Details
Serves 4 Cook for 45 minutes Temerpature 200 C
Ingredients
1 pheasant, plucked and trussed Salt and freshly milled black pepper 1 onion, chopped 8 button onions, peeled 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon oil 1/2 pint good red wine 1/2 tablespoon butter, 1/2 tablespoon flour, combined to a paste 2 teaspoons sugar 8 button mushrooms, left whole Chicken stock
Method Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2 (3oo°F). Wipe the pheasant inside and out, then stuff the body cavity with the chopped onion (and the bird’s liver, if available), and season inside and out. Then in a deep wide pan heat I tablespoon each of butter and oil together and brown the bird all over in the hot fat, and transfer it to an ovenproof casserole. Pour the wine into the pan and heat, scraping the base and sides of pan. Allow the wine to boil until reduced by half, then remove from the heat. Stir in small pieces of the butter and Hour mixture, then return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring briskly. Add the sugar, then pour the sauce over the pheasant in the casserole. Simmer the button onions in salted water for 5 minutes, then add them to the casserole together with the mushrooms. Bring the contents of the casserole to simmering point, then cover and bake in the oven, basting occasionally (if the sauce shows signs of cooking away too quickly, add a tablespoon or two of chicken stock). A tender pheasant will be done in 40 to 45 minutes; an older bird may take up to 2 hours to cook. When ready to serve, remove the trussing, drain well and place on a heated serving dish. Skim the pan juices (if necessary), taste and season, surround the pheasant with the onions and mushrooms and spoon the sauce over the bird.