Papadelle with Pheasant Ragu

I feel pheasant is a much under used and loved meat and while I might not serve it up as a Sunday roast I think it works perfectly in a comforting ragu especially with the joy of homemade papadelle and a huge pile of grated Sweet Pepper Teifi cheese!

Ingredients – Serves 4

Pasta

• 250 g ‘00’ pasta flour

• 1 medium egg

• 4 medium egg yolks

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Pinch of salt

Pheasant ragu

• A large pheasant

• 300 ml of reserved poaching liquor (whole onion, carrot, stick of celery, bay leaf)

• 1 onion

• Tin of cherry tomatoes

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 2 tbsp smoked paprika

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tbsp tomato puree

• 200 g Sweet Pepper Teifi cheese

Method

Pasta

1. Place the flour in a mound on your side and create a well in the centre.

2. Add all the other ingredients into the well and slowly, using your fingertips, bring in flour into the centre.

3. Once all of the flour is incorporated knead the dough 4 or 5 times with the heel of your hand and roll into a ball.

4. Wrap that in clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour.

5. When ready to use either using a pasta machine or rolling pin roll out the pasta dough into batches until its 1.5 mm thick.

6. Lightly dust the sheets with flour, fold up and then slice into 1.5 cm thick ribbons.

7. Using your fingertips, lightly toss these ribbons in flour and set-aside until the water is up to boil.

8. Salt the water and then cook the pasta for 3-4 minutes or until al dente.

9. Drain and stir through the sauce.

Ragu

1. Before making your sauce you need to poach your pheasant. Place your pheasant breast side down in a large pan with an onion sliced in half, carrot and celery roughly chopped and the bay leaf.

2. Cover the pheasant in water and then poach at a simmer for one hour. This can be done in either the oven or on the hob. Once the pheasant is cooked allow to cool in the liquor.

3. Once cool remove all of the meat from the pheasant carcass and set aside ready to go in the sauce. Reserve 300 ml of the liquor to go in the sauce.

4. Finely dice the onion and fry in a heavy bottomed pan in olive oil until softened.

5. Chop up the garlic and add this and the smoked paprika to the onions.

6. Cook for one minute and then add the tomato purée, tinned tomatoes and pheasant stock.

7. Cook this down until it has reduced by 2/3 then add the pheasant meat into the sauce. Season to taste.

8. Finely dice 1/3 of the Sweet Pepper Teifi cheese and add this to the sauce before folding in the pasta.

9. Serve in large bowls with the remaining cheese grated on top and freshly ground black pepper.

This recipe is produced by Holly Bull @secretediblegarden

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