Pheasant and Rabbit Casserole

pheasant and rabbit casserole

While cooking my Arroz de Faisán y Conejo, I realised that I’d have two carcasses and meat leftover. So as not to waste anything, I put it all in a cast iron casserole with an onion, 2 carrots, a stick of celery, 6 pieces of garlic, a few black peppercorns, a large pinch of sea salt and a bouquet garni with 2 litres of water. I brought the water up to boiling, skimmed off any scum and put the casserole in the oven at 150º C for an hour. As I was busy cooking, I turned the oven off after 60 minutes and left the casserole to cool down. A few hours later I strained the stock, picked off and saved the meat and threw away the bones and vegetables.

Pheasant and Rabbit Casserole recipe (serves 2):

250g mixed pheasant and rabbit meat (chopped
250g leftover roast chicken (chopped)
a small piece of jamón serrano (chopped)
3 medium Mozart potatoes (peeled and quartered)
1 large onion (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped)
1 stick celery (chopped)
3 medium mushrooms (chopped)
6 pieces of garlic (finely chopped)
1.5 litres pheasant and rabbit stock
a squirt of tomato purée
olive oil for frying
a splash of red wine vinegar
1 chicken stock cube
ground sea salt, black peppercorns, rosemary, sage and thyme
2 bay leaves
a sprinkle of hot Pimentón de la Vera
rabbit’s blood

In a large cast iron casserole, Fry the onion in olive oil until it becomes translucent. Add the carrots and celery, followed by the garlic, mushrooms and meat. After a few minutes squirt in the purée, crumble in the stock cube, sprinkle on 2 teaspoons of herbs and a splash of red wine vinegar. Pour on the stock and stir. Meanwhile, peel and quarter the potatoes – they can go in the pot too, along with the bay leaves. Bring the stock to boiling, cover with the lid on and put the casserole into a preheated oven at 150º C for a couple of hours. This will be perfect after 2 hours, but but won’t come to any harm if cooked for an hour or so more. Obviously the potatoes will dissolve eventually.

rabbit blood

After two hours check the seasoning and adjust accordingly. A sprinkle of hot Pimentón de la Vera on top gives the casserole a kick and a slight smokey flavour. I had some rabbit blood, so as per coq au vin, I stirred it into the casserole to the thicken the sauce.

Serve with a rosado, such as Marquesa de la Cruz, a Garnacha from Aragón.

Other Pheasant posts
Other Rabbit posts