Contact Gilli Cliff:
Mosswood Cottage
Crayke
York
YO61 4TQ

Tel/Fax: 01347 822386
Mobile: 07710 421251
Email: gilli@countrycook.co.uk

A GLUT OF PHEASANTS

I know that one should never look a gift horse in the mouth, but at this time of year it is possible to be given a brace of pheasants too many.  This may sound ungracious, but plucking and drawing these delicious fowl is time consuming and unless they are cooked carefully the flesh can be tough because it is so lean. 

But I know a few quick tricks, and unless you want to roast the birds in the traditional way, it is pretty straightforward to cut out the two breast fillets and two legs leaving behind the rest of the bird, feathers and all.  Lay the birds on their back and with a sharp knife slit the skin down the centre of the breast. (I do this in a polythene bag to  contain the escaping feathers). Now ease the skin and feathers away from the breast and pull it right off the legs as well.  Again with the sharp knife, cut/scrape the breast meat away from the carcass so that you have two breast fillets and then dislocate the legs from the main carcass.  Don’t worry about the wings because they carry so little useful flesh. 

One of the easiest recipes is to wrap the breast and leg meat in slices of streaky bacon and bake them in a moderate oven (170c).  Alternatively you could steam the pheasant to make it more moist.  To do this, sauté a large chopped onion in a little oil in a small casserole for about five minutes.  Then toss in the breast and leg meat and cook for a few minutes until they begin to brown.  Now add a glass of white wine, 2 chopped tomatoes, some fresh herbs and seasoning.  Cover with a well fitting lid and cook gently (170c) for about 45 minutes, removing the lid for the last 10 minutes.

A recipe that I have prepared successfully this winter is a firm terrine of pheasant and ham. Serve it sliced with a sweet chutney of cranberries and chunks of bread for a hearty lunch, or warm toast as a starter at dinner.

Terrine of Pheasant and Ham

2 whole plucked pheasants or 4 breasts and 4 legs

1 kilo (2.2lbs) of ham hock

A handful of fresh herbs - thyme, parsley and bay leaf

2 carrots and 2 small onions

A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

Cranberry and Red Onion Chutney

1 large red onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

100g (4oz) dried cranberries

1 glass of red wine

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Demerara sugar

Salt and pepper

Put the pheasant and ham into separate saucepans, just covered in a little light stock or water with some fresh herbs and vegetables and simmer very very gently until tender – about 1 ½ hours. 

Leave the meats to cool in their liquid then flake the flesh off the bones, discarding any skin, fat and sinew. Cut the meat into largish chunks.  Discard the pheasant stock but boil the ham stock hard to reduce for 15 minutes, then strain and keep150mls.  Leave it to cool.  Mix the meats, parsley, seasoning and ham stock and press the mixture into a 1 litre (2 pint) terrine mould lined with clingfilm.

Cut a piece of thick cardboard to the shape of the top of the terrine and cover it with foil.  Press it down on top of the terrine with some weights on top (a couple of tins) and leave overnight.

For the Chutney

Cook the chopped onion gently in olive oil until well coloured.  Add the dried cranberries, red wine, balsamic vinegar and Demerara sugar.  Simmer gently until the mixture is thick and season to taste.  Serve cold with slices of the terrine.