Pheasant escalope holstein

However carefully you cook it, pheasant can get a bit dry, but I’ve found that brief pan-frying in dishes like this comes up a treat. You could serve this with all sorts of things from a salad to pasta tossed in tomato sauce. Save the thighs for the curry below, and the drumsticks aren’t really that edible on their own so better used in a sauce, soup or stock.

Serves 4.

Ingredients 

• 4 skinless pheasant breasts
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 tbsp flour
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 30-40g fresh white breadcrumbs
• Vegetable or corn oil for frying
• A good knob of butter
• 2 medium free-range eggs
• 4 anchovies, halved lengthways
• ½ tbsp chopped parsley
• 2-3 pickled walnuts, quartered

Method

1. Put one breast on a sheet of cling film that is at least double its size. With a meat or cutlet bat (a rolling pin or side of a cleaver will do), carefully bat each breast out into a neat 1cm-thick escalope. Season with salt and pepper then lightly coat with flour, patting any excess off with your hands, before passing the escalopes through the beaten egg and finally through the breadcrumbs.

2. Heat about 1cm of oil in a frying pan and cook the escalopes for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, then add a knob of butter at the end of cooking and turn them once more. Meanwhile, lightly fry the remaining eggs and place one on each escalope, then arrange the anchovies around the yolk and transfer to warmed plates. Melt the butter in a small frying pan until foaming, add the parsley and capers and spoon over the egg and escalopes. Serve immediately as they will go a bit cardboard-like if they hang around.