Not just for the birds

Tag: chukar recipe

  • Hungarian Partridge Angus

    Angus and the wee Hungarian Partridges

    I must admit that after yesterday’s opening day take of two Lilliputian-sized Hungarian partridges I wasn’t all that excited. When we got home I put them in the fridge without even really looking them over, much less cleaning them. I usually hang my birds for a while, but it’s not really cool enough to do that yet. So this afternoon I thought I’d better do them now or I’d risk doing the unforgivable: tossing them several weeks from now… Never again.

    They were a little shot up, with some intestine goo on the thighs, but I cleaned them up okay. They were about the size of a decent cock quail. I let them air dry and put them in a Ziplock and into the fridge again, thinking maybe in a few days I’d do something with them. I checked my thawing tamales around dinner time, and they were still frozen. So I grabbed the bag o’Wee Huns and entered the pantry in search of something. I didn’t know what. Then I saw the soy sauce. And the rice wine vinegar. And the brown sugar. Within twenty minutes I was tasting the best bird – of any kind – that I have ever eaten. Here’s what I did, and I name the recipe after dear ol’ Angus (I realize, for those of you with a penchant for bathroom humor, that this could be mis-read in interesting ways; get your minds out of the gutter):

    The best bird I’ve eaten. Period.

    Hungarian Partridge Angus

    Ingredients:

    • Fresh Hungarian partridges (or chukar or quail), cleaned and separated by breast and legs
    • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
    • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
    • 1 Teaspoon sea salt
    • Olive oil
    • 1 clove garlic per bird, sliced; 2 per bird if decent sized
    • Fresh ground pepper

    Put the bird parts in a ziplock or covered container. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, and salt, and mix everything together like your life depended on it. Do it the Zen way. Feel the molecules greeting one another with gusto. No, seriously. Do it. It will make a difference. I only had these birds in this marinade for a few minutes, and it was plenty. You can experiment with more time if you like (let me know how it goes)…

    In a large skillet, heat adequate olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the skillet) on high and add the garlic and ground pepper once it’s hot. Brown the garlic a little, and then add the birds with all the marinade. Reduce heat to medium and tend the birds, turning as needed. Do this Zen, too, and you won’t regret it. Test the breasts when you think they might be done. My birds took about 7 minutes to cook through, and the sauce was reduced to a nice syrupy consistency. Serve with sauce from the pan, or pour over rice, couscous, taters, or whatever you like (dipping sauce for bread?). Enjoy.

  • Wild Chukar Risotto with Peppered Bacon and Fresh Sage

    Wild Chukar Risotto with Peppered Bacon and Fresh Sage

    Chukar Risotto Ingredients
    Chukar Risotto Ingredients

    Now that most chukar seasons are over, one of the things we can do to bide the long months ahead before next season opens is to come up with some good dishes using the birds we have waiting for us in the freezer.

    I like making risotto but had never done it with birds before. It’s a fairly labor- and time-intensive dish but not too difficult in terms of culinary skill, and the end result is usually outstanding. So I came up with this recipe, which turned out to be very tasty, while I cleaned the last two fresh chukar I’d been aging last week. Enjoy!

    Ingredients

    • 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
    • 4 slices (thick) peppered bacon, chopped
    • Medium yellow onion, chopped
    • 6 cloves garlic, chopped (not minced)
    • 6 fresh mushrooms, chopped
    • 1/4 C fresh sage leaves, chopped
    • Salt and pepper
    • 1 lb. chukar breast and leg meat, boned (two adult birds), chopped
    • 1/2 C cheap white wine
    • 2 C arborio rice (risotto)
    • 1.5 quarts chicken stock
    • 1/2 C fresh Parmesan cheese, grated finely

    In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the peppered bacon, onion and garlic. Saute until garlic starts turning golden. Add the mushrooms, half of the chopped sage, salt & pepper, and chukar meat. Stir thoroughly and cook for one minute. Add white wine and continue cooking over high heat for a couple more minutes, making sure the chukar meat is no longer pink.

    In a 2 quart stock pot heat the chicken stock on high until boiling, then reduce to and maintain it at a simmer. (You will add ladle-fulls of this boiling stock to the risotto.)

    The risotto pot
    Constant stirring is the key

    Reduce flame on large pot to medium high and add the arborio rice. Stir it in thoroughly, and then add one ladle-full of the simmering stock, stirring the risotto constantly. When all of the liquid has evaporated, add another ladle of stock, continuing the constant stirring. Repeat this process until the rice is just cooked enough. Depending on your ingredients, your pot and heat source, it should take about 30-40 minutes. If you run out of stock, have a reserve of boiling water ready to add, or use more stock, but make sure when you add it that it is boiling or you’ll mess up the rice.

    Chukar Risotto with Peppered Bacon and Fresh Sage
    Yum

    When done, spoon into shallow soup bowls and garnish with the remaining fresh sage and grated Parmesan.