David's mum gave us 2 pheasants at Christmas time and it's taken us a couple of months to decide what to do with them. We have got a couple of game recipe books, so we had a look through them and David also did a bit of 'googling' for inspiration and came across this recipe for pheasant ragu on the Olive Magazine website. So out came one of the pheasants from the freezer and David made it…OMG…it's sooooo full of flavour - absolutely delicious!!! In my head a ragu has tomatoes in it…this recipe doesn't and you won't miss them…
We had it with fresh tagliatelle the first time and put the remaining 2 portions in the freezer for another day. We actually gave the portions in the freezer to David's mum for her to try when the COVID 19 travel restrictions were lifted slightly and we were able to visit outside.
I've been on a mission to clear out our freezers as they've been jammed packed and the time has come to do something with the second pheasant. I can't see past this pheasant ragu recipe, so I asked David to make it again…but, instead of having it with pasta again, we had it with polenta and some vegetables on the side. We'd never had polenta cooked like this and we both loved it, so will definitely have it again and try it with different dishes.
Tips
- If you're unable to get pancetta cubes, use smoked bacon lardons or chop up some smoked back or streaky bacon.
- The second time David made it, we had some shiitake mushrooms leftover from making the Korean-style chicken stew, so decided to add them to this recipe, at the same time as the shallots and garlic.
- The quantities for the pasta and polenta can easily be reduced if you're serving less people.
- It freezes well…if you've got any leftovers!
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How to make this Pheasant Ragu
Ingredients
- 250ml chicken stock
- 15g dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 pheasant
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 80g pancetta cubes (see Tips)
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 100g shiitake mushrooms, quartered (optional - see Tips)
- 1 bay leaf
- 125ml white wine
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 0.5 lemon, juice only
To serve (optional)
Pasta:
- 400g tagliatelle or other pasta of your choice, cooked as per the packet instructions
- grated parmesan,to garnish
Polenta (cooking instructions below - see step 4):
- 750ml boiling water
- 250ml milk
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 200g quick polenta
- 80g parmesan cheese, grated
- 60g unsalted butter, diced
- vegetables of your choice, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer, add the dried porcini mushrooms, turn off the heat and leave them to soak and swell up until they're needed later in this step. Heat the tbsp of olive oil over a medium heat in a casserole and cook the pheasant until it is browned all over (approx. 8 minutes), then set aside on a plate. Add the pancetta to the casserole and brown (approx. 2 minutes), stirring all the time. Add the shallots, garlic and shiitake mushrooms (if using) and stir for 1 minute, then add the bay leaf. Pour in the white wine, deglaze the pan and bubble for 1 minute. Add the stock, porcini mushrooms and the browned pheasant, season well, and bring to a simmer. Put the lid on the pan, making sure it fits tightly, and cook gently for 1 hour until the meat starts to fall off the bones.
- Lift the pheasant out (and remove the bay leaf), leave to cool a little on a plate and then strip the meat off the bones and tear it into pieces. Simmer the stock until it thickens a little (approx. 5 minutes) and then add back the pheasant, parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Serve either with tagliatelle and grated parmesan, to garnish or polenta - see step 4.
- If you decide to have polenta, heat a medium saucepan over a medium heat and add the boiling water, milk, chopped garlic and salt. Bring to a simmer and then sprinkle in the polenta gradually, whisking continuously until it's all in the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Finally, add the grated parmesan and diced butter - stir until all of the butter has melted. Add more water if required to get desired consistency. If you're having some vegetables on the side, cook these while the polenta is cooking.
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Pheasant Ragu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock
- 15 g (0.5 oz) dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 pheasant
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 80 g (2.8 oz) pancetta cubes (see Notes)
- 2 shallots sliced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 100 g (3.5 oz) shiitake mushrooms quartered (optional - see Notes)
- 1 bay leaf
- 125 ml (½ cup) white wine
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 0.5 lemon juice only
To serve (optional)
Pasta:
- 400 g (14.1 oz) tagliatelle or other pasta of your choice cooked as per the packet instructions
- grated parmesan to garnish
Polenta (cooking instructions below - see step 4):
- 750 ml (3 2/4 cups) boiling water
- 250 g (1 cup) milk
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 200 g (7.1 oz) quick polenta
- 80 g (2.8 oz) parmesan cheese grated
- 60 g (2.1 oz) unsalted butter diced
- vegetables of your choice to serve (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer, add the dried porcini mushrooms, turn off the heat and leave them to soak and swell up until they're needed later in this step. Heat the tbsp of olive oil over a medium heat in a casserole and cook the pheasant until it is browned all over (approx. 8 minutes), then set aside on a plate. Add the pancetta to the casserole and brown (approx. 2 minutes), stirring all the time. Add the shallots, garlic and shiitake mushrooms (if using) and stir for 1 minute, then add the bay leaf. Pour in the white wine, deglaze the pan and bubble for 1 minute. Add the stock, porcini mushrooms and the browned pheasant, season well, and bring to a simmer. Put the lid on the pan, making sure it fits tightly, and cook gently for 1 hour until the meat starts to fall off the bones.
- Lift the pheasant out (and remove the bay leaf), leave to cool a little on a plate and then strip the meat off the bones and tear it into pieces. Simmer the stock until it thickens a little (approx. 5 minutes) and then add back the pheasant, parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Serve either with tagliatelle and grated parmesan, to garnish or polenta - see step 4.
- If you decide to have polenta, heat a medium saucepan over a medium heat and add the boiling water, milk, chopped garlic and salt. Bring to a simmer and then sprinkle in the polenta gradually, whisking continuously until it's all in the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Finally, add the grated parmesan and diced butter - stir until all of the butter has melted. Add more water if required to get desired consistency. If you're having some vegetables on the side, cook these while the polenta is cooking.
Notes
- If you're unable to get pancetta cubes, use smoked bacon lardons or chop up some smoked back or streaky bacon.
- The second time David made it, we had some shiitake mushrooms leftover from making the Korean-style chicken stew, so decided to add them to this recipe, at the same time as the shallots and garlic.
- The quantities for the pasta and polenta can easily be reduced if you're serving less people.
- It freezes well…if you've got any leftovers!
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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