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Recipe
Instructions:
Being the hunting season, you might have brought back some game birds,
which are remaining frozen for want of a good recipe, or the time to
prepare them. Well, defrost them, for you no longer have any excuses.
I enjoy cooking a variety of recipes from different nationalities, and
wild games dishes, and pairing them with good microbrewery or import
beers. One of the prerequisites is that the recipe be fast and easy to do,
and above all else, taste great. My goal is to always enjoy good food,
beer and conversation, and minimize the time in the kitchen. Some wild
game dishes take special care and cooking because of the lean meat or
other considerations, but this recipe requires no special care and is very
easy to produce and looks colorful on the plate.
If you like Pheasant, you’ll love my Pheasant Fajitas recipe for two
Pheasant breasts, skinless and boneless. You can substitute two Grouse
breasts or other game birds; even Chicken breasts if you’re squeamish
about eating wild game. Take ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, ¼ cup
cooking oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and six to seven minced cloves of fresh
garlic (adjust the garlic according to your own tastes after trying this
amount) along with three or four shakes of black pepper and mix. It just
takes a few minutes to make the marinade. You can take a fork or a device
called a super meat tenderizer made by Jaccard that is sold in good
kitchen shops to pierce the breast all over to allow the marinade to
penetrate better and add flavor. If at all possible, prepare the marinade
the night before and marinate the breasts overnight for the absolute best
taste. If you have to do them the same day, four hours is really
recommended with two hours being the absolute minimum. Do not slice the
meat, as it will only dry out in cooking. Start the Pheasant about four or
five minutes before the vegetables over an open grill. Add one green bell
pepper sliced, one red bell pepper sliced (one sliced yellow bell pepper
is optional), one large Yellow onion sliced in wedges and two medium
tomatoes sliced in wedges.) When you add the vegetables, pour a little of
the left over marinate on them as they cook to add a little flavor. Watch
out for a flare-up when you add the marinade to the vegetables. The time
to cook the breasts will be determined by how large the breasts are. Just
be sure they are well cooked and white inside. Just remember, that you’ll
need a fine grate for your BBQ to keep all the ingredients from falling
through the regular grate onto the coals.
Serve the breast whole with the cooked vegetables to the side or over the
breast. No sour cream or guacamole is necessary, as the tastes you’ll
experience will make your taste buds explode with delightful sensations.
Serve with refried beans and Spanish rice if desired. I don’t serve
Tortillas because the breasts are served whole, and I don’t try and make a
rolled hand held meal out of it, but everyone to their own style. Once you
have Fajitas prepared this way, you’ll never want to have Fajitas prepared
in a commercial brown marinade in a restaurant again. As the suit salesman
would say, “I guarantee it”.
There are several great beers that add to the enjoyment of this meal.
Serve with Blue Moon Heffe Weizen wheat beer, which has a distinctive
character, pleasant aroma, and a taste unique to most other wheat beers.
The beer is characterized by the use of “noble-type” hops, which gives it
a low bitterness and hop flavor. An import, Paulaner Hefeweizen, made in
Munich for over 360 years by Paulaner, is a classic Hefeweizen beer, which
is usually served with a slice of lemon floating atop the beer. Both beers
are available in most good liquor stores.
For a local New Mexico brew, find some Sierra Blanca Pilsner at your
liquor store from Sierra Blanca Brewing Co. located in Carrizozo, NM. They
have several other beers, which would be great choices to accompany the
meal. Their Nut Brown Ale is outstanding, and the finest I’ve found in the
entire southwest. Its rich in character, aroma, taste and appearance. A
great complement to any meal. They also make wonderful new Alien Ale with
eight different types of hops. It’s a complex beer with outstanding taste
that will delight your taste buds. You’ll notice this beer on your dealer’s
shelves, because you’ll find a little green face with large dark eyes
staring at you. You’ll also find it on tap at your favorite nightspot, in
the darkness, because of the green glowing face on the tap handles
With over 450 microbreweries in America, there is no reason why anyone
should drink the mass produced beer, which lacks taste and character with
a good meal. There are plenty of opportunities try and pair great beers
with great food, just like wine is paired with good food. Granted, not
every microbrewery makes great beer nor are all their beers great. In
travels from Missouri to Nevada and from Montana to Louisiana, I’ve only
found ten microbreweries out of several dozens whose entire line of beers
could be considered outstanding. There are to many microbreweries whose
products need more work and attention, but hopefully they’ll learn from
their mistakes and eventually produce some wonderful beers for us all to
enjoy. Until then, Prosit! Und Guten Appetite!
This recipe can be used with quail as well.
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