Guest Blogger - Mushroom Stuffed Pheasant

 

i am excited to introduce my favorite guest blogger - W. i may be a bit biased seeing as he is my big brother but he is also great in the kitchen. he seems to be becoming more and more experimental too as evidenced in his thanksgiving creation - mushroom stuffed pheasant breast. 

before i turn over the keyboard to W, let me tell you a bit about pheasant. pheasants are lean game birds that taste similar to dark meat. because they are so lean, pheasant can easily become dry and tough if not cooked with care. you will see W wrapped his in bacon to add some fat to it while cooking and simply removed the bacon before serving. 

pheasant may be a bit hard to find in the stores but if you happen to come across it in a specialty grocer or know a successful hunter, i encourage you to give this recipe a try. however, if you cannot find pheasant this season, try this recipe with chicken breasts or turkey breasts.

now to you, W.

---

I have the great pleasure of being Page's brother and the recipient of many a wonderful cooked meal thanks to her creative cooking prowess.  Both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner are big events in our family.  Formal, lots of family and waaay to much food!  But they are traditions that have left wonderful lasting memories, traditions I look forward to passing on to my two young daughters.

 However, as important as family and traditions are, my wife and I decided to stay home in New Mexico in our new house, cook dinner together and enjoy a "quiet" holiday just us and the girls.  What to have?  While you may think that is an easy question to answer (reference above statement about holiday traditions), we had become bored with the turkey, taters, stuffing, cranberry, pumpkin pie, long nap routine and decided to do something different.

Start with wild pheasant harvested during the 50th Annual One Box Pheasant hunt in friendly Broken Bow, Nebraska, add in creative ideas (thanks to a certain guest bloggers little sister), sprinkle in green bean casserole and add a garnish of Caramel Pecan Pie and you have seriously delicious Thanksgiving feast!

I began this feast by breasting out the pheasant and thoroughly cleaning each breast (I used 3 pheasants which equaled 6 breasts total).  Place the breasts in 2 cups of white wine and set aside to marinate while you make the stuffing mixture.

Dice a portabela mushroom and saute in a pan with a tablespoon of butter.

In a separate bowl combine the spices:

1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme

1 Tablespoon Oregano

1 Tablespoon Basil

1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

Pinch (literally) of Rosemary...crush in your palm before placing in the bowl

4 ozs. Feta Cheese

Mix together thoroughly.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Remove your pheasant breasts from the marinade and with a fillet knife cut a pocket into each breast.  Insert a spoonful of portabela mushroom and feta cheese/herb mix, 

then wrap each breast with two slice of thick cut hickory smoked bacon using a toothpick to hold your creation together.  

Repeat for each breast.

Place your pheasant breasts on a roasting tray with water and salt in the bottom.  Roast in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes...depending on your altitude you may need to cook less.  I am at 6,600 ft. and 20 minutes was all it took.

Remove the bacon from each breast, plate and enjoy!!

Goes great with a nice glass of your favorite Merlot!

So there you have it, if you have never had pheasant I encourage you try it.  It's not gamey, rather it is much like a colorful chicken with great flavor.  Thanks Page for the opportunity to guest blog, I've enjoyed it but I must admit this whole blogging thing is more time consuming that I thought.  Kudos for the job you do and keep up the good work!  I love seeing what's new from your kitchen every time I open my email.

Happy Cooking,

W