Roasted pheasant with black-truffle and Parmesan ravioli

Method

Preheat your oven to 200˚C/400˚f/gas mark 6. Place the pheasants in a roasting dish, rub each one with butter and then stuff with the halved red onions and herbs. Place two rashers of bacon over each bird, season well and pour the wine in, before roasting for about 35–45 minutes, depending on size. Once cooked, cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes.

Gently fry the garlic and mushrooms, together with the herbs, in a little olive oil until soft. Add the red wine and seasoning and cook until reduced. Remove the herbs before adding the Parmesan, stir well and set aside.

Pour the flour and sea salt into a bowl, creating a well in the centre, and crack the eggs into it. Beat the eggs with a fork, then start to pull the flour in gradually, until it comes together in a shaggy pile. Tip onto a clean surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If in doubt, keep kneading. Cover the dough with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Next, turn the dough through a pasta machine to create thin sheets. Place small mounds of the mushroom filling onto a sheet, topping each one with a thin slice of truffle. Paint around the filling with beaten egg to seal, top with a second sheet of pasta and cut out the ravioli. Dust with flour and cover until ready to cook, which will take three minutes in a large pan of boiling water.

Serve the roasted pheasants, using some of the pan juices, with the ravioli (the pasta would also work alone, as a starter). Drizzle the ravioli with melted butter and top with a good grating of Parmesan, followed by a grating of black truffle. The aroma will be amazing.