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.
October 18, 2009
October 12, 2009
Apres Grouse Hunt
Okay, so you went Grouse hunting and actually came back with birds. You did better than I did, so now what are ya gonna do with the succulent little devils? Well, you might try this one.
Ruffed Grouse Amandine
Naturally, you need to start with Ruffed grouse. You'll also need salt and pepper, some bacon slices, a half cup of melted butter, some blanched almond slivers, a teaspoon of lemon juice and buttered toast.
Once the grouse is (are) rinsed clean, and after you have made sure to remove any remaining shot, sprinkle the grouse inside and out with salt and pepper. Preheat your oven to 350. Cover the breast(s) with bacon and fasten it with string or wooden picks. Place the grouse on their backs in a baking pan. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender, basting it frequently with 1/4 cup of the melted butter.
Combine the remaining butter, almonds, and lemon juice. Five minutes before the grouse are done (don't freak here, a minute or two one way or the other is not gonna mess this up), remove your string or toothpicks and bacon. Pour the butter-almond mixture over birds. Serve them on the buttered toast. A tossed salad and a sauteed mixture of butternut squash and yams, sprinkled with brown sugar, would be really tasty with this.
Ruffed Grouse Amandine
Naturally, you need to start with Ruffed grouse. You'll also need salt and pepper, some bacon slices, a half cup of melted butter, some blanched almond slivers, a teaspoon of lemon juice and buttered toast.
Once the grouse is (are) rinsed clean, and after you have made sure to remove any remaining shot, sprinkle the grouse inside and out with salt and pepper. Preheat your oven to 350. Cover the breast(s) with bacon and fasten it with string or wooden picks. Place the grouse on their backs in a baking pan. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender, basting it frequently with 1/4 cup of the melted butter.
Combine the remaining butter, almonds, and lemon juice. Five minutes before the grouse are done (don't freak here, a minute or two one way or the other is not gonna mess this up), remove your string or toothpicks and bacon. Pour the butter-almond mixture over birds. Serve them on the buttered toast. A tossed salad and a sauteed mixture of butternut squash and yams, sprinkled with brown sugar, would be really tasty with this.
September 30, 2009
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Okay, a friend reminded me that Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks, so the idea here is to take traditional Thanksgiving fare and prepare it in a non- traditional way. Everybody seems to like sweet potatos so let's start with that.
To make the Gnocchi:
You can either bake 2 pounds of sweet potato in the oven at 425 deg. for 40 to 50 minutes, or you can use your microwave and have them fully cooked and tender in about 8 to 11 minutes, using far less energy. But either way, once they’re done, cut them in half and scoop the sweet potato into a large bowl. Mash it thoroughly and measure out two cups. Return that to the bowl and feed the rest to your dog.
If he won’t eat it, send it to my house, mine will.
Add 2/3 cup whole milk Ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Mix this thoroughly.
Add 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour, blending this 1/2 cup at a time, until it forms a soft dough.
Now sprinkle some flour on a flat work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll out each ball into a 1-inch thick rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch long pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the tines of a fork to score the surface. Transfer the formed gnocchi onto a large baking sheet.
Now, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3batches and cook until tender but still firm when you bite into it. Stir the Gnocchi occasionally, for about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, moving it back onto the baking sheet. Build a tent with foil to keep it warm, while you finish the remaining gnocci.
For the Brown Butter sauce:
While the gnocchi are cooking, melt ½ cup of butter (yeah this is another low calorie recipe, but hey, its for the holidays, so suffer through it)in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add two dozen fresh sage leaves. Let this cook, stirring occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in a teaspoon of cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, a teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Stir this gently to keep it from bubbling up. When bubbles are gone, toss the cooked gnocchi in the brown butter. Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish and serve it right away.
To make the Gnocchi:
You can either bake 2 pounds of sweet potato in the oven at 425 deg. for 40 to 50 minutes, or you can use your microwave and have them fully cooked and tender in about 8 to 11 minutes, using far less energy. But either way, once they’re done, cut them in half and scoop the sweet potato into a large bowl. Mash it thoroughly and measure out two cups. Return that to the bowl and feed the rest to your dog.
If he won’t eat it, send it to my house, mine will.
Add 2/3 cup whole milk Ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Mix this thoroughly.
Add 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour, blending this 1/2 cup at a time, until it forms a soft dough.
Now sprinkle some flour on a flat work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll out each ball into a 1-inch thick rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch long pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the tines of a fork to score the surface. Transfer the formed gnocchi onto a large baking sheet.
Now, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3batches and cook until tender but still firm when you bite into it. Stir the Gnocchi occasionally, for about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, moving it back onto the baking sheet. Build a tent with foil to keep it warm, while you finish the remaining gnocci.
For the Brown Butter sauce:
While the gnocchi are cooking, melt ½ cup of butter (yeah this is another low calorie recipe, but hey, its for the holidays, so suffer through it)in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add two dozen fresh sage leaves. Let this cook, stirring occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in a teaspoon of cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, a teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Stir this gently to keep it from bubbling up. When bubbles are gone, toss the cooked gnocchi in the brown butter. Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish and serve it right away.
September 23, 2009
Sweet butternut squash tossed with pasta
As I said in the previous trout recipe, this is a nice adjunct to the fish. Read through the recipe and you will find your list of ingredients.
One good reason it works well with the fish is that you can do it in the same 450 oven that you are using to roast the trout (fish - whatever). The biggest pain here is the peeling, seeding and chunking of the squash, but its worth it, believe me. So preheat a cookie sheet for the squash as well.
Then, prior to starting the fish, peel (a vegetable peeler works really well here - Grandma could do it with a paring knife, but she had real skills), seed and chunk your squash and then toss it with a medium to large sweet onion, cut into 1-inch chunks, 2 big handfuls of spring mix, 1/3 packed cup of torn up fresh basil leaves, and about a dozen fresh sage leaves (also torn up), enough minced garlic to approximate 5 cloves, 1/3 cup good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, a packed tablespoon of brown sugar (light or dark), and salt and fresh-ground black pepper (to taste). Some people add red pepper flakes (or not depending upon your own preference).
Pull out the oven rack holding the cookie sheet (carefully - remember its hot) and pour the vegetable mix onto the hot sheet and spread it out. This is going to bake for about 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender, turning the vegetables two or three times during roasting.
As the squash becomes tender, cook your bow tie pasta until its tender, but not mushy. Then drain it and set it aside.
Now here is the tricky part. Once the squash is tender, you will need to turn on the broiler to caramelize it. But you have to watch this closely. No cell phones, no kids in the kitchen, no mixing a martini. Its gonna take about five minutes. You can't focus for five minutes?? Your mother could do this in her sleep and she learned it from your grandmother. You need to turn the pieces often. Anticipate about 5 minutes under the broiler. You want crusty brown edges on the squash and wilted, almost crisp greens. But if a friend calls to talk about life, you're gonna mess this up and burn it, so be advised.
Okay, if you made it through this step without screwing it up, you have potential. Scrape everything into a big serving bowl. Add 1/2 cup of half-and-half, the hot pasta, and 1 cup of shredded Asiago cheese. Toss it to blend everything up, taste it to see if you want to add more salt and pepper, or you can add more of the cheese if you feel so moved. Serve this hot with the fish, or whatever dish you wish.
One good reason it works well with the fish is that you can do it in the same 450 oven that you are using to roast the trout (fish - whatever). The biggest pain here is the peeling, seeding and chunking of the squash, but its worth it, believe me. So preheat a cookie sheet for the squash as well.
Then, prior to starting the fish, peel (a vegetable peeler works really well here - Grandma could do it with a paring knife, but she had real skills), seed and chunk your squash and then toss it with a medium to large sweet onion, cut into 1-inch chunks, 2 big handfuls of spring mix, 1/3 packed cup of torn up fresh basil leaves, and about a dozen fresh sage leaves (also torn up), enough minced garlic to approximate 5 cloves, 1/3 cup good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, a packed tablespoon of brown sugar (light or dark), and salt and fresh-ground black pepper (to taste). Some people add red pepper flakes (or not depending upon your own preference).
Pull out the oven rack holding the cookie sheet (carefully - remember its hot) and pour the vegetable mix onto the hot sheet and spread it out. This is going to bake for about 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender, turning the vegetables two or three times during roasting.
As the squash becomes tender, cook your bow tie pasta until its tender, but not mushy. Then drain it and set it aside.
Now here is the tricky part. Once the squash is tender, you will need to turn on the broiler to caramelize it. But you have to watch this closely. No cell phones, no kids in the kitchen, no mixing a martini. Its gonna take about five minutes. You can't focus for five minutes?? Your mother could do this in her sleep and she learned it from your grandmother. You need to turn the pieces often. Anticipate about 5 minutes under the broiler. You want crusty brown edges on the squash and wilted, almost crisp greens. But if a friend calls to talk about life, you're gonna mess this up and burn it, so be advised.
Okay, if you made it through this step without screwing it up, you have potential. Scrape everything into a big serving bowl. Add 1/2 cup of half-and-half, the hot pasta, and 1 cup of shredded Asiago cheese. Toss it to blend everything up, taste it to see if you want to add more salt and pepper, or you can add more of the cheese if you feel so moved. Serve this hot with the fish, or whatever dish you wish.
September 22, 2009
Roasted trout nested in green herbs
This dish does not absolutely require trout, you can do it as well with other freshwater fish, but it does not work at all well with fillets. As you will see, you want the whole fish, skin on to do it right.
But, isshhh (Minnesotan for "OOOOh icky!") you've never had fish with the skin still on? Well, relax, you don't eat the skin. Okay, some people do, but they're uncouth savages, mostly from Nebraska and Texas, so what can I say?
Some purists (read prissy little yuppies) insist that the trout simply MUST be "organic". If you catch it from a stream, you can relax, it doesn't get any more organic than that. Course, its been eating bugs, but hey, you eat fish, so no pointing of fingers.
Preheat the oven to 450 with a cookie sheet to keep it company. While the oven and the sheet are heating up, wash your fish and pat it dry. Score the sides with a sharp knife down to, but not through the bones (3 or 4 cuts along each side should do the trick). Rub the fish inside and out with a good extra virgin olive oil, making sure you work the oil down into the slashes in the flesh. Then line the cavity moderately with some fresh minced garlic. Rub some of the garlic down into the slashes as well with some salt and pepper. Okay, if you absolutely must, use organic sea salt. I have no idea how that changes anything, but it might make you feel better about yourself.
For green herbs use thyme, parsley, oregano, lavendar, basil, sage and just a couple of sprigs of rosemary. Wash them and pat them dry. Pour some olive oil on the cookie sheet (remember, its hot, so be careful not to burn yourself moving it in and out of the oven)and build your bed of green herbs in the oil. This will impart wonderful scents and flavors to the fish (and the house for that matter) and will also keep it from sticking to the cookie sheet while it cooks.
Place the fish on the bed of herbs and then into the oven for 8 to 12 minutes or slightly more if you feel you need to. The fish is done when the flesh is white clear through. Don't overcook it. You want it to be moist and full of flavor when you serve it (or why else would you go to this much trouble?!!).
When its done, lift the fish, bed of herbs and all onto your serving plate. This goes really well with some sweet roasted butternut squash over greens and bow tie pasta. I'll bring that one on board next.
Serve the trout, as you would with any freshwater fish, with a nice Chablis or Sauvignon Blanc. Or a Budweiser, but if you do, I'll never speak to you again, so its up to you.
But, isshhh (Minnesotan for "OOOOh icky!") you've never had fish with the skin still on? Well, relax, you don't eat the skin. Okay, some people do, but they're uncouth savages, mostly from Nebraska and Texas, so what can I say?
Some purists (read prissy little yuppies) insist that the trout simply MUST be "organic". If you catch it from a stream, you can relax, it doesn't get any more organic than that. Course, its been eating bugs, but hey, you eat fish, so no pointing of fingers.
Preheat the oven to 450 with a cookie sheet to keep it company. While the oven and the sheet are heating up, wash your fish and pat it dry. Score the sides with a sharp knife down to, but not through the bones (3 or 4 cuts along each side should do the trick). Rub the fish inside and out with a good extra virgin olive oil, making sure you work the oil down into the slashes in the flesh. Then line the cavity moderately with some fresh minced garlic. Rub some of the garlic down into the slashes as well with some salt and pepper. Okay, if you absolutely must, use organic sea salt. I have no idea how that changes anything, but it might make you feel better about yourself.
For green herbs use thyme, parsley, oregano, lavendar, basil, sage and just a couple of sprigs of rosemary. Wash them and pat them dry. Pour some olive oil on the cookie sheet (remember, its hot, so be careful not to burn yourself moving it in and out of the oven)and build your bed of green herbs in the oil. This will impart wonderful scents and flavors to the fish (and the house for that matter) and will also keep it from sticking to the cookie sheet while it cooks.
Place the fish on the bed of herbs and then into the oven for 8 to 12 minutes or slightly more if you feel you need to. The fish is done when the flesh is white clear through. Don't overcook it. You want it to be moist and full of flavor when you serve it (or why else would you go to this much trouble?!!).
When its done, lift the fish, bed of herbs and all onto your serving plate. This goes really well with some sweet roasted butternut squash over greens and bow tie pasta. I'll bring that one on board next.
Serve the trout, as you would with any freshwater fish, with a nice Chablis or Sauvignon Blanc. Or a Budweiser, but if you do, I'll never speak to you again, so its up to you.
August 22, 2009
Seedless blackberry jam
This is pretty easy stuff, but it turns out great jam. Very fruity and flavorful and best of all, no seeds to get stuck in your teeth.
Use 6 half pint cartons of blackberries (or more - just adjust your proportions)
You have to watch these like a hawk. They develop mold very quickly. Don't use moldy fruit.
I boil them in 2 cups of water. Keep a lid on the pot, you don''t want a reduction sauce here. You can start your water bath now, getting the water temperature up to boiling gradually. Wash any jelly jars, vacuum lids and tops you intend to use to store your jam.
Stir the berries and crush until they are soft and break up easily. Once you have a sort of mushy consistency, pour into your food strainer so that you can work the fruit pulp and juice through the strainer, trapping the seeds behind.
Measure your strained product. You want 3 3/4 cups of juice and pulp. Add water to make up any difference. Now set to boil, on medium heat, adding one package of powdered fruit pectin such as Sure Jell, keeping 4 cups of sugar close by.
Stir slowly until it reaches a rolling boil you can't stir down. During this time, the color of the product has been almost a cloudy wine red. Add all the sugar and stir constantly. You will see the color turn to a dark black and the liquid will seem to clear up. Once it returns to a boil, boil for exactly one minute. Stirring reduces foaming so you should not have an issue with foam. If you do, take it off the heat after one minute and skim the foam before jarring.
Make sure your jars are hot. Pouring hot liquid jam into cold jars is an experiment in the cataclysmic expansive properties of glass. In other words they break.
Pour the liquid within a quarter inch of the top, lid and screw on the top. Once all your jars are filled and sealed, move to the water bath for 15 minutes. Remove and set out to cool. You should hear the lids seat within a few minutes.
You've got jam!!
Use 6 half pint cartons of blackberries (or more - just adjust your proportions)
You have to watch these like a hawk. They develop mold very quickly. Don't use moldy fruit.
I boil them in 2 cups of water. Keep a lid on the pot, you don''t want a reduction sauce here. You can start your water bath now, getting the water temperature up to boiling gradually. Wash any jelly jars, vacuum lids and tops you intend to use to store your jam.
Stir the berries and crush until they are soft and break up easily. Once you have a sort of mushy consistency, pour into your food strainer so that you can work the fruit pulp and juice through the strainer, trapping the seeds behind.
Measure your strained product. You want 3 3/4 cups of juice and pulp. Add water to make up any difference. Now set to boil, on medium heat, adding one package of powdered fruit pectin such as Sure Jell, keeping 4 cups of sugar close by.
Stir slowly until it reaches a rolling boil you can't stir down. During this time, the color of the product has been almost a cloudy wine red. Add all the sugar and stir constantly. You will see the color turn to a dark black and the liquid will seem to clear up. Once it returns to a boil, boil for exactly one minute. Stirring reduces foaming so you should not have an issue with foam. If you do, take it off the heat after one minute and skim the foam before jarring.
Make sure your jars are hot. Pouring hot liquid jam into cold jars is an experiment in the cataclysmic expansive properties of glass. In other words they break.
Pour the liquid within a quarter inch of the top, lid and screw on the top. Once all your jars are filled and sealed, move to the water bath for 15 minutes. Remove and set out to cool. You should hear the lids seat within a few minutes.
You've got jam!!
June 22, 2009
Bread Bowls for fun and profit
Have you ever sat there, in the trendy cafe, slurping yummy soup from a nice warm, tasty bread bowl, and while munching on the tasty bowl, wondered how the hell they made that thing? Me too (okay, so maybe it has never even occurred to you and I'm just weird - - bite me, okay?). Today, it did. So, I spent some time figuring this out and here is the result. I tried it, it works, and its not hard at all.
Here is what you need:
2 tablespoons yeast
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups flour
separated and beaten whites of 4 eggs
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour. Beat mixture for 3 minutes. Then add the rest of the flour. Knead the dough on a floured surface till its smooth and elastic. Put it in a greased bowl and cover it so it will rise. Punch it back down when its double in in size. Then divide it into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Cover the balls on a tray sprinkled in corn meal. Let this rise until they double in size again. Brush the balls with egg white (it'll glaze them and give them the rich color). Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
Cut off the tops, scoop out the bowl and fill with the yummy soup. The soup? That's another story . . . . .
Here is what you need:
2 tablespoons yeast
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups flour
separated and beaten whites of 4 eggs
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour. Beat mixture for 3 minutes. Then add the rest of the flour. Knead the dough on a floured surface till its smooth and elastic. Put it in a greased bowl and cover it so it will rise. Punch it back down when its double in in size. Then divide it into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Cover the balls on a tray sprinkled in corn meal. Let this rise until they double in size again. Brush the balls with egg white (it'll glaze them and give them the rich color). Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
Cut off the tops, scoop out the bowl and fill with the yummy soup. The soup? That's another story . . . . .
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