Fall is pheasant season—and Executive Chef Dilup Attygalla at the Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, is quick to sing the praises of the flavorful foul.
“Some people think that it has a very strong flavor and a gamey flavor,” he said. “For me, I feel it’s very unique. It’s a very sweet and succulent meat.” A versatile bird, Attygalla explained, that can be barbecued, grilled, sauteed or pan-seared.
“Anything you can do with chicken you can do with pheasant as well,” he said. One dish that he’s prepared at various venues throughout his career is a wild sage-infused crispy skin pheasant breast accompanied by roasted vegetables, butternut squash puree and a red currant demiglaze.
The pheasant must be prepared carefully, Attygalla said. Because of its low fat content, the bird can dry out quickly.
To infuse more flavor into the pheasant breast, Attygalla marinates it overnight in chopped wild sage, salt and pepper and olive oil. Then, he puts it in the oven at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes (or until internal temperature reaches 160-165 F) before rubbing more olive oil on it and searing it, skin side down. The pheasant breast goes through about 10 to 12 more minutes of roasting at 165 degrees.
Attygalla works with purple Peruvian potatoes, yellow pattypan squash, carrots, and shitake and oyster mushrooms for a complementary side dish. He seasons all the vegetables with salt, pepper and garlic, tosses them in olive oil and roasts them. He also boils French beans, adding them to the roasted vegetables and then arranges the colorful collection atop cinnamon-scented roasted butternut squash puree. All components of the dish are then drizzled with a red currant demiglaze.
Contact: (416) 263-3527
Chef Dilup Attygalla
Ovations Food Services, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto
A new addition to the Ovations team at the Direct Energy Centre, Chef Attygalla is no culinary novice. He brings three decades of experience and classical training to his new post, and a culinary philosophy rooted in local, farm-to-table ingredients. He describes his style as “contemporary cooking with classical flair,” and has traveled the world as a chef, cooking for such notables as Bill Clinton and events like the Super Bowl, MLB All Star Game and NHL Winter Classic.
He completed his professional chef training at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., and earned his ProChef 11 Certification at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Attygalla is now team coach and captain for the Trillium Chefs Canada.