Risotto with Roasted Wild Game

I've been down this road before on Redneck's, way back in March I think, when I posted a brief blurb on cooking risotto combined with roasted wild game, which at that time was this plump little partridge.

The reason I'm going down that road again is because these two elements make the most wonderful combination for a rich and luxurious supper time treat that you simply have to try, so here's an update which I hope you enjoy.

Risotto is one of those classic dishes that attracts some controversy in what should, or should not go into it and how precisely it should be prepared. All the hot air which surrounds so many "classic" dishes is a distraction that folks new to cooking could well do without. The basic ingredients of this time honored dish are just rice and stock and butter for extra richness. The flourishes in this symphony were traditionally provided by seasonal notes, both meat and vegetable which were available locally.

So there you have it, risotto your way, but with one mandatory rule and the secret at the heart of any risotto, good hot stock.

Now I'm something of a stock fanatic. I make my own out of left over bones on a regular basis. Much to the annoyance of those unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity of my kitchen, huge pots of this stuff will be found bubbling away on the stove most weekends. In this risotto I use a light game stock.

You can use any feathered game you like for this risotto, with the exception of wild duck, or goose, which needs somewhat different treatment. Right now I'm thinking quail, a superbly flavored game bird, but I love this with pheasant too.

Season the birds inside the cavity with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Scrunch up a small sprig of fresh thyme and pop that in too. Slather some real butter on the breasts and thighs of the birds and season again with pepper and salt and a few thyme leaves stripped from the stems. Arrange the birds in a suitably sized roasting pan, splash over a little dry white wine and they're ready for the oven.

Small game birds need very little cooking and 20 minutes uncovered in a hot oven should be more than enough and will ensure that they are not dry at all. Baste the birds with the cooking juices a couple of times during cooking. When the birds are done, cover the roasting pan and set the birds aside in a warm place to rest.

For the risotto, melt some butter in a large deep sided skillet and sweat finely chopped onion until it softens and almost melts. Do not brown the onion. Crushed or finely chopped garlic is an option here and I personally include it, but you don't have to. When the onions are soft, add the risotto rice, arborio is just perfect, and stir to coat all the grains with the butter.

Now it's time to add the hot game stock. Start by adding a couple of ladles of the stock, stirring all the time. This helps the rice to release starch that thickens the risotto and gives it that characteristic smooth, velvety texture. Once the rice has absorbed most of the first shot of stock it's time to begin adding more, but now just one ladle at a time and continue to stir frequently. Add the juices from the roasting pan. This really lifts the dish. Dependent on the saltiness of your stock you can add a little sea salt at this stage. There will come a point where the rice wont absorb any more stock and you don't want the risotto to turn out too wet, so take it easy on the stock as the rice is reaching the point where it is on the al dente side of done. Whisk in some more butter for extra creaminess and optionally, some freshly grated parmesan. The result should be a beautiful creamy moist rice with just a little bite to it. You might like to add some hot freshly cooked peas, something commonly added in the region of Italy from where this dish originally comes, but again this is purely optional.

Remove the legs from the quail and take the breasts off the bone whole. This can be a little tricky if you're not quick and used to doing this, so it's a good idea for someone else to do this while you pay attention to finishing the risotto.

I like to serve the rice on warmed plates with the whole breasts and legs arranged over the top, but slice the breasts on the slant if you prefer.

That's pretty much all there is to it. Simple, rustic and totally delicious. Hope you enjoy Risotto with Roasted Wild Game.

Pot Roast Pheasant

As many of you know already, I have spent a lot of time in England over the past few years.It frequently feels like far too much time to me, but there have been some good things to come out of it, particularly when it comes to my passion for cooking and good food.

Perhaps surprisingly to some, England is a great place for feeding my passion for food. Traditional English cooking has undergone a true renaissance and can be as good, if not better than any you will find in France, Italy or Spain. Please consider making comments on this point, because I know some of you will strongly disagree with this statement and I would love to read your thoughts on the subject. You know who you are, my dear friends, expatriot Americans and fellow Twitterers cooking up a storm over there in Europe. And hey, guys, before any of you feels the need to point out, Paul was having a bad day; I did not split the skins on the pheasants you see here in the roasting pan just before they went into the oven!

I love and look forward to the pheasant hunting season, especially if I happen to be in England where the season begins October 1st each year and runs through to the end of January, but generally the comments I make here will apply to similar feathered game back home.

In England it is much easier to come by a plentiful supply of really great new season birds than in the States. Independent butcher shops are much more common than they are back home and growing number of them are licensed "Game Dealers", which allows them to sell direct to the public based on laws dating back to 1830. That sounds pretty darned good to me. Imagine how awesome that would be back home!

The pheasant is a great sporting game bird that also happens to be very good eating. It is versatile and flavorful and there are many ways to prepare and cook it through the season. I shall give you just a few of my favorites  over the next couple of days or so, but I want to start out with a simple pot roast which is great if you are using older birds.

Folks over here would usually select the classic brace of a cock and a hen bird for this and other pheasant dishes. The larger cock bird has a flavorful but coarser meat which is often drier than the juicy, finer texture of the hen bird. Don't be put off by that and overlook the cock bird. The legs of the cock pheasant are larger than those of the hen and deeply flavored. This pot roast is so beautifully simple and a real treat on a cold winter day.

Take a classic brace of pheasant. Rinse and remove any remaining downy feathers and dry inside and out with paper towel. Heat a large skillet, add a generous chunk of butter and lightly brown each bird taking care not to overheat the pan and burn the butter. Set the birds aside until they are sufficiently cool to handle, then season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper, both inside and out. Take a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, scrunch it up and stuff it into the cavity. Spread more softened butter over the breasts and then optionally, lay over strips of smoked bacon.

In the picture above you can tell I was in a hurry. I didn't brown the birds or spread butter and bacon over them, but since I didn't have any bacon anyway, I guess I had no option. Lucky for me these were young birds so they didn't dry out so much during cooking.

Lay the prepared birds on a bed of vegetables. In this case I used trimmed celery hearts, small whole onions and thickly sliced carrots. A half bottle of Italian pinot grigio or a light game stock around the birds, a snug fitting lid and they are ready for the oven. About an hour at 375 to 400 degrees should be about right, by which time the birds will be just nicely cooked and the vegetables will still retain a nice bite. If you are using really chunky roots you can part cook them in the roasting dish for about half an hour before adding the pheasants. Once the dish is done to your liking, strain off the cooking liquid into a saucepan, bring up to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer to reduce slightly.

Meanwhile, remove the legs and breasts from the birds and slice the breast meat separately. Cover and keep warm for a few minutes while you finish the sauce.

To finish the sauce either stir in a half cup of heavy cream as I did, or give your sauce a nice gloss with a few small chunks of ice cold butter whisked in. Adjust the seasoning if need be and you're ready to serve the slices of pheasant, the legs and the cooked vegetables with nice creamy, roasted garlic, mashed potatoes and the deliciously tasty sauce.

Of course the choice of vegetables for this dish is a matter of personal taste, but hearty seasonal roots are ideal at this time of year

Serves 4 or 2 very hungry and greedy folks like me.

Redneck Greg

Smoked Wild Duck

Wild duck is a wonderful treat at this time of year with the hunting season in full swing and there are few better ways to cook it than in the smoker. These beautiful birds are also suitable for grilling and roasting and the breasts can be skillet fried for a real juicy plate.

Where the great Central and Mississippi flyways come to and end in the northern Gulf regions of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, it is common for many otherwise fine recipes, to call for wild ducks to be soaked overnight in the refrigerator to "remove any strong game flavor". I can scarcely imagine why anybody in their right mind would treat beautifully flavored wild duck in this way and I can honestly recommend that you give it a try without soaking. I don't think you will be disappointed with the result.

The plate above is two kinds of duck, roasted blue winged teal and skillet fried mallard breast, served with red rice dressing made with chorizo sausage and steamed okra. I liked the idea of the two different types of duck cooked two different ways and served on the same plate, so I couldn't resist giving it a try. Glad I did because it was delicious.

So what became of the smoked duck? I had run out of the wood chunks that I needed and the store would have been closed by the time I got there, so I improvised with this dish. The hot smoky pimenton and the "chaurice" gave the rice flavors reminiscent of both Georgia and Louisiana and was the perfect compliment to the slightly sweet duck meat.

Here are the basic ingredients I used for my wild duck feast. The Trinity of onion, bell pepper and celery, a few serrano chili's, chorizo, smoked paprika (pimenton), medium grain paella rice and some Crystal hot sauce, sea salt and black pepper.

For those of you who don't hunt, the larger duck is the mallard and that tasty looking little guy is the blue winged teal. I seasoned and roasted the teal whole with the mallard legs thrown in for good measure. I cut up the duck, roasted the carcass and used it to make some stock for the rice. I always like to use a game stock based on whatever it is I'm making at the time. This will give a real depth of flavor to your cooking and well worth the little extra effort. To make this simple stock, saute onion, celery and bell pepper. Add the duck carcass and any trimings, top up with boiling water. Bring back to the boil then turn down the heat, season and leave the duck to simmer for about an hour.

Trimming and cutting up the duck couldn't be easier, but a couple of tips which might help you before I go on.

Kinda goes without saying, but always use a very sharp knife. It is always safer because you don't need to apply so much pressure with a very sharp knife and so the danger of slipping is greatly reduced. It also helps if the birds are very cold or better still, even partially frozen. Not only are things less slippery this way, it's easier to work the meat from the bones without tearing.

In a large skillet, soften the Trinity for 20 minutes or so over a medium low heat. Add the chorizo sausage, pimenton and chili's and cook until the juices start to flow and color the vegetables. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with all that aromatic oil and flavor. Next add a can of chopped tomatoes and stir those in before adding the hot duck stock. Season with salt and freshly milled red and black pepper.

I added some whole okra to steam on top of the rice, but you don't have to. The finished dish could equally be served with corn on the cob or fresh green peas - it's entirely up to you.

With all the ingredients in the skillet, it should look something like the picture on the right here. I never seem to have a problem cooking this uncovered, but you might prefer to cover the skillet at this point. The imortant thing though is not to do too much in the way of stirring.

The reason for the lack of stirring is simple. The idea is to develop a crust on the bottom of the finished rice. There is a special sort of rice nirvana where this crust is golden and crunchy, not blackened and it's not real easy to achieve. Sometimes it happens and sometimes not, but you have to give it your best shot.

When the rice is done, cover it and keep warm while you fry the duck breasts, starting them off skin side down as this will help them retain a better shape.

By all means cook them all the way through, but give it a try and cook them like these, a little on the pink side for the very best flavor, texture and juiciness. Don't forget to rest these for a few minutes once cooked to your liking.

This really is a dish with flavors from the Low Country of Georgia and South Carlolina or the Bayous of Cajun country and a great way to serve wild duck. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Redneck Greg