Serves 4
Ingredients
- 16 pheasant thighs or 2 whole pheasants
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 250g chopped bacon
- 2 carrots
- 1 large onion
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 bouquet garni with plenty of thyme in it
- thinly pared zest of an orange
- ½ a bottle of dry white wine
- 1 pint chicken stock
- 200g peeled, cooked chestnuts.
Method
- Pour a little olive oil into a heavy casserole and brown the pheasant for a few minutes, turning once or twice.
- Remove and gently fry all the vegetables until soft.
- Dust with about a dessertspoon of plain flour and fry for a minute or so stirring once.
- Add the wine and the chicken stock.
- Return the pheasant to the pan.
- Add the orange juice and zest and the bouquet garni; season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and simmer in the oven on about 160C for 1½ hours until tender.
- Remove the pheasant from the sauce.
- Add the chestnuts at the end, giving them enough time to warm through.
- Serve with seasonal vegetables.