I early autumn colds have begun to appear in many parts of Italy and the meat of game becomes a very interesting solution to consume a pleasant lunch or a dinner surrounded by the warmth of home.
Il pheasant, for example, it can be used for a simple and delicious recipe at the same time. This meat goes perfectly with essential elements of the forest, therefore mushroomi, berries, chestnuts and also the nuts, so why not combine it with the sweet and characteristic flavor of dates?
Il pheasant it's a sedentary bird typical of the Asian continent, but also very present in our country. The main characteristic of the gallinaceous is that of being linked to the territory where it is born, therefore those that we can admire in Italy are above all specimens that have been placed in the course of repopulation operations.
Favorite places where a hunter can find a pheasant during a hunting trip they are cultivated areas, clearings, woods, plains easy terrain to beat in the company of our four-legged friend.
The dog par excellence that can accompany the hunter during the outing is the pointing dog, as the pointer, puts or hound. Although these experts may find themselves in difficulty, i pheasants in fact they know the area perfectly and they are able to hide or escape from their pursuers. Hunting may be difficult for this reason, but the pleasure of conquest is unparalleled.
The satisfaction is double because in addition to getting the better of one difficult prey, you can taste one particular meat which has no equal. While it is delicious, not everyone is ready to fully enjoy such a tasty meat, which is why there are gods procedures that mitigate the taste.
The wild flavor of the animal can be "covered" by keeping everything in freezer, to then leave it a few days in refrigerator and proceed with one careful marinating. Among other things, we are talking about a food which is a lot thin and that it contains lots of proteins high biological value.
Such a particular meat is often cooked in the most classic way. This is not to say that cooking lovers can't experience one alternative recipe, with a particular fruit that is not often used: i dates.
These make their appearance in the period Christmas, but this does not mean that they should not be enjoyed in other months of the year. Here's how to make a dish special with these ingredients. Let's see the ingredients to have in the pantry and the procedure.
Ingredients
1 pheasant
10 dates
1 onion
oil
salted butter
sale
pepper
traditional balsamic vinegar
White wine
rosemary
Method
After thedejection, as is well known, the pheasant is taken over by specialized centers to ensure that there are no problems from a hygienic and sanitary point of view.
Once you are satisfied that the meat is healthy and harmless, the first thing to do is plucking and gutting it being careful not to damage the consistency.
At this point the phase of maturation. After having deprived the gallinaceous of feathers and internal organs, you must wash it very well, even more than once, to be sure that every trace of blood has been removed.
If you have enough space or an isolated and protected place in the house, it is better if hang the pheasant by the neck for two or three days. If you do not have a cold and airy place in the house, then you can always put it in the fridge.
This step, known by experienced chefs, is defined dry aging, serves to reduce the presence of moisture contained within the muscles, where the flavor is concentrated. This will lead to the meat losing weight, so before embarking on a recipe, it is better to be informed about this possibility. At the same time the aging serves to soften the meat that little by little it will lose the connective tissue.
After these three days, it is essential to do it marinating before cooking it. The first thing to do is sprinkle the meat with extra virgin olive oil, white or red wine according to your preferences and vinegar. Add cloves of garlic, peppercorns, coarse salt, pieces of celery and onion. To decrease the flavor it is better to use natural flavors such as bay leaves, bay and juniper berries, cloves, balsamic vinegar, thyme, sage and rosemary. Also foods like onion and carrot. This part of the preparation varies a lot according to your tastes, so the more you want a tasty and full-flavored meat, the more you will have to increase the amount of spice to add.
Now that the pheasant is clean and ready to be cooked we need to equip ourselves with the necessary tools a cut it without spoiling the meat. Slicing it is not easy, just a little practice and the right advice and in no time you will become master chefs.
The first thing to do is get the breasts. To get the cut you need, you have to start fromsternum bone and following the contours with a short and well sharpened knife.
This recipe specifically requires only this part of the gallinaceous, this does not mean having to throw the rest. You can decide to freeze or use it with other recipes, or to prepare a delicious first course. Difficult to give up pheasant ragout to be enjoyed during a special occasion such as a dinner with friends and family.
I took the breasts to dampen the wild flavor of the meat, you have to cover them White wine, and flavor with plenty rosemary fresh.
Now it's time to prepare the stock for cooking the pheasant. In a pan put someextra virgin olive oil to warm up. Once hot, add the finely chopped onion, brown it. To sweeten the strong flavor, you can add a few drops of balsamic vinegar and cook over low heat, adding from time to time the hot water, salt and pepper as required and continue cooking for about half an hour.
When the bottom is ready, remove the chicken breast from the marinade and with a knife, practice gods cuts diagonally, as if to form a small fan to be placed in the pan.
Brown the breasts the pheasant in one casserole with hot oil. When it is hot you can add i dates , braised onion with balsamic vinegar.
Once cooked, all you have to do is place it on the plate and enjoy it with your loved ones.