An excerpt with some prep info and a few recipes from my group's cookbook.
You’ll need a Wal-Mart Pheasant Hammer, also known as the Browne-Halco 202ST. You have to have one of these or something very close to it to do these recipes right. It will set you back about $5-6 in most stores.
https://www.katom.com/158-202ST.html
In general we cut boneless, skinless breast pieces out of each pheasant for these recipes. That is two half breasts per bird; figure 1.5 half breasts per person at supper. That is, two people will eat three half breasts. Most recipes require that you use the Pheasant Hammer to pound the half breasts out flat, to a thickness varying from 1/8” to 1/4” or even 3/8". This will ensure quick, even cooking without drying out the meat; it solves the problem of the thick front part of the breast taking much longer to cook than the trailing aft edge of the breast. Pheasant has little to no fat and overcooking results in a tough, tasteless bird.
The technique for using the Walmart Pheasant Hammer is really quite simple. Lay the reasonably dry half of a pheasant breast inside a gallon Ziploc type bag; the double quilted ones work great. First use the textured side of the Walmart Pheasant Hammer and pound the pheasant to an even 1/4-inch thickness; hit both sides Then use the flat side to pound it a bit thinner if the recipe calls for it, but never less than 1/8-inch thick. They will be tender at ¼” thick. Some holes may appear but don’t sweat it; the diners will eat them anyway! Do all the breasts before moving to the next step in a recipe.
You can marinate the breasts in a gallon ZipLoc bag when the recipe calls for it. However, if you are marinating pieces like legs or thighs that have bone in them, use plastic ware with a lid, like Gladware, so the bones don’t poke holes and leak the marinade.
The recipes that follow are planned to feed four hungry people. You can halve them or double them as necessary.
You will see the annotation ”CR” in the ingredients list. This stands for “Combat Rules”. When you’re out in the field away from your home kitchen and big city grocery stores you have to Improvise, Adapt and Overcome. So when you see “CR” can substitute Combat Rules ingredients for the items listed. If you can’t find the CR ingredients, well, you’re back to Improvise, Adapt and Overcome, aren’t you?
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Pheasant Parmigiana
This one is a perennial favorite, usually the #1 request of our local friends. It takes a little preparation but it can be prepared ahead of time and then popped in the oven later.
Prep Time: 45 min
Cook Time: 30-35 min
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients/Shopping list:
6 filleted half pheasant breasts (one side of breast), skinless, boneless, feathers and shot removed
About 2 cups cooking oil, canola or peanut preferred
½ cup of flour
½ teaspoon Garlic powder
½ teaspoon Onion powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (CR: 1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 cups (1 box) Panko Italian Seasoned bread crumbs (CR: any style Italian seasoned bread crumbs.)
In every recipe, you need to carefully wash the breast halves, getting all pinfeathers and blood clots out. Probe shot holes with a knife tip and remove any embedded shot or feathers. Set meat on paper towel over old newspaper to drain.
Use the Pheasant Hammer technique to the pheasant to an even 1/4-inch thickness, hitting both sides.
Combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a pie dish. Whip eggs together with parsley and place in another pie dish. Put breadcrumbs in yet another pie dish.
Heat about ½” of cooking oil in a large skillet. While it heats, press breast half into seasoned flour and shake off excess. Then dip in egg wash and press into seasoned breadcrumbs. Breast should be covered with crumbs on both sides. Repeat for remaining breast halves.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
When oil in pan is hot, place breast halves in pan and fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Do not let oil get too hot, as it will burn the crumbs, giving a bitter taste. Remove fried breast to paper towel over newspaper to drain; put paper towel on top to absorb oil.
In a large baking dish, place about ¾ cup of sauce in the bottom and then place drained/dried pheasant breast in the dish. Ladle more sauce on each breast until the top side of each one is covered with about ¼” of sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella over each breast until well covered. Cover dish with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle each breast with shredded Parmesan cheese until well covered. Return to oven uncovered for about 5 minutes until Parmesan melts. Cut one in half to check for doneness; cook longer until juices are clear if necessary.
Serve over a bed of spaghetti with a side salad.
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Pheasant Cordon Bleu
Prep Time: 45 min
Cook Time: 20-25 min
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients/Shopping list:
6 filleted half pheasant breasts (one side of breast), skinless, boneless, feathers and shot removed
Sea salt or Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 slices of Prosciutto (CR: smoked thin sliced deli ham)
12 slices Gruyere cheese (CR: sliced Swiss cheese)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (CR: dried thyme from bottled spice section)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups Italian seasoned Progresso Panko bread crumbs (CR: any Italian bread crumbs)
1 teaspoon olive oil (CR: cooking oil)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons water
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Spray can of olive oil (CR: any cooking oil spray like Pam)
Before you even start, carefully wash the breast halves getting all pinfeathers and blood clots out. Probe shot holes with a knife tip and remove any embedded shot or feathers. Set meat on paper towel over old newspaper to drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Use the Pheasant Hammer technique to pound the pheasant breasts to an even 1/4-inch thickness, hitting both sides. Then use the flat side to pound it thinner, but not less than 1/8-inch thick. This makes them easy to roll and they will stay rolled. Some holes may appear but the ham layer will cover these. Do all the breasts before moving to the next step.
Lay slices of Prosciutto on each breast, covering it from stem to stern. Follow with 1 slice of cheese, full coverage. Tuck any loose meat at the sides of the breast and roll up tight as you can. Squeeze the log gently to seal. Running a couple of toothpicks through the roll to hold it closed is a good idea.
In a Pyrex dish or cake pan, season the flour with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. It should have a noticeable flavor but don’t overdo it. In another dish, beat together the eggs, a bit of garlic powder, onion powder and water; the mixture should be little runny, not real thick. In yet another dish, mix the breadcrumbs with thyme, salt and pepper.
Now roll the pheasant logs in the flour,give them a gentle shake to get rid of the excess and then dip in the egg mixture. Gently roll around in the breadcrumbs, pressing them in slightly. Running a couple of toothpicks through the roll to hold it closed is a good idea. Carefully transfer the pheasant logs to a lightly greased baking pan (cooking oil spray is fine; we use the olive oil spray). Give the logs a good spray of olive oil (CR: PAM) all over to help the bread crumbs get brown and crispy. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned and cooked through. Don’t overcook; they get dry and tough if you do. Cut one open at 20 minutes and see how the pheasant looks/tastes. If you’re not quite sure if it’s done, it is probably perfect.
You can serve immediately but if you let them stand for 5 minutes they slice much more easily.
Serve with a side salad, some steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes.
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Pheasant Florentine Style
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 min
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients/Shopping list:
6 filleted half pheasant breasts (one side of breast), skinless, boneless, feathers and shot removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup flour for dredging pheasant
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sliced shallots (CR: green onions or onion)
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 cups dry white wine
2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 (10-ounce) packages fresh spinach, stems removed (CR: frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed, drained) You may want more spinach; it goes fast with the sauce on it.
6 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Before you even start, carefully wash the breast halves getting all pinfeathers and blood clots out. Probe shot holes with a knife tip and remove any embedded shot or feathers. Set meat on paper towel over old newspaper to drain.
Preheat oven to your lowest “warm” setting.
Use the Pheasant Hammer technique to the pheasant to an even 1/4-inch thickness, hitting both sides. Use the flat side to smooth out the texture while making it a tiny bit thinner.
In a Pyrex dish or cake pan, season the flour with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. You want to taste the flavoring but don’t overdo it.
Lightly sprinkle the pheasant with salt and pepper. Dredge the pheasant in the flour to coat lightly. Shake off any excess flour. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pheasant and cook until brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer the pheasant to a Pyrex dish and transfer to the warm oven. You’ll probably have to cook three halves at a time. Add a bit more butter for the second three if necessary.
After the pheasant are cooked, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until the shallots are translucent, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, about 1-3 minutes. Add the wine. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cream and boil until the sauce reduces by half, stirring often, about 3-5 minutes. Taste sauce; if it has a strong alcohol/wine taste, boil it some more to get the alcohol out; it should have a light to medium wine component. Stir in the parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the pheasant and any accumulated juices to the sauce, and turn the pheasant to coat in the sauce; cook another 3 minutes.
Simultaneously when you add the pheasant to the sauce, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted or heated through. Season the spinach, to taste, with salt and pepper. Arrange the spinach over a platter. Place the pheasant atop the spinach. Pour the sauce over, sprinkle each one with a tablespoon of Parmesan and serve immediately.
Serve with a side salad and orzo pasta or rice.
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