With the days drawing out and spring arriving, why not create some tasty pheasant pasties? You can even pack them up in a picnic.
This recipe is suitable for children with help from an adult. A great idea for a Mother’s day treat.
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 500g of short crust pastry
- One pheasant
- Two waxy potatoes, peeled and grated on the large side of a cheese grater
- 1/2 small swede, peeled and grated on the large side of a cheese grater
- Six juniper berries, crushed
- Eight sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- A little flour
- 70 grams butter
- One beaten egg (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Roast the pheasant for about 20 minutes. This will make it much easier to cut/pull the meat off it.
- Once the bird has cooled enough to touch, peel off all the skin and discard. Use a sharp knife or pull it apart with a fork ensuring you pull off the meat from both breasts and legs. Carefully cut as much meat off as possible, taking care not to include any small bones.
- Cut the meat into a rough dice.
- Toss the meat together with the juniper berries and thyme.
- Season with a little salt and pepper.
- Roll out the dough, if you haven’t already, to about 1/4” thick.
- Take a 6” dish and place on the dough. Cut around the dish to form a pastry disc. Do this as many times as the pastry allows.
- Put a layer or two of potato and turnip down, leaving a 1/2” border around the edge (room for crimping).
- Top with some of the pheasant meat.
- Add a couple of small cubes of butter (or if you are feeling very extravagant, a knob of clotted cream) and sprinkle the top of the meat with a little flour.
- Brush the pastry edges with a little water.
- Bring both edges up to the top of the pasty and press the edges together tightly.
- Now for the crimping, starting at one end of the edge. For a classic crimp, use one finger to push one side of the pastry, and then pinch around that finger with the finger and thumb of your other hand to create a scalloped effect.
- Brush the outside with a little of the beaten egg.
- On both sides of the pasty cut a short (1”) hole to let steam out.
- Repeat until all the meat is used up.
- Put the pasties on a baking tray lined with the greaseproof paper.
- Crank the oven up to 425F/ 220c or gas mark seven.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Turn the oven down to 320F/160c or gas mark three.
- Bake for a further 40 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly before eating, the insides will be really hot.
This recipe was provided by Taste of Game.
