Pheasant in Red Wine and Herb Sauce Recipe

Moist Tender Pheasant with a Delicious Rich Sauce

© Joanne E. Brannan

May 4, 2009

Pheasant can be dry when roasted, but slow cooking in a rich sauce retains the rich gamey flavor while giving a moist, tender texture. Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes and winter greens for a wholesome and delicious dish to delight your dinner guests.

Ingredients for Pheasant in Red Wine and Herb Sauce

(serves 4 generously)

• 10oz (280g) dry cured smoked bacon, preferably thickly sliced.
• 2oz (60g) unsalted butter.
• Two bay leaves.
• Two pheasants, hung, plucked and gutted.
• Two medium sized onions.
• Four sticks of celery.
• Four large carrots.
• A small bundle of fresh, or a teaspoon of dried, thyme.
• Salt and pepper. Preferably natural unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• 1 pint real chicken bone stock.
• Half a bottle of red wine. A French Vin de Pays d’Oc is a good, inexpensive choice.
• 20g dried cep/porcini mushrooms (optional).
• Two tablespoons flour.
• Cold water.

Recipe for Pheasant in Red Wine and Herb Sauce

Prepare the ingredients

1. Joint the pheasants into six pieces each.
2. Chop the celery, onion and carrots into ½ inch (1 cm) pieces.
3. Chop the bacon into pieces of around ½ inch (1 cm).
4. Heat the butter in a large, deep, cast iron casserole dish.

Brown the meat and soften the vegetables

1. Fry the bacon on a moderate heat until golden, stirring from time to time.
2. Lift the bacon out of the cooking dish with a slatted spoon to retain the fat in the dish.
3. Cook the chopped vegetables in this hot fat with a little salt and the bay leaves, stirring from time to time.
4. When the vegetables are soft, lift them out of the cooking dish with a slatted spoon to retain the fat in the dish.
5. Put the pieces of pheasant into the hot fat and brown all over.

Cook all together

1. Add the bacon, vegetables to the pheasant in the casserole dish, filling the gaps between the pheasant pieces.
2. Add the wine, thyme, pepper and (optionally) cep/porcini mushrooms.
3. Add the bone stock, and bring to a low, bubbling simmer. If the pheasant is not covered by the liquid add a little water.
4. Simmer on a slow, bubbling heat for around 1 ½ hours.

Thicken the sauce

1. Strain the liquid into another pan; reduce over a brisk, bubbling heat.
2. Mix the flour with a little water to make a smooth paste.
3. Add some of the hot sauce to the paste, mixing briskly all the while with a fork.
4. Add the flour/sauce mix to the bubbling liquid, stirring vigorously with all the time.
5. Once the sauce is thickened, pour back over the other ingredients, reheat until piping hot, and serve.

If you wish to serve the dish a day later, cool as quickly as then possible refrigerate at 41°F (5°C) or below. Reheat to piping hot, right the way through the meat, before serving.

Related Articles

• Unrefined Sea Salt Sel de Guérande
• Homemade Chicken Stock or Broth
• Ceps, Cèpes or Porcini Wild Mushrooms

Pheasant in Red Wine and Herb Sauce Ingredients

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