Few Cooking items

Hi everyone..
Getting ready to be hit with a foot of snow  - if  the forecasters are a little more accurate than they were in New York last week :).  So I cooked up some pheasant parmesan tonight and found a few other pics on the camera too.. Some go back a few months but I'll share them anyway..
 First the Pheasant Parm...
As you know we went hunting last week and wanted to use a little differently than I had before and I had some left over frozen Bolognese Sauce and home made pasta from Christmas so I thought why not try that..

Just replaced the traditional veal or chicken with both boned out sides of a pheasant breast... breaded them in panko fried to a nice golden brown and melted some provolone over them.. Pretty tasty.

As you know from a previous post I bought a Himalayan Salt Stone and I did some scallops on it with a some "bowtie" pasta with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil with Olive Oil..  It really worked nicely and added a definite salty subtleness to the scallops..

I made an interesting side dish for Christmas too - roasted Sweet potatoes, Brussel Sprouts and Shallots with a little sea salt, pepper and Olive Oil.  Then made a dressing of  Pomegranate juice and Balsamic Vinegar and roasted for a few more minutes.. They were very good - if you haven't tried brussel sprouts roasted you really should give them another chance..

Pheasant Poppers

Just a quick post here. A couple of posts back I posted some pheasant breasts wrapped in pepper bacon and grilled... So my mind started working I was watching a cooking show about appetizers and one was a jalapeno popper and that started me thinking.... So bear with me on this one, as the recipe is a little "loose" in it's construction but I'll think you'll get the idea.

2 whole pheasant breasts (boned out)

4 oz cream cheese

1 tsp of paprika (sweet or smoked either one)

1/2 tsp of Chili powder

1/4 tsp granulated garlic

few drops hot sauce

small can of water chestnuts (sorry only need 6-8 slices of them total - depending on the number of pieces of breast meat you get)

either pepperocinis or jalapeno pepper slices (same thing one per piece of breast meat

1 cup bottled Balsamic vinegar dressing

4-6 slices of bacon

6-8 toothpicks

First bone out the breasts and pound each fillet to a about 1/4 " thin.

Mix next 5 ingredients together until well blended.

Place Tablespoon (more or less depending on size of breast) of cream cheese mixture near one of the short ends of the pounded breast)

Place one slice each of the water chestnut and pepper on the cream cheese and roll.

Secure with one toothpick.

Take bacon slice and wrap the pheasant roulette in a covering of bacon, and secure with another toothpick.

Marinate refrigerated in dressing for 20 mints to hour.

Place on hot grill - watching for flare ups due to oil. Cook until bacon is cooked and cream cheese starts to run out.

Serve with favorite dipping sauce.

Ike, thanks for getting me these birds.. Couldn't do it without you buddy.

Continental Round 2

Hi everyone;

As promised I said I would post some more from the 2nd Continental Shoot and following clean up hunt at Hickory Grove in Wyanet, IL. Well, it took me a while to figure out the editing features for my software so I could get the videos small enough to post on the blog. I got a pretty good example of Ike working but missed some of the best shots of Ryder and he pointing a bird right off the bat. You know it will take a few times to get used to having those camera glasses on and how to manage them. But either way it was another great day good shooting and great food. We kind of got split up in the clean up and Ryder did the typical phenomenal job of finding buried birds (I swear that little guy has the best nose (no wonder Harold says just trust him)) but Ike really finished strong - pointing (and actually chasing a rooster down) 3 birds in the last 15 minutes. The video is of the first one.

I have pretty cool still of a single frame from the video of the shell ejecting (you can see the pheasant dropping beside my left thumb):

One final note I have never gotten a photo of our host Mike Wirth so please see he and his wife Lori (of the tremendous meals) . Can't say enough good things about them, their guides and the their operation --Top flight people and if you every want to do some upland hunting give 'em a ring!

The season's almost over but not quite yet so,

"Ike, find that bird!"

St Hubert - Patron Saint of Hunters

Hi everyone -

Ike and I were lucky enough to be invited to fill in a vacancy for another Continental Hunt at Hickory Grove in Wyanet IL. Thanks go to our friend Chuck who's Knights of Columbus group does this once a year and (most likely) due to the bad weather had an opening. Chuck called this morning early as I was making coffee and asked if we would be interested.. I said, "Let me see if Ike is up for it - or for that matter just up!" He was so we quickly loaded everything up grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out.



The Continental portion of the hunt was very good - beautiful sunny skies, lots of snow (yea, no kiddin'???) and good camaraderie. We did pretty good but as always, we needed to do some clean up afterwards. Ike was PHENOMENAL!! Chuck and I were sent with Shasta and Ike along with 5-6 other gentlemen to clean up the timber area - and clean up we did. Ike was a pointing fool and we didn't disappoint him either. Father Campbell went with us and perhaps we had some divine intervention (more on that later). Not to brag on Ike too much but I have to relate this one bird point. After we walked the timber we circled back around to head back to the house (and Lori's fabulous lunch) so we split up and recovered the milo and small tree line back towards the main area. We didn't think we would see much but right away Ike got birdy and popped one up, then another. We got them both. Then about 40 feet from the end of the treeline he just got birdy like crazy. The brush was so thick I couldn't get there so Father Campbell walked up and couldn't see anything. So I called Ike off - and after a few toots on the whistle and a "tone" on his collar he turned towards me. But right away he went back there and by his actions I said there must be a bird there- he would not act that way for a cold point. Well, as they say, upon further review there was one - buried at least a foot under the snow and was not budging. That is one good nose Ike has and he really performed well. As my buddy Harold says, "You just have to trust them." I did and was rewarded...



One final note I learned a lot today about St. Hubert - He is the Patron Saint of Hunters and Dogs. Here is a link to the story and some interesting information about St. Hubert and perhaps that was the divine intervention I mentioned earlier... What a great day and until the next time "Ike find that bird" (but whisper it tonight as he is snoring behind me in his chair)





http://www.thecross-photo.com/Hubert-Patron_Saint_of_Hunters-Written_by_Mitch_Ballard.htm

Continental Pheasant Hunt

Hi everyone;

Wow, two posts in one day - what's going on?? But as promised I wanted to highlight Hickory Grove Hunting Preserve in Wyanet, IL. Mike and Lori Wirth, the owners along with their son and a group of great guides have one of the best hunting preserves in North Central IL. Located in rural Wyanet, it is 1100 acres of some great habitat - timber, native grass, creek bottoms along with corn and milo strips galore. If you are interested in any pheasant, quail or chuckar, hunting it is open to the public and they will treat you right!

Anyway, the subject of this post is a "Continental pheasant hunt" and for those of you that don't know what that means, it is an Americanized version of the English "driven" hunts where workers used to drive the birds towards the "hunters" and they would shoot the birds - as incoming or crossing shots. While we don't have servants to drive the birds we do utilize a common release tower in some trees and we surround it on all four sides. They release 10 birds per hunter. We rotate evey so often so we get to shoot from all 4 sides and it is a lot of fun.

But what I like is "the clean up" afterwards for all the birds we miss (and we miss our share). That is when Ike got to get out and strut his stuff. He really did well, hard pointing at least two separate occasions and finding a wounded bird all on his own. His energy and enthusiasm is just something to behold and if any of you have had the privilege to see a dog work, it is an amazing testimony to the beauty and grace of "man's best friend".

The other thing I enjoy about going to Hickory Grove is the TREMENDOUS lunch Lori puts out. Think about it, you have been out in the cold (last year it was MINUS 14*) for 4 hours walking at least 4 miles of clean up carrying 6-8lbs of shotgun and shells, trudging through mud and snow... You work up a heck of an appetite... Take a look at the pictures - now that's good eatin'!

This is the menu:

Pan Fried Chicken

Homemade Meat Loaf

BBQ Pork

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Green Beans

Corn

Peas

Home Made Bread

and your choice of Pie (apple, cherry or pumpkin)

If you leave hungry it is your fault... The worst part is after you get warm, eat a meal like that you almost need a nap before you go home.. They do a great job and are great people...

Until the next time, "Ike find that bird!"

Pheasant Chili

Hi everyone;

As promised here is my pheasant chili recipe... It sure isn't brain surgery (I apologize to any brain surgeons who would stumble into my blog) but it, like Dirty Harry, is packin' some heat and some intense flavor.

Ingredient list:

1 lb Ground beef

1/2 pound smoke pheasant breasts

1/2 pound fresh pheasant breasts or legs (check for shot please:)

1 package of Carroll Shelby Chili mix (you can make it as hot as you like with this)

2 small cans black beans or 1 can black beans and one can red chili beans your choice

1 Medium Onion chopped

One big can crushed tomatoes (or whole ones if you like as they will cook down)

1 small can green chilies chopped

I small can Chipolte Chilies in adoebo sauce

extra cumin to taste

extra chili powder to taste

Masa flour

Beer (12 oz or less depending on how much room you have in the pot, but don't waste it as the rest goes into the cook!)

black pepper and salt to taste

Here goes:

I take some of the smoked pheasant breast from earlier posts

and chop it up into smallish cubes (or grab it out of the freezer since I didn't eat all of them the last time) and put it aside. Brown ground beef and add fresh pheasant (either ground if you have a grinder or chopped relatively finely with a knife) - depending upon the level of fat in the ground beef I may or may not drain as the pheasant is pretty lean and could use the fat. Add seasoning from Carroll Shelby chili packet and follow instructions on box.

I then add the onion (chopped medium) and let those soften. I add the tomatoes, beans and green chilies and let those simmer for a few minutes. While they are simmering, I open the Chipolte chilies and drain the adoebo sauce into the chili and chop up the chilies themselves and add them to the mix. I now add the smoked pheasant chunks. After simmering for about 15 minutes I like to add a little more cumin (I really like the earthy and smokey flavor that gives the chili -without the heat but then I add some more chili powder anyway, so go figure :). What I don't add is the cayenne pepper - just seems hot to me but knock yourself out if you like it 5 alarm style. Then add some beer (I like an amber or a lighter beer as opposed to a stout or porter - I think that flavor gets in the way of the chili). To thicken it I use the masa flour - Masa is a corn flour that is used to make tortilla chips and tamales. If you don't have any (the Shelby chili mix provides some) here is a little tip, take corn tortillas and crush them in a zip top baggy and add them to the simmering chili and that will work too ;).

Simmer for a couple hours adjusting salt and pepper to taste (as well as heat) but trust me the heat will develop as it cooks...

To serve - ladle into a bowl, top with sour cream (usually laced with a little lime juice) some tomatillo salsa (salsa Verde`) and a little Heinz chili sauce (I know, I know out of a jar??? but yes I like the flavor). A few chopped green onions, cilantro and a couple of tortilla chips as garnish and you've got yourself a Big Game Day chili that will get your metabolism working overtime!

It's all about the birds

I have not really posted too much about the hunting that Ike does - and that is a shame. For those of you that have not had the privilege to see a pointing dog in action it is a real joy to see and the beauty and grace of an animal doing what comes natural to them. I haven't gotten any recent photos or videos - as it is hard to do either safely when hunting and I will try to get some in the next couple weeks but until then a narrative will have to do.





A couple of weeks ago my brother in law Mike and I took Ike over to Hickory Grove Hunting in Wyanette, IL to give him some additional work. The owner and his wife are both great people and have a few hundred acres of very good cover that incorporates good habitat for birds and great cover to hunt. While the birds are pen raised and released, they are strong flyers and while not quite up to wild bird standards of South Dakota or Kansas, in Illinois they are about the best we have. Ike pointed 5 out of the 6 - which is why they still call it hunting. He pointed well and while his retrieving may need a little work, he loves to chase down the ones that don't fall like a stone. This place does the absolute BEST lunch after a morning hunt you would ever believe. It will be a subject to one of my posts in 2011





Last week I took him down to another Hunting preserve in Woodford County called Panola Prairie. I never realized it is only about 12-14 miles from my family's farm and while not as big - it really has some nice cover for small groups of hunters. Ike and I were by ourselves and had only a couple of hours before we had to move on so on a cold but clear (8* at 7AM) we took off for our excellent adventure. Ike did great again - and we only hunted scratch birds - birds that were placed for other groups but not harvested - so we were not sure if or how many we would see.





Well Ike's nose found 5 birds but Steve's eye only got shots off at two of them. But no fault of Ike's. We're going again next the week of Christmas and will try it again.. Weather willing.. I will try to get some pics or video's this time... Tough to do everything and do it safely.

Until then, "Ike, find that bird!"

Fire sticks - Pheasant style

Since my post yesterday had nothing to do with Ike, and he reminded me that the title of this is cooking with Ike not Steve I thought I should give him some time to shine. Ike is now 14 months old and a great addition to the family. Here are a couple of pictures of him with his first retrieves while in training. He was a natural. Because I had additional pheasants this year due to his training I had to find more than the traditional pot pie so I will intersperce some recipes focusing on pheasant in honor of Ike (and the fact I have so darn many of them in the freezer and had to get creative.)

Ike's training so far has consisted of pointing and retrieving raised birds as for those of you that are not familiar with Illinois hunting, the natural habitat and wild birds have disappeared due to urban Growth and increased intensity farming. Organizations like Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are grassroots organizations working on restoring the habitat and in turn the birds as well. In future posts I will share with you the exploits both culinary as well as hunting of some local sportsman's clubs.

The following recipe is for pheasant breasts but I suppose you could use chicken or turkey cutlets too... but Ike didn't point them, after all this is cooking with Ike. Enjoy!

Remove the breast of the pheasant and skin it as well
Check for shot
Soak them in saltwater for at least an hour
Cut the breast of the pheasant into strips
Marinate overnight in the following mixture:
Olive Oil
Apple Juice
Durkee Hot Sauce (or your favorite make them as hot as you like - after all it is called fire
sticks)
Couple drops of Liquid Smoke
Fresh Garlic sliced thin (this is where I think more is better)
Honey
(I add a couple slices of fresh Ginger here too-wasn't in the original recipe an old hunter gave
me but I figure it is my pheasant I can do what I want)
Prepare a dry breading of Bread crumbs (either Panko or original) cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt
Remove from marinate and dredge in the breadcrumbs and fry in 350* peanut oil until golden brown and delicious.

I tried baking them once, but honestly I didn't like them so I don't recommend that.

Great with a bbq dipping sauce, sweet and sour, or even various mustards, great finger food at a party.