Casseroling is an excellent way to cook pheasant, as it produces succulent meat and a rich sauce. Cutting the bird into 8 pieces will allow each person to get a piece of breast as well as dark meat. Herby mashed potatoes, baby carrots and broccoli are good accompaniments for this aromatic dish.
Try a pheasant casserole with chestnuts and cabbage. Brown the pheasant joints and shallots, then add 200 g (7 oz) vacuum-packed chestnuts and 200 g (7 oz) red cabbage, cut into 4 wedges, instead of the fennel wedges. Replace the stem ginger with 2 tbsp marmalade and use red wine instead of ginger wine. * Other game birds can be jointed and cooked in the same way. * When game is out of season, use duck or chicken joints.
Ginger is a useful alternative remedy for travel sickness or morning sickness. In herbal medicine it is used to aid digestion, to protect against respiratory and digestive infections, and to relieve flatulence. * Pheasant is an excellent source of protein as well as iron and B vitamins. Although it is higher in fat than other game birds, most of this fat is monounsaturated.
B6, B12, niacin, iron * B2, potassium, zinc * E, folate, calcium, copper