Casseroled Pheasant with Kale, Baby Parsnips and Thyme Dumplings

Joint the pheasants into legs, thighs and breasts cut into two, with as much fat removed as possible  Picture  . Season with salt and black pepper, quickly brown in a little olive oil in a frying pan and then transfer to an ovenproof casserole along with a small bunch of thyme.

Pour in a good glass of white wine into the cooking frying pan, put over a medium heat scraping the bottom of the pan until it is reduced to about half, and pour over the pheasant followed by the chicken stock until the pheasant is just covered. Cover and cook in the oven at 300°F/150°C/Reg2 for two hours.

Meanwhile peel the baby onions, quickly brown in a little olive oil, drain and put to one side. Prepare the parsnips  Recipe   until ready to put in the oven, and prepare the kale  Recipe   until ready to start cooking.

Put the eight tablespoonfuls of self raising flour and four tablespoonfuls of suet into a bowl along with a good pinch of salt. Strip the leaves from the thyme to give two tablespoonfuls, chop asnd add to the flour/suet.

30 minutes to when the pheasant will be ready add the onions to the casserole. Meanwhile add a little water to the flour/suet, take out the bowl and knead well. Take small spoonfuls of the pastry and roll into dumplings in your hands. 15 minutes to go, add the dumplings to the casserole, put the parsnips in the oven at 375°F/190°C/Reg5 and start cooking the kale.

When the pheasant is ready, remove and discard the thyme, and spoon off most of the meat into a plate Then take three or so tablespoonfuls of the cooking liquor into a bowl, add a bare tablespoonful of cornflour, stir well and add to the casserole. Thicken for a few minutes over a medium heat and re-add the pheasant.

Spoon some kale on to serving plates, lay over some parsnips, add some pheasant and dumplings, spoon over some gravy and serve  Zoom   and enjoy!