Fazant op z’n Brabants / Faisan a la Brabanconne (Belgian)

serves 4

This rich casserole of bird and endive is a classic Belgian game dish; variations include adding bacon. Ruth Van Waerebeek, in her cookbook Everybody

Eats Well in Belgium, suggests potboiling the bird with celery, carrots, onions and parsley and adding port, cream and tart apples rather than stock. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/

Gas Mark 4.

Melt half the butter in a heavy-based casserole dish.

Add the pheasant, season and pot roast for 50 minutes, basting the bird with butter at regular intervals.

Blanch the chicory in boiling water. For the last 15 minutes of cooking time, add chicory to pheasant, along with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg to taste. When cooked, remove the casserole from the oven and take out the chicory and pheasant, placing them on a warmed dish; loosely cover with foil. Deglaze pan juices with the stock and whisk in remaining butter.

Serve the pheasant surrounded by the chicory on a plate with the sauce served separately.

ingredients

80g butter

1 cock pheasant

6 heads Belgian chicory/endive 150ml chicken stock Ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper