bone and also all the meat from the legs. 
• Remove all the skin and excess fat. 
• Place the pheasant breasts and legs in a ceramic dish. 
• Save the bones for another dish. 
• Make a marinate with the garlic, soy sauce, and olive oil in a suitable covered container and  marinate the pheasant pieces overnight if possible. 
• Melt the butter in a heavy skillet, and season the pheasant with salt and pepper. 
• dip in flour, and sauté over low heat until light brown. 
• Remove pheasant from skillet and place on a heated platter. 
• Add more butter to the pan, if necessary, and combine the onions, with the fresh mushrooms, mushroom soup, sherry wine, heavy cream, and grapes and bring to a boil. 
• Lower heat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
• Garnish with pine nuts and ladle over the pheasants.
• Serve over fettuccine.

Pheasant Normandy:

2 Pheasants
salt & pepper; to taste
lemon pepper; to taste
2 c Dry sherry
sour cream

Thoroughly clean and dry pheasants. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper. Place in roaster and add sherry. Cover and bake in 350^o F oven for 1 hour. Baste frequently. Add more sherry, if needed. Remove lid and fill each bird with sour cream. Return to oven. Bake at 400^o F for 30 minutes or until browned. Serve with wild rice and mushrooms. Serve 4 to 5.

Pheasant Normandy 2

1 pheasant — cleaned and trussed (tie for cooking)
2 slices salt pork — (optionally use bacon thin slices)
2 tablespoons butter
6 apples — peeled and sliced
½ cup sour cream
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ cup applejack (Hard cider)

Place slices of salt pork on breast of pheasant. Tie with string. In heatproof casserole, heat butter. Place pheasant in casserole and cook until well browned on all sides.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add apples, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Stir in applejack. Bring to boiling point but do not allow to boil.