Pheasant and Cep Broth with Lentils

Serves: 2

Difficulty: Medium

Preparation time: 30 mins plus 2 hours soaking

Cooking Time: 2.5 mins

• 2 pheasant carcasses (saved from a roast)
• 1 handful dried porcini (ceps)
• 1.5 pints hot water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped and skin reserved
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1½ tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 40 g Puy lentils
• 1 stick celery, finely diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1 medium turnip, finely diced
• 2 Jerusalem artichokes, finely diced
• 50ml medium sherry

Curly parsley, chopped 2 hours before you cook the broth, put the porcini in a bowl and pour over the measured hot water.

In a pan that owns a lid, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil. Chop the pheasant carcasses into three and drop them into the oil with the skin from the onion, 1 tsp thyme and salt.

Brown the carcasses quickly before adding all the porcini liquor (but not the mushrooms) to the stock pot and turning down the heat to the faintest simmer, put a lid on the stock pot and keep the carcasses simmering for 1 hr. You should be left with 850mls.

While the broth cooks, separately simmer the lentils in water for 30-40 minutes or until tender, drain and allow to cool.

In another saucepan heat 1 tbsp olive oil, fry the drained soaked mushrooms briskly until they brown, add the chopped onion and garlic, remaining thyme and celery then continue cooking all together until the onion is soft. 8 minutes or so.

Add the stock through a fine sieve then add the lentils and root vegetables. Simmer very gently for a further 15 minutes or so until the roots are tender.

Add the sherry cook for a further 2 minutes. Serve with a little chopped curly parsley.