NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/902203
NOVEMBER 2017 • NEBRASKAland 39 My favorite soup made with the broth is my own concoction I call sweet and sour pheasant soup. To the broth I add diced sweet potatoes (garden grown ones are the sweetest and make the best soup), parsnips and onions, and then boil it at medium heat for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Next, I add ½ to 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and a few tablespoons each of real maple syrup and blackstrap or full flavor molasses. Bring the soup back to a boil before serving. I usually ad-lib on the amount of vinegar, syrup and molasses I include, depending on the amount of broth. Start with smaller amounts of these ingredients and slowly add more until the soup is flavorful and has a good balance of sweet and sour. This is a hearty, healthy soup that will keep you warm on a cold winter night. Hearts, Livers and Gizzards "Pheasant hearts, livers and gizzards are close in taste and texture to those of a chicken, though they are a bit smaller in size," said Jenny Nguyen, NEBRASKAland associate editor and author of Hunting for Food. "If you like one, you will like the other." Most people prefer their fowl hearts, livers and gizzards simply floured and fried. In some families, tradition calls for flavoring the holiday turkey stuffing with finely chopped fried hearts and gizzards. Nguyen's approach to cooking pheasant organ meats is less conventional. "I sprinkle them with salt and pepper, pierce them with a sprig of rosemary and then grill them quickly at a high temperature." She emphasized quick searing and not cooking them past medium – "pink on the inside." "If you overcook wild game, it generally does not taste as good," said Nguyen. "This is even more important with hearts, livers and gizzards, as overcooking brings out their organ flavor and toughens them. This is especially critical with gizzards as they are chewy already." She often serves the organs with a citrusy or vinegary sauce or dressing to cut through their richness. Another Nguyen tip, "I bring all meats, including the organ meats, to room temperature before cooking. Otherwise, when cooked to medium or medium rare, the meat will still be cold on the inside, when done on the outside." For adventuresome hunters, Nguyen recommends pheasant liver pâté. Though fancy in name, it is rather simple to make. First she sautés the livers to medium rare in butter along with dashes of freshly chopped garlic, rosemary, thyme and cognac. She then blends the cooked livers in a food processor and runs the resulting paste through a colander to remove pieces of rosemary and to provide a smooth texture. She favors the pâté spread on French bread. "I love it, but it is an acquired taste," said Nguyen. Nguyen freezes the pheasant hearts, livers and gizzards from several hunts until she has a meal's worth. She recommends not storing them for long in a refrigerator as the organs are rich in blood, which easily oxidizes when exposed to air, turning the meat brown and stale tasting. So hunters, next time you harvest a few rooster pheasants, keep all the parts and try a new recipe or two. The results might surprise you. ■ Gerry Steinauer is botanist for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and has been writing and photographing for NEBRASKAland Magazine for more than 20 years. Grilled pheasant hearts and gizzards, left side of plate, and fried livers, right side of plate, make tempting appetizers. Sweet and sour pheasant soup will keep you warm on a cold winter night.