With its ruby red colour, nose of tobacco, leather and juicy blackberries and plums, with its full body, soft tannins and elegant notes of spices the Tsantali Rapsani Reserve 2015 is a great partner to this game dish. Enjoy as an alternative to the usual Christmas fare!
I grew up with the name Tsantali , a family producing wines in Northern Greece for 125 years and I was thrilled to see that you can now buy some of their best offerings from Agora Greek Delicacies.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 4 pheasant breasts
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the celeriac puree
- 1 small celeriac, approx.. 350g
- 250ml milk
- 200ml double cream
For the shredded Brussels sprouts
- 500 brussels sprouts, peeled and shredded
- 160g lardons or 4 rushers of smoked bacon finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- A squeeze of lemon
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
For the roast shallot, garlic and ginger jus
- 4 banana shallots
- ½ a garlic bulb
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 15g of peeled and sliced ginger
- 100ml dry red wine
- 200ml brown chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp ginger syrup (from a jar of stem ginger)
- 50g butter
To serve
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 0 C.
Put the garlic, whole shallots and thyme on piece of silver foil large enough to wrap around the ingredients on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season the garlic with a little salt. Cover completely with the foil and bake the shallots for 45 minutes but the garlic should be ready after 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 190 for the pheasant.
While the shallots and garlic are baking, peel the celeriac and slice on a mandolin or with a knife very thinly. Put the celeriac in a heavy saucepan and add the milk and cream. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook covered for approx. 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until very little liquid is left. Leave to cool a little and blitz in a blender. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pass through a sieve if you want a super smooth puree or leave as is. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap touching its surface and keep to the side.
To cook the shredded Brussels sprouts, trim them and slice thinly. Bring a sauteing pan to a medium heat. Add the olive oil and the lardons and cook till crispy. Using a draining spoon remove the lardons onto a piece of kitchen paper. Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes till translucent. Add the shredded sprouts and cook for 4-5 minutes stirring all the time. Add back the lardons and the parsley, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, drizzle with a little lemon juice, stir to coat and keep warm.
To cook the pheasant breasts, check for any left over shot, wash and pat dry. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring an oven proof frying pan to a high heat and add the olive oil. Add the pheasant breasts skin side down and cook till the skin is golden brown. Turn over and put the frying pan in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the pheasant from the oven, cover loosely with kitchen foil and rest for a few minutes.
To make the shallot and garlic jus, cut the top of each shallot and squeeze the caramelised shallots out of the skins. Bring a small saucepan to a medium heat and add the remaining olive oil. Add the shallots, garlic and sliced ginger and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the wine and let it evaporate almost completely. Add the stock and bay leaf and cook over a low heat till the stock is reduced to less than half. Discard the bay leaf and using a stick blender, blitz the stock to a smooth consistency. Return to the saucepan and heat over a medium heat. Add the butter which you have cut in small cubes, a cube at a time while whisking until you have a glossy thick jus. Keep warm or cover with plastic film, touching the surface so that the stock does not form a skin.
To serve, warm the jus, celeriac puree and brussels sprouts. Place a large spoonful of celeriac puree on the plate. Top with a pheasant breast. Put a large spoonful of shredded Brussels sprouts next to the meat and drizzle with the shallot, garlic and ginger jus. Sprinkle with some finely chopped parsley.
