Pheasant Broth soups

[TARNATION !!!]

The nice thing about hunting with Parkers is that you get to enjoy some fine meals indeed. For the most part, one thinks about various meat recipes which are wonderful. Then there are the simpler basic things that can be a gastronomic delight, like a soup. For the most part I work with wild pheasant. Every bird I take gets consumed to the point of bare bones only as left overs. The final step is boiling the backs, necks, drumsticks, breast bone, ribs and wings beyond first joint. I take the meat and grind for sandwich spread base and toss the bones. What is left in the pot is not just water to go down the drain. It is a great broth for soups and stews. Now if you only have a bird or two, then there is not a lot of broth, so I freeze what I get and add to it when I can. Same goes for the ground meat gleaned. Today was the day to thaw a few cups worth of broth and make a soup.

With the pheasant broth this was (and will be for a couple more days) a lovely soup

PHEASANT BROTH CREAMY POTATO SOUP

10 medium potatoes (I just wash and keep the skins on but peel if you like) Cut them into various sized chunks just for interesting texture
2 or 3 medium carrots (chopped)
3 celery stalks (chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups pheasant broth (or hun, sharptail, quail, grouse etc)

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3/4 cup butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup flour
4 cups milk

Put the first group of ingredients into a large soup pot (I had to use the turkey roast pan as it is a lot of food)
If you need to, add a bit of water to almost cover the veggies
Bring to boil and cook for about 15 minutes until a fork easily penetrates a potato chunk
leave to simmer while you prepare the second set of ingredients

In a medium sauce pan:
Melt the butter and stir in the salt and flour to form a paste
Slowly add the milk while whisking like crazy, which will form a nice sauce

Pour the sauce into the soup and stir and stir and stir. As the sauce combines with the potato starch, the soup will thicken into a velvety smooth delight. If that is too thick for your liking, slowly stir in small amounts of milk until you get to a consistency you like.

Ready to serve. You can add bacon bits (the real stuff please) or some shredded cheese or whatever bit of garnish you like

We ate three large helpings today and I'm judging there will be another 3 or 4, so I guess for the health conscious appetite you could say serves 10

Anyway, thought I'd share a tasty recipe that uses the last edible remnants of a game bird. (If you have to, you can substitute store bought chicken broth but .............

Cheers,
Jack