To all of our readers who may have to work as you read this, or are sweltering in the tropical winter, you should know that Jane and I are in the Snowy Mountains. I am in a ski lodge, in front of an open fire, with a cider close to hand. Quite an extraordinary way to spend a Monday afternoon. About the only thing that would make it better would have been making snow angels with MacK... and we did that too!
I have to tell you about our most recent Saturday. One of our very good friends is a very keen shot, and shoots with a club on a weekly basis in Canberra. This year he and friends decided to travel to the Grampians and to indulge in a week long pheasant shoot. The rules were simple. Outside of the usual sporting rules for shooting game, the gents had to dress appropriately. Think waistcoats and ties, tweed and knee breeches and an appetite for good fun.
The hunt is on!!
Leigh - a gent with some of the cock pheasants for the week.
The photographs show they had a great time, and one of the post shoot highlights was the dinner they had at the fabulous Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld. The Chef, Dan Hunter worked at the two Michelin starred Spanish restaurant Mugaritz, and is one of Australia's best Chefs. As Leigh will tell you, the wine list isn't half bad either!
Some of the birds they shot were onsold, and Leigh brought home four pheasants and a partridge. Our trip to Canberra coincided with his return, and he asked me if I could do anything with pheasant. So, to give the birds the respect due, I did the following:
We made a stock from the carcases. Once made, the meat was picked from the bones to use in salads or pasta dishes. The legs can be pretty tough, so they became a confit. The whole leg was dry cured in salt, chilli flakes and caraway seeds for about six hours before being washed and dried, and slow poached in olive oil until the meat was tender. Put into the fridge, it will be preserved in the oil for up to four weeks. To serve, you just pull out a leg and panfry it to heat through, crisp the skin and get rid of the fat. Just divine!
For our dinner, we served two other preparations - Basque style pheasant and pan roasted pheasant. The sides were rosemary and garlic roast potato, honey mustard roasted parsnip and Savoy cabbage with bacon. For dessert we had the soft centred chocolate pudding and Leigh's 'Breakfast food'. I make a rhubarb and apple crumble with a caramelised cornflake, coconut, brown sugar and condensed milk topping. As Leigh says, it has fruit, cereal and dairy. How can it not be breakfast food?
The pheasant and partridge were so good, that I have to share the recipes we used. There was only one partridge, so we combined the meat. I also only used the breast meat in these recipes, as we had already accounted for the rest of the bird.
Basque Pheasant
Marinate the pheasant in a mix of the following for 4-6 hours:
Olive Oil, white wine, cider vinegar and brown sugar.
Before cooking; add good olives, pitted prunes, garlic, chopped parsley, bay leaves and capers.
Cover and bake in a hot oven (180 deg Cel) for approximately one hour.
The aroma, and taste were fabulous. This would typically be served with rice, to soak up the juices.
Pan roasted pheasant
Dust the pieces of pheasant in flour, and shake off excess. Saute until starting to colour, and remove from pan. Saute sliced onion, bacon and garlic, and add stock. Add the pheasant back to the sauce to cook through, and add a little brandy and white wine to taste. Finish with chopped parsley and thyme.
As an aside, Peter and Phyl have a Manchurian Pear tree in their garden, and it was suggested that the partridge (plucked by this stage) be hung in the pear tree, and a photo be taken to use as the family Christmas card this year...
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