Pheasant with star anise, ginger, noodles and broccoli

Based largely on a Rick Stein recipe, this is a great way of dealing with a pheasant.  While it's all well and good to roast a pheasant in the traditional way, it does tend towards dryness.  And, given that the pheasant originates from Asia, what better than some Asian ingredients to accompany it?

Stein's original recipe calls for pak choi and udon noodles.  I couldn't find either on Sunday afternoon as I was buzzing round the supermarket before they shut, so I went with some early purple-sprouting broccoli that I'd bought from the greengrocer on Saturday and some more standard egg-noodles.  I also upped the ginger and the star anise in the original - all told, it was a pretty fine dish.

Pheasant with star anise, ginger, noodles and broccoli
(Serves 2)

1 hen pheasant, 'oven-ready'
1.5 pints chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon Szechuan pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 star anise
2 inches ginger
2 cloves garlic - peeled and halved
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 red onion, very finely sliced
4oz dried noodles
1 handfull purple sprouting broccoli - or normal broccoli - or pak choi
1/2 red pepper, very finely sliced
2 spring onions, finely sliced

In a pot large enough to take the pheasant quite snuggly, bring the stock, spices, half the ginger roughly sliced and the garlic to a boil.  Allow to boil for two to three minutes to let the flavour develop.
Add the pheasant to the broth, breast down, add the salt and bring back to a gentle simmer.  Put a lid on and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the broccoli in boiling water until just tender.  Remove, refresh under cold water.  Slice the stalk thinly and separate the 'flowers' into florets. 

Remove the pheasant and set aside on a board.  Strain the stock and return the liquid to the pot.  Bring back to a boil, and add the remaining ginger - cut into a very fine julienne - and the onion.  Bring back to the boil.  Add the noodles and simmer for four minutes until tender.   Add the broccoli and the pepper.  Bring back to a simmer.  Cook for just one minute more.

Meantime, remove the breasts from the pheasant and cut into three or four pieces.  If the breasts aren't big enough for you, cut each leg into two.

In large soup plates, place the noodles and vegetables in the middle, top with the pheasant meat and pour over a few ladles of the broth.  Top with the sliced spring onion.

Any left-over pheasant meat makes a great lunch! 

tags: game  pheasant  

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