Four Cheese Pheasant Pizza
With some pheasants in the freezer, my wife and I decided to braise a few down and pick the meat in order to have some cooked meat on hand for various meals throughout the week. Inspired by a local pizza shop’s specialty pizza and a recent gift containing a handful of different jams and jellies, my wife and I put together this 4 Cheese Pheasant pizza.
Braising the Pheasant
Ingredients
1 Pheasant
Salt
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
Water
Preparation
In a stock pot cover all the ingredients with water
Bring to a simmer
After 20-30 minutes remove the breast meat from the pheasant
Continue to simmer until the meat falls off the legs – the time varies depending on the age of the bird.
Remove all the meat from the bones. Use what is needed for the pizza and freeze the rest to use later.
Making the Pizza
Pheasant, braised and shredded (we used about 1 breast and one leg’s worth of meat)
Garlic Naan – 2 pieces (For this recipe, mine came from the 8.8 oz. pack of Stonefire Naan)
Shredded Mozzarella
4 oz. cream cheese
Parmesan cheese
Feta cheese
3 tablespoons Pepper jelly/jam, more or less to taste
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
Butter
French fried onions
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Honey or maple syrup, to taste
Preparation:
In a skillet with some butter, cook the pepper and onions until soft
Add the shredded pheasant, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup to help the pheasant get some crispy edges.
In a food processor, add the cream cheese and pepper jelly and blend together well.
On the naan, evenly spread the cream cheese/pepper jelly mix, then the mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, and parmesan cheese. Tailor the amount of the cheese to your taste. But, for the feta be careful not to overdo it.
On top of the cheeses, add the cooked pheasant, onion, and pepper.
Place in a 375°F oven for about 10 minutes, or long enough to melt the cheese.
Add the French fried onions on top and cook for another couple of minutes
When all the cheese has melted, remove from the oven, slice, and enjoy.
A Note from the Kitchen:
Using naan bread is a quick way to make a smaller pizza. This staple in Indian cuisine is a bread that is soft thanks to ingredients like yogurt, eggs and sometimes butter. A traditional thin crust pizza dough will also work with this recipe.
About the Chef: Kory is the Managing Editor of Harvesting Nature, an online outdoor publication focusing on wild game recipes, hunting and fishing narratives, and adventure articles. He has been an avid hunter and fisherman for most of his life and enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his family. Kory currently lives in northwestern Pennsylvania with his wife and three active children.
About the Chef: Kory is the Managing Editor of Harvesting nature, an online outdoor publication focusing on wild game recipes, hunting and fishing narratives, and adventure articles, and he also produces Harvesting Nature’s Wild Fish and Game Podcast which focuses on the technical side of cooking wild fish and game while also incorporating adventures and lessons learned from the pursuit of wild meat. Listen to the podcast, and get more information at HarvestingNature.com
