Pheasant Pozole with Hominy

By Brandon Dale

Instagram: @bdale13
Website: Brandon Dale Linktree Website

Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

Said simply, pheasants are absolutely delicious. More than that, they’re agreeable with just about every palate, as it’s the closest thing to chicken that you can find in every state from a wild game perspective. One of my favorite dishes at the tail end of winter, in the heart of fall or even early spring, is pozole. Pozole is a Mexican inspired, hearty soup that is heavily spiced, served warm and garnished with fresh lime, cilantro and bright toppings such as pickled radish and cheese. Paired alone or with tortilla chips or freshly made tortillas, give this pozole a try and it will surely end up as a staple in your cool-weather rotations.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of dried hominy, soaked overnight in water
• 1 whole pheasant, skinned and parted
• Kosher salt
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can (12 oz) Goya chipotle peppers (adjust according to desired spice level)
• 8 cups venison or turkey stock (chicken stock can substitute)
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 12 large radishes, sliced
• 6 limes, juiced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Oaxaca cheese (can substitute with feta)
• Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
• 1 lime, wedged
• Tortilla chips or warm tortillas, for accompaniment

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pot, place the soaked hominy and cover with fresh water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the hominy is tender but still retains a slight chewiness. This will take about 1 hour.
2. While the hominy simmers, sprinkle the pheasant liberally with kosher salt and place in another large soup pot with olive oil and brown on all sides over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft.
3. Strain the chipotle peppers from the can and add only the juice from the peppers to the pot. Remove and discard seeds from 1 chipotle pepper, roughly chop the pepper and add that to the cooking mix, while saving the other peppers for addition later if desired.
4. Add stock, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, black pepper to pot, mix well, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 40 minutes until pheasant is fork tender.
5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine sliced radish with the juice of 3 limes to lightly pickle.
6. Once the pheasant is fork tender, turn off the heat to the pozole, and add in cooked hominy and the remaining lime juice to the pozole. Stir well and season with more salt and black pepper if needed. You can also add additional chipotle peppers for more spice.
7. Ladle the piping hot pheasant pozole into bowls, garnishing with the pickled radish, avocado slices, Oaxaca cheese, fresh cilantro, and a lime wedge for brightness.