Traditional Scottish Recipes
- Poached Breast of Pheasant, Mushroom and Shallot Couscous
This is a recipe created by Ian McNaught, the Head Chef at the 3 AA Rosette Roman Camp Country House Hotel & Restaurant in Callander, Perthshire. Of course, pheasant and grouse are more easily found in Perthshire than many other parts of the country!
The ingredients are sufficient for four people.
Ingredients:Return to the Index of Traditional Scottish Recipes
8 Shallots
One pound (500g) Mixed Mushrooms
1.75 pints (1 litre = 1 US quart = 4.25 cups) fresh Chicken Stock
200g (7 ounces) Couscous
4 Pheasant Breasts
Seasoning to tasteMethod:
Peel and slice the shallots, place in a pan with a little oil and cook for 5 minutes with a little colour. In another pot, put chicken stock on and bring to boil, trim and chop the mushrooms, keep the trimmings. Put the mushrooms into the pan with the shallots and cook for a further 5 minutes. Put the couscous into a large bowl, add the mushroom and shallot mixture, pour over 400 ml (just under half) of the boiling chicken stock and leave for 15-20 minutes, stir occasionally with a fork.
Season the Pheasant breasts, place them into the stock together with the mushroom trimmings and poach gently for 7-12 minutes, remove from the stock and keep warm. Reduce remaining stock down to about 100-150 ml, pass through a sieve to remove mushroom trimmings and add a little olive oil and red wine vinegar to create a warm vinaigrette sauce. Check couscous for seasoning and place onto heated plates, top with Pheasant Breasts, spoon vinaigrette around and serve.
