An open lasagna of pheasant

Is it a lasagna?  Maybe it's an open ravioli? Anyway, it's just a quick way of making a lasagna without the white sauce and all that baking. 

This is a great way of using-up left-over pheasant - particularly leg meat.  When we have pheasant, we often just eat the breasts which leaves us with those legs which go well with pasta.  Here, the meat is shredded and cooked with tomatoes, onions and herbs then layered with pasta sheets, topped with cheese and brought together under the grill for a few minutes.

An open lasagna of pheasant
(serves 2)

Meat from two cooked pheasant legs, shredded
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely sliced
2 rashers bacon, cut into fine lardons
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Pinch of chilli flakes
A splash of vermouth (optional)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Sea salt and black pepper
6 sheets dried or fresh lasagna
Olive oil for greasing a baking tray
A handful of grated cheese - a mix of cheddar and parmesan works well
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Getting all the meat off a cooked pheasant leg while avoiding the sinews and tendons takes longer than you might imagine - so start with that.  Then put a pan on a medium heat with the olive oil.  Soften the onion in the oil along with the bacon, oregano, garlic and chilli flakes along with a pinch of sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper.  You want to achieve a soft, golden look - don't allow the onions to brown.  This should take about five minutes.  Add the pheasant meat and pour in the vermouth if using.  Allow to bubble for a minute or two and add the tomatoes.

Allow all of this to cook down for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Taste for seasoning.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and add the pasta.  Cook until just al dente - about 8 minutes.  You need to work fairly quickly now to avoid the pasta sticking together:  Drain the pasta and separate the sheets onto a board. 

Place two sheets of pasta onto an oiled baking tray side-by-side.  Spoon some of the pheasant and tomato sauce onto each sheet.  Place another sheet on top of each pile, then more sauce, another sheet of pasta each and then the remainder of the sauce.  Top with grated cheese and place under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted through and bubbling. 

Using a large fish slice, carefully plate each 'lasagna' and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts. 

tags: game  pheasant  pasta  

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