Back

Zuppa Toscana with Pheasant

This Zuppa Toscana is another recipe I'm posting to deal with my garden Kale. I planted a bunch of it this winter in my flower bed and it took over as the temperature started to rise this spring. I've been posting several recipes as I find new ways to deal with my surplus Kale. I already have a Zuppa Toscana soup that posted on the site last year, but I've been wanted to do a slightly different version of it for some time. I'll just call this Zuppa Toscana version 2. With the Zuppa Toscana version 1 recipe, I used Italian Sausage and a few cups of Mushroom Stock, mixed with Pheasant stock. Since Pheasant Stock was the only real gamebird ingredient that I used in the recipe, I felt like I needed to do a new version that featured more pheasant. Inside of using Italian Sausage in this version, I'm using ground Pheasant, seasoned with Italian Seasoning and 6 cups of Pheasant Stock, no mushrooms this time.



Olive Garden has a Zuppa Toscana on their menu, I highly recommend it, if you find yourself in their restaurant. It's my favorite soup!! I could eat this every single day. If I make it at home and there are any leftovers, I'll eat for lunch and supper the next day and the day after, if there is still any left. Both versions posted on the site, version1 or version 2, are based on the Olive Garden version of the soup. Either version is equally as good, with just subtle differences. I wouldn't be able to pick a favorite. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this soup. Serve it with some crusty white bread and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

Zuppa Toscana

French Toast

Italian Seasoning Blend

Instructions

Italian Seasoning Blend

Step #1 If youre making your own Italian Seasoning Blend, combine all the seasoning in a small mason jar, seal the lid and give it a good shake. I like to print labels to stick on the jars with the seasoning ingredients, so next time I need to prepare this mixture, I don’t have to hunt for the recipe and can prepare it the same every time.

Zuppa Toscana

Step #1 Start by gathering all your ingredients that need to be prepared. Kale, Potatoes, Shallots & Garlic.

Step #2 Washing your kale and potatoes. Set the Kale aside to dry or place in a salad spinner to dry immediately. Remove the ribs from the Kale, then chop into small pieces. Remove the outside skin from shallots and garlic to waste bowl.

Step #3 Dice up your shallots and garlic, then place in small containers for when you’re ready to use.

Step #4 Sliced potatoes thin on Mandoline, place the end pieces of the potatoes in your waste bowl.

Step #5 Slice up your strips of bacon, into small pieces with a sharp knife. If you don’t already have ground pheasant meat, run a few pheasant breast through a meat grinder

Step #6 Add one tablespoon of olive oil or butter to a large Dutch Oven and set heat to medium high.

Step #7 Add cut up strips of bacon and cook until crispy, about 5-8 minutes

Step #8 Remove bacon with slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Step #9 Drain all but a tablespoon of the bacon grease from the Dutch Oven.

Step #10 Add one pound of ground pheasant. Season with one and half tablespoons of Italian Seasoning and about a teaspoon of salt. Allow to cook until it starts to brown, about 6 minutes.

Step #11 Add diced Shallots and a pinch more of salt. Cook 3 more minutes.

Step #12 Add diced garlic and cook another minute.

Step #13 Add sliced potatoes.

Step #14 Cover potatoes with 6 cups of Pheasant Stock and sprinkle in some more salt.

Step #15 Add the leaves from 6 thyme sprigs.

Step #16 Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir the ingredients together, being sure to scrap up any brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven.

Step #17 Allow to reach a boil, then reduce to simmer. Allow to cook for 20 minutes.

Step #18 Turn off heat and add in your chopped Kale, allow to wilt.

Step #19 Add ½ cup of Heavy Cream. Stirring to combine all ingredients.

Step #20 Taste and add additional salt and seasoning to your taste.

Step #21 Preheat oven to 325. Cut French Loaf into diagonal pieces. Add bread slices to baking sheet. Brush the tops of sliced bread with Olive Oil and place in hot oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, set broil to hi and and lightly brown the tops of bread. Rub each slice of bread with a raw garlic clove when it comes out of the oven.

Step #22 Serve by ladling soup into large serving bowl. Sprinkle with reserved crispy bacon and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Recipe Card

Zuppa Toscana with Pheasant

Written by Jeff Davis Visit : Visit authors website

View Printable Page

Prep Time: 30 min - Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Zuppa Toscana

1 lbs Ground Pheasant

5 Whole Russet Potatoes

5 Garlic Cloves

4 Shallots

6 cup(s) Pheasant Stock

4 Strips of Bacon

2 cup(s) Kale, Chopped

1/2 cup(s) Heavy Cream

6 sprig(s) Thyme

1 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning Blend

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Red Pepper Flakes

Parmesan cheese

Ground Black Pepper

Salt

French Toast

1 French Loaf

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Garlic Clove

Italian Seasoning Blend

4 tbsp Dried Oregano

4 tbsp Dried Basil

4 tbsp Dried Parsley

2 tbsp Rubbed Sage

2 tbsp Crushed Rosemary

2 tbsp Dried Thyme

2 tbsp Marjoram

1 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper

Instructions

Italian Seasoning Blend

Step #1 - If youre making your own Italian Seasoning Blend, combine all the seasoning in a small mason jar, seal the lid and give it a good shake. I like to print labels to stick on the jars with the seasoning ingredients, so next time I need to prepare this mixture, I don’t have to hunt for the recipe and can prepare it the same every time.

Zuppa Toscana

Step #1 - Start by gathering all your ingredients that need to be prepared. Kale, Potatoes, Shallots & Garlic.

Step #2 - Washing your kale and potatoes. Set the Kale aside to dry or place in a salad spinner to dry immediately. Remove the ribs from the Kale, then chop into small pieces. Remove the outside skin from shallots and garlic to waste bowl.

Step #3 - Dice up your shallots and garlic, then place in small containers for when you’re ready to use.

Step #4 - Sliced potatoes thin on Mandoline, place the end pieces of the potatoes in your waste bowl.

Step #5 - Slice up your strips of bacon, into small pieces with a sharp knife. If you don’t already have ground pheasant meat, run a few pheasant breast through a meat grinder

Step #6 - Add one tablespoon of olive oil or butter to a large Dutch Oven and set heat to medium high.

Step #7 - Add cut up strips of bacon and cook until crispy, about 5-8 minutes

Step #8 - Remove bacon with slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Step #9 - Drain all but a tablespoon of the bacon grease from the Dutch Oven.

Step #10 - Add one pound of ground pheasant. Season with one and half tablespoons of Italian Seasoning and about a teaspoon of salt. Allow to cook until it starts to brown, about 6 minutes.

Step #11 - Add diced Shallots and a pinch more of salt. Cook 3 more minutes.

Step #12 - Add diced garlic and cook another minute.

Step #13 - Add sliced potatoes.

Step #14 - Cover potatoes with 6 cups of Pheasant Stock and sprinkle in some more salt.

Step #15 - Add the leaves from 6 thyme sprigs.

Step #16 - Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir the ingredients together, being sure to scrap up any brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven.

Step #17 - Allow to reach a boil, then reduce to simmer. Allow to cook for 20 minutes.

Step #18 - Turn off heat and add in your chopped Kale, allow to wilt.

Step #19 - Add ½ cup of Heavy Cream. Stirring to combine all ingredients.

Step #20 - Taste and add additional salt and seasoning to your taste.

Step #21 - Preheat oven to 325. Cut French Loaf into diagonal pieces. Add bread slices to baking sheet. Brush the tops of sliced bread with Olive Oil and place in hot oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, set broil to hi and and lightly brown the tops of bread. Rub each slice of bread with a raw garlic clove when it comes out of the oven.

Step #22 - Serve by ladling soup into large serving bowl. Sprinkle with reserved crispy bacon and shaved Parmesan cheese.

About the Author

Jeff Davis

You may think cooking and recipes don’t have much to do with a website dedicated to hunting dogs ... but really, why do we hunt? Sure, we enjoy watching our dogs work in the field and being outdoors, but ultimately, hunting is about survival and feeding our families. We might as well try to do it well. I'm not a chef and definitely no food authority ... but I do like to eat and enjoy cooking. After searching for people willing to share their recipes on Gundog Central, without much success, I decided to try to do a few on my own, with my wife Tami's help. The recipes I share here are things I like to eat and have made here at home. I've tried to include step-by-step instructions with each meal describing exactly how I did it, but my method may not be best, if you decide to try a recipe posted here, please use whatever technique you think works best, I'm simply sharing how I did it. You'll see a lot of recipes where I've tried to make things from starch, when I could have just used store bought ingredients, simply because I wanted to learn how something was done. My goal is to continually update these recipes as I learn new things and techniques. These are my attempts at creating good, home cooked food, that I would like to eat! If I'm sharing it here, my family and I enjoyed it and I believe you will too.