Also is great with Grouse, Woodcock, Chucker or if your skills as a hunter are slipping- Chicken works to.

INGREDIENTS:

6 - Pheasant Breasts

1  Cup Fine Bread Crumbs

½ Cup Dry Imported Italian Marsala Wine  (Florio)

1  Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

2 - Leeks Cleaned and Sliced Crosswise

½  Pound Fresh Portabella Mushrooms Sliced

1 Cup Fresh Spinach Leaves

1 Stick Real Butter

Skim Milk for Soaking Breasts

Salt and Pepper

PROCEDURE:

Clean and trim fat from breasts and soak completely covered in Skim Milk overnight.  Drain milk from breasts and carefully pound each breast between two sheets of cellophane to tenderize.  I use a full wine bottle which then can be immediately opened and enjoyed. 

In a large sauté pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter and then sauté Leeks until tender.  Approximately 3-5 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Do the same for the Portabella Mushrooms and set aside reserving any excess juices for later. 

Press each Breast into Bread Crumbs coating evenly.  Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and sauté them in pan 2-3 minutes each side (Careful – Not too hot) adding butter if necessary a little at a time to prevent scorching.  Place Cooked Breasts in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while you make the sauce. 

When all your breasts are cooked and in oven turn heat to high on pan and add ½ cup Dry Marsala Wine and reduce for 2-3 minutes.  Add cream and bring to boil reduce until it starts to thicken.  Add Leeks, Mushrooms, left over juices and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss in Fresh Spinach Leaves and you are ready.  Pour Sauce over Pheasant Breasts arranged on large serving platter and prepare yourself for one of the best meals of your life. 

Serve with Salad (SEE DRESSING BELOW), Garlic Mashed Potatoes and another bottle of wine. Enjoy! This is my absolute favorite recipe of all time. TRY IT.  It is worth the effort.

OUTDOORGUYS Pheasant Lasagna

Double this sauce quantity for a large crowd—over 4 servings:

Go easy on the nutmeg!

To prepare Pheasants, I cook them in a large stock pot and make stock at the same time.

2-4 whole cleaned Pheasants

6-stalks Celery

6-coarsly chopped Carrots

1 large chopped onion

2-garlic cloves

1-bunch parsley

2-3 quarts cold water

Place all ingredients into a large stock pot and boil for appx. 2 hours.

Remove Pheasant to a shallow pan and let it cool. When cool, pick all meat off the bones coarse-chop into bite sized pieces and set aside.

Other ingredients:

2-C. fresh Porcini Mushrooms (if available), or use Crimini (baby portabella’s), cleaned, sliced for sauté.

1-lb. fresh lasagna noodles (Spinach is my first choice, but not required), or use regular dry and cook them in your Pheasant stock to al-dante.

½ to 1-lb. grated Fontina cheese

½ lb. grated Provolone cheese

4-6 ozs. freshly grated parmesan (use real stuff from Parma Italy—it makes a big difference)

1-bag fresh spinach, steamed, cooled, remove excess moisture and chop (set aside), or use 2-boxes frozen, thawed, remove excess moisture.

Olive Oil

Procedure:

Sauté mushrooms in 2-tbsps. butter, deglaze pan with a splash of dry Marsala wine or any good Red wine, set aside.  You can add the mushrooms to your béchamel if desired.

Mix cheeses together in a large bowl, reserve ½ c. Parmesan for topping.

Sprinkle deep lasagna pan with olive oil, begin layering ingredients starting with a little béchamel sauce, then noodles, pheasant, cheese, spinach and mushrooms. Finish top layer with remaining sauce.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes

NOTE: Save your stock for use as a base for a soup.

Serves 4-8

OUTDOORGUY’S CANDIED WATERFOWL:

Or is it water foul.  Lets face it  - ducks and geese taste like flying liver – they are fun as heck to shoot but not fun to eat.  My good friend Cabela Dave was kind enough to show me the secret. Hey – if you are going to kill it - you gotta grill it.  This is the appetizer recipe that can easily become a main course.

Cut your duck into bite sized chunks – wrap in bacon and hold with tooth pick.  Marinate at least overnight in the following marinade and grill.  They will go as fast as you can get them off the grill.

1 package brown sugar

1 can of Coke

2 cups of Soy Sauce