Chris Taylor’s Mediterranean Pheasant

This is a relatively easy, elegant dish that one can prepare in 30 minutes, serves four to six.

For the Pheasant

• Breasts and thigh meat from three pheasants
• 1/3 cup rice flour combined with 4 tbsp. regular flour and ¼ tsp. ground black peppercorns.
• 1 cup fresh pheasant broth
• 1 cup Chardonnay
• 1/4 cup olives in brine; pitted and chopped.
• 14 cherry tomatoes, quartered.
• 2 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 6 tbsp. chopped fresh spring onions
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp. fresh basil.
• 5 tbsp. crumbled feta cheese.
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. butter

For the Escarole

• 1 head escarole
• Olive oil
• 2 tbsp. chopped garlic

Round the pheasant meat with your meat hammer, and then coat lightly with flour. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Melt butter and sear pheasant meat on both sides. Remove meat from the pan and set aside.

Reduce heat to low and add tomatoes, garlic, and spring onions to the pan. Stir and simmer until the garlic just begins to brown but not burn. Deglaze pan with Chardonnay, and then add pheasant broth, chopped olives, rosemary, and basil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Return pheasant to the pan and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, turning the meat frequently.

While the pheasant meat is back in the pan cooking, heat olive oil in a small skillet and add chopped garlic. When the garlic begins to brown, add the escarole leaves to the pan and cook until lightly browned. Turn the leaves frequently to brown on both sides.

Just before serving, sprinkle the feta cheese on top of the pheasant while it is still hot in the pan. Dish out the escarole and pheasant on each plate and enjoy!