Something else to do with Pheasant

A quick review of the web, or any number of wild game cookbooks, will reveal that there are lots and lots of recipes for pheasant. Its a lean muscled game bird. It does not sit around the barnyard developing a nice layer of fat. So its easy to overcook, dry out, and make tougher than trace leather. I know this to be true. As a youngster, I once boiled one and then fried it for my father and brother. It was inedible, but the legs could be used to drive a 10 penny nail.

Some people insist that pheasants must be "hung" to "improve the flavor". This process involves hanging the bird outside by its feet until it starts to decompose to "tenderize it" Those that employ this technique usually allow for three days if its humid, and up to six days in a cool breeze. Personally, I've never tried it and to each his own I guess. The recipe below is simply one way to present pheasant in a manner which emphasizes the flavor and texture of the bird.

Rule of thumb. One pheasant can feed two normal people, or 1.5 gluttons. So, depending upon how many people (or gluttons) you are serving, calculate accordingly. This is not a "how to skin and clean" recipe, I am assuming you have a dressed bird, ready for cooking. If you don't know how to get it to this stage, Google it.

Cut the flesh from the bone and into roughly cube shaped portions. When you try this, you will understand why I say roughly. The lower legs contain a number of tendons. These can be stripped from the meat with a sharp knife. Don't obsess over cube shapes, just do the best you can.

Now mix the cut up meat in a bowl with just enough molasses to coat each piece. Add three dashes of liquid smoke and two of soy sauce, stir well and set aside to marinate.

Saute some vidalia onion (yeah, I use vidalia a lot in cooking, I love the flavor of this sweet onion) in butter over low heat. After a few minutes (use your own judgment - I don't know how much heat you are using, okay?), add some chopped, sweet red pepper. A few minutes later add a sprinkle of pine nuts, a dash or two of sage and thyme and a little salt and pepper. Continue to turn this with a spatula until the nuts turn slightly yellow (watch this like a hawk, pine nuts are easy to burn). Then remove the mixture from your skillet and set it aside.

Now lightly flour your pheasant. If you just dump the flour into the marinade, you will have a sticky mess. So, use tongs to move meat from the marinade bowl to a separte bowl for flouring, a little at a time. When that's done, move the floured meat to the skillet you sauted the onion mixture in and return to low heat. You are probably going to want to add some more butter to the skillet to prevent the floured meat from scorching, which is a bad thing. Cook this, turning frequently with a spatula until the floured meat is browned throughly, taking care that it does not burn the flour coating. About five minutes before its done, add the onion, pepper mixture back into the skillet to warm it and blend the flavors. This results in a tender, slightly sweet pheasant, but does not overwhelm the taste of the bird.

I have served this over pasta with a light cream sauce, which was very tasty. Some might object to the cream sauce, or the butter. If low calorie cooking is a big deal for you, you might want to stay away from this blog.