Hunters who are cooks are always on the lookout for new recipes. After all, variety is the spice of life.

While perusing the internet recently for pheasant recipes, I came across one for creamed pheasant that piqued my interest. The recipe has the usual suspects  — half-and-half, cream of mushroom soup and butter, i.e. — but I made a few additions to the list of ingredients that seemed to me would greatly improve the recipe.

Red wine and Worcestershire sauce are naturals for this kind of dish. Worcestershire sauce has vinegar that tenderizes the meat, sugar for sweetness, and savory flavors including onion, garlic, tamarind and anchovies. The wine is great for deglazing the frying pan after browning meat. And you can’t go wrong with Lipton onion soup mix.

Chicken — a couple of breasts — could easily be substituted for pheasant.

You won’t go “afowl” with this entree!

Creamed Pheasant
1 pheasant, cut into bite-size pieces
1 10½-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
1 cup half-and-half
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
½ garlic powder
¼ cup oil
¼ cup red wine
½ cup water or broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons butter
Cut pheasant into parts and coat with flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika mixture. Brown in oil and butter.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place in cast-iron Dutch oven or large pan. Sprinkle the onion soup mix on top of the pheasant. Add wine, Worcestershire sauce ½ cup water or broth. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Pour soup and cream over the top and bake, covered, another 45 minutes longer. Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.
Yield: Serves 2 or 3.