Pheasant And Ham Pie Recipe

I have a few pheasants in the freezer that I needed to use up and the remains of a bacon collar joint in the fridge, not to mention a mountain of plums, and so this recipe is the happy result. It's a hearty pie but I think the plums just lift it out of the ordinary and would probably work ok with chicken though I would use boned thighs for this recipe.

Pheasant and Ham Pie with Victoria Plums

Breasts from 1 pheasant (or 4 boneless chicken thighs)

Some chunks of ham or failing that a few slices of bacon

1 large onion

1 large clove garlic crushed

4 Victoria plums, halved and stoned

1 large carrot

1 tablespoon plain flour

Scant half pint of good stock
A glug or so of red wine

chopped parsley

seasoning

Half a pack of ready rolled puff pastry.

Chop and fry the onion, garlic and carrot until soft. Add the chunked ham and pheasant. Sprinkle with flour and fry until well browned, stirring from time to time. Season well.  Add a glug of red wine, and enough stock to make a sauce. Add the chopped parsley, turn into a pie dish and press the plum halves into the gravy. Cover with the half sheet of puff pastry, trim, and brush with beaten egg or milk. Bake in the middle of the roasting oven of the Aga for 20 minutes, (gas about mark 6) until well browned, then move to the bottom oven for another half hour or so (gas about 3). Serve with a seasonal green veg.

Pheasant Visitor

This handsome chap has visited the garden several times recently, he strolls about in a rather vague way as though he's looking for something - maybe another pheasant - the chickens don't seem to take any notice of him.

And if he's worried about blokes with guns at all you'd never guess.

Of course the cook in me can't help thinking he'd make a lovely roast dinner, but since I've got a dozen chickens fattening up, I think I can afford to let him continue to stroll decoratively around the place.