Pheasant is Perfect for These Fall Flavors
By Andrew Zimmern
To me, the best flavors of fall are pheasant, chanterelles and wild rice, and this recipe is the perfect way to enjoy the autumnal trifecta. It’s a heartier, more sophisticated version of the classic crockpot pheasant wild rice soup. The difference is in the quality of the ingredients—fresh wild pheasant, beautiful golden chanterelles, real wild rice and a good bottle of Marsala wine—and the open fire. Nothing can beat cooking outdoors over live fire, even though we are braising in dutch ovens, the smoke adds a distinct flavor that you can taste. Be sure to serve with plenty of crusty toasted bread, and bring a pillow for napping.
Watch this episode of Field to Fire on Outdoor Channel and Tastemade.
Pheasant with Mushrooms and Wild Rice
Ingredients
Wild Rice
- 2 cups wild rice. Get some good stuff.
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and split
- 3 smashed garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
Pheasant
- 1/2 stick salted butter
- 4 cups cleaned golden chanterelles
- 2 onions, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 pheasant, quartered
- 2 tablespoons Andrew Zimmern’s Lemon-Shallot seasoning blend
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Bouquet garni of several thyme and rosemary stems
- 1 1/2 cups pheasant or poultry stock
- 1 cup Marsala wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
Gremolata
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 garlic clove, grarted on a microplane
- 3 tablespoons minced parsley
Instructions
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Season it well with salt, wine, carrots, celery, garlic and onions. Add the rice and cook at a low boil until rice is about almost tender. Drain and remove the vegetables as best you can, discarding them. Reserve the rice to fridge unless you are going to make the pheasant dish right away.
Place a large dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the mushroom and onions. Saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Next, add the carrots and cook for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, season the pheasant pieces liberally with the Lemon-Shallots seasoning blend and dredge in flour. Place a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and place the pheasant skin side down in an even layer. Brown well, about 5 minutes, then flip and brown the other side.
Add the pheasant to the pot with the vegetables. Add the bouquet garni and the stock. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Pour in the marsala wine and the cooked wild rice, stir, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the cream and cook, simmering until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the citrus zest, garlic and parsley in a small bowl. Stir in the gremolata and season with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.
Serve in a bowl with crusty toasted bread.
