Pheasant Adobo

Some days, I think I need a more adventurous hobby than cooking. Maybe I should take up cliff diving or extreme skiing - two sports that do not come naturally to a person from the plains, trust me. Heck, even rollerblading down a moderate incline can be classified as an "extreme" sport in Flatland USA. But then again, our kitchen is a little unusual, and some days down-right adventurous.

Case in point: Kent killed a wild turkey today. I watched him clean the carcass, the heat rising from the turkey's limp body in the cold November air as I passed him pitchers of cold water for rinsing out the cavity. As I watched him, I thought about life and death. I thought of all those thanksgiving turkeys and how the kill is hidden from view. I thought how I would totally be a vegetarian again if I was the one who had to clean and gut the animals. I thought about my little boy, wondering if he'll be hunting and gutting turkeys in the near future - a little worried that he will, but a little more worried that he won't, that he will choose to be blind from the connections of how the world provides for us and sustains us.

We're brining the turkey for dinner later this week, but for the moment, let's talk pheasant, probably my favorite of all game meats. Walleye is my favorite (if you classify fish as meat), but pheasant is a close second. Right now I'm cooking everything out of the latest issue of Fine Cooking - sorry, but I can't help myself, there's just too much good stuff in it. This is one of those finds: pheasant adobo. Of course, it was chicken abodo in the mag, but I tweaked it. Simmering meat in vinegar gives you a double punch of both flavor and moisture. Just remember to open a window and don't breathe in too deep since boiling vinegar smells like...boiling vinegar. But it's worth it.

Pheasant Adobo

Adobo is a Filipino dish. As pheasant is actually an Asian bird, it makes sense to cook it with an Asian twist. Serve over rice.

1 Tbls. vegetable oil

Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 and 1/2 lbs. pheasant breast, trimmed and cut into 1" thick strips

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 bay leaf

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season pheasant with salt and pepper, and add to hot oil, cooking until light golden brown. Add garlic and cook one min more. Add vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaf, and 1 tsp. pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid reduces by about one-quarter, about 10 mins. Discard bay leaf and serve over rice.