Ingredients
2 tbsp oil
2 pheasants, quartered
1 tbsp finely minced onion
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken, broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cinnamon stick, -=or=- ground cinnamon
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves, only
3 tbsp unsalted butter
Directions
PREHEAT OVEN TO 425F. Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over high
heat, add the pheasant and brown well. Discard the cooking fat in the
skillet, add onion, vinegar, tomato paste, chicken stock, salt,
pepper and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, place in the oven, uncovered,
and cook for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, remove the pheasant pieces
to a platter and place the skillet over medium heat on the stove.
Cook until the liquid becomes saucelike. Remove from heat, add the
basil and whisk in the butter. Pour the sauce over the pheasant and
serve.
Servings: 6 servings
Pheasant With Cinnamon & Basil Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Pheasant; Poultry; Wild Game
The History of Recipes
It is possible to trace the history of `recipes` back into ancient history, in truth as far back into recorded history as the Egyptians, and maybe further still. Having said that, sadly, these early cookbooks were just basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing food.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to food historians are a few stone tablets in the Sumerian language which show the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who tried it feel blissful. Later on, in The time of the roman empire 25BC a man called Apicius created some documents which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy Romans. In his publication, Apicius recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were divided into appetizers, main meal and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. He also recounts how the ancient Romans made use of a wide range of spices, including many that are still in use today like bay, rue and asafoetida. During the following few hundred years, the rich families of the West tried to serve the best banquets, and because of this the best cooks and their recipe collections could command a high salary. Nevertheless, it was during the 19th century the formal cooking and cookery books reached a high level of popularity. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the USA, dedicated years of their lives to assembling, testing, and recording recipes to help cooks of their time. By the time we get to the 1900s, cooking publications were increasing in popularity due to higher levels of literacy, people having more leisure time and having more money to spend. The arrival of television brings us celebrity chefs and the spin-off recipe books. And that pretty much brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, permitting everyone to search through thousands of recipes just like those on this recipe site. |
We hope you enjoy this Pheasant With Cinnamon & Basil recipe.
