Preheat the oven to 120˚C / gas ½. In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Add the mushrooms and leave them to soak and swell for 5-10 minutes. Once the mushrooms are soft, remove from the broth and set aside. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Place the pheasant in the dish, season with salt and pepper, and brown all over. Once browned, remove the pheasant from the pan and set aside. Add the bacon to the pan and brown, then add the soaked mushrooms, onion, carrot, garlic, coriander, cinnamon and herbs. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the wine and let it bubble for 1 minute, then add the broth and passata and cook for a further 10 minutes. Return the browned pheasant to the casserole dish, cover with a lid, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer the dish to the oven and cook for 4 hours until the meat is tender and falls off the bone. Once cooked, carefully remove the pheasant and cinnamon stick from the dish. Strip the meat from the bones and add the meat back to the sauce. Stir to combine. To serve: stir the ragu through cooked tagliatelle, and finish with a sprinkle of grated parmesan.

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Pheasant ragu

Q: You will need

Chicken bone broth 250ml Dried shiitake mushrooms a handful Rapeseed oil 1 tbsp Pheasant 1 Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season Bacon 2 rashers, chopped Onion 1, peeled and chopped Carrot 1, peeled and chopped Garlic 2 cloves, peeled and crushed Coriander seeds ½ tsp Cinnamon stick ½ Mixed herbs 1 tsp White wine 125ml Tomato passata 250ml Cooked tagliatelle to serve Parmesan to serve

This rich ragu stirred through tagliatelle and sprinkled with parmesan is a game-changer

The team at Eversfield Organic in Devon share their recipe for pheasant ragu

eversfieldorganic.co.uk

Serves 4

Oven temp 120˚C / gas ½

You will need

Chicken bone broth 250ml
Dried shiitake mushrooms a handful
Rapeseed oil 1 tbsp
Pheasant 1
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Bacon 2 rashers, chopped
Onion 1, peeled and chopped
Carrot 1, peeled and chopped
Garlic 2 cloves, peeled and crushed
Coriander seeds ½ tsp
Cinnamon stick ½
Mixed herbs 1 tsp
White wine 125ml
Tomato passata 250ml
Cooked tagliatelle to serve
Parmesan to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 120˚C / gas ½.
In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Add the mushrooms and leave them to soak and swell for 5-10 minutes. Once the mushrooms are soft, remove from the broth and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Place the pheasant in the dish, season with salt and pepper, and brown all over. Once browned, remove the pheasant from the pan and set aside.
Add the bacon to the pan and brown, then add the soaked mushrooms, onion, carrot, garlic, coriander, cinnamon and herbs. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the wine and let it bubble for 1 minute, then add the broth and passata and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Return the browned pheasant to the casserole dish, cover with a lid, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer the dish to the oven and cook for 4 hours until the meat is tender and falls off the bone.
Once cooked, carefully remove the pheasant and cinnamon stick from the dish. Strip the meat from the bones and add the meat back to the sauce. Stir to combine.
To serve: stir the ragu through cooked tagliatelle, and finish with a sprinkle of grated parmesan.

You will need

Method

Preheat the oven to 120˚C / gas ½.
In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Add the mushrooms and leave them to soak and swell for 5-10 minutes. Once the mushrooms are soft, remove from the broth and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Place the pheasant in the dish, season with salt and pepper, and brown all over. Once browned, remove the pheasant from the pan and set aside.
Add the bacon to the pan and brown, then add the soaked mushrooms, onion, carrot, garlic, coriander, cinnamon and herbs. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the wine and let it bubble for 1 minute, then add the broth and passata and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Return the browned pheasant to the casserole dish, cover with a lid, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer the dish to the oven and cook for 4 hours until the meat is tender and falls off the bone.
Once cooked, carefully remove the pheasant and cinnamon stick from the dish. Strip the meat from the bones and add the meat back to the sauce. Stir to combine.
To serve: stir the ragu through cooked tagliatelle, and finish with a sprinkle of grated parmesan.

pheasant, tagliatelle