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Summer soup

Roast Pheasent

SUMMER SOUP Ingredients:
1 Onion, finely chopped 1rasher of bacon, cubed 2 large heads of lettuce, cleaned and shredded 2 oz butter 2 oz flour Half a cucumber, peeled and cubed Salt & Pepper 1 Potato, cubed 3/4 pint Chicken or ham stock 3/4 pint milk Pinch of mixed herbs Croutons to garnish Melt the butter in a large pan. Slowly saute the onion, bacon, cucumber and potato. Mix well. Add lettuce, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and seasoning and mix. Add herbs and stock. When it thickens add the milk and simmer gently until the potato is cooked. Put in blender for a few minutes. Heat through and serve with fried croutons.

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Serves 4 - 6 persons ****** ROAST PHEASANT

Ingredients:

2 Pheasant 3 tblsp flour 3 oz butter 6 bacon rashers 1 small chopped onion 2 cups sherry (or 1 cup tawny port) 2 chicken stock cubes salt to taste freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375deg F

Melt 2 oz of butter in roasting pan on stovetop. Sprinkle white flour over the outsides of pheasants and brown evenly in roasting pan. This will only take a few minutes (do not overbrown).

Place remaining butter inside of bird cavities and add salt and pepper to taste. Place birds in roasting pan and put 3 slices of bacon over each pheasant's breast. (This will ensure that the birds do not dry out). Roast birds for approximately 40 minutes. Baste occasionally to make sure that birds do not dry out. Once pheasants are tender, remove bacon slices (save these) and place on a warm dish.

Place roasting pan on stovetop and sauté onions in this pan until tender but not browned. Cut saved bacon pieces and toss into pan. Pour in chicken stock and sherry and let slowly boil. Deglaze pan and minimize liquid by one third. Add a small bit of flour to mixture and whisk until a medium-thick gravy is created.

Return pheasants to roasting pan and place in warm over (about 200 deg F) until ready to serve.

Serves 4 - 6 persons

I recommend garlic mashed potatoes and minty new peas which complement the pheasants very nicely.

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TRADITIONAL JUGGED HARE Ingredients ; 1 Hare ( fresh ) , 1 peeled Onion , half a small Turnip , 1 scraped Carrot , a quarter of a pound of Streaky Bacon , 1 oz Butter , 1 dozen small Button Onions , 1 pint of Beef Stock , 1 Bouquet Garni, 6 Black Peppercorns , 1 pint Espagnol sauce , 1/2 gill of Port wine , 2 tablespoons of Red Current Jelly , Salt and Pepper to taste Skin and cut the Hare into neat joints. Wash and dry them thoroughly. Slice the onion. Peel and slice the turnip. Slice the carrot. Dice the bacon. Place the bacon and butter into a shallow saucepan. Cook until the fat begins to flow, then add the button onions. Fry slowly for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the remainder of the vegetables and joints of hare. Fry slowly until light brown, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add stock, bouquet garni and peppercorns. Skim well and then add sauce. Cover tightly. Simmer very gently for about 1 hour, then remove the joints of hare and place them in an earthenware jar. Strain the sauce into a small saucepan. Stir in the wine and red current jelly. Season. Pour over the hare. Add button onions from braise. Cover tightly. Simmer in a slow oven, 300 F ( 150 C ), for about 1 hour, until tender. Serve up. Pour sauce over and garnish.

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Serves 6 to 8 persons ****** FARMHOUSE APPLE PLATE PIE Roll out thinly, short crust pastry made with butter and flour, allowing 1/2 lb of butter to 1 lb of flour. Cut into 4 rounds the size of a dinner plate. Place two of the rounds a little apart on a greased baking sheet. Spread with sliced apples to within 1 inch of the edge. Sprinkle with sugar to taste. Dredge lightly with flour to prevent the juice escaping. Brush edges of filled rounds with cold water and cover each with a second round. Notch edges with thumbs and forefingers. Bake in a hot oven, 450 Deg F, for about 1/2 hr. Cool. Dust with icing sugar, using vanilla-flavoured when possible. serve cold.

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Serves 6 persons ****** GINGERBREAD MEN ingredients:
4oz Butter 8oz self-raising flour 4oz soft brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 level teaspoon mixed spice 1 tablespoon black treacle 1 tablespoon syrup 1 teaspoon orange juice Set the oven to 350 Deg F or gas Mark 4. Grease and flour the baking trays. Cream together the butter, sugar, treacle,syrup and orange juice. Add to this the dry ingredients. Knead well then roll out on a floured board. Make a cardboard gingerbread man (or use a shaped cutter) and use this as a template to cut out shapes. place onto the baking trays. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes. Cool for a few minutes befor removing from trays. Decorate with icing.

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****** Steak and Kidney Pie ingredients 2lb chuck beef, 1 tsp salt, 1 lb kidney, 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 large onion, 1 cup rich beef stock, beef suet the size of a large egg, freshly ground black pepper, pastry for single-crust pie.

Cut beef and kidney into 1 inch cubes. Dry out suet in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven and remove crackilngs. Add onion and saute until transparent. Add beef and kidney, and cook, stirring almost constanytly, until thoroughly browned. Add beef stock, salt and pepper to taste, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well, cover and simmer until meat is tender, or about 1hr 45min. If necessary add enough water to almost cover meat. Thicken broth with flour which has been blended with cold water, allow 1-1/2 tsp for each cup of broth. Transfer mixture to a casserole and allow to cool a little. Preheat oven to 450 F. Roll pastry to about 1/8 inch thickness and place over meat. Seal it to the sides of the casserole. Cut gashes to allow escape of steam. If desired, pastry can be cut into strips and arranged lattice fashion over meat. Bake in hot oven for about 10 mins then lower the heat to 350 F and bake until the crust is delicately browned.

Cut and serve with fresh vegatables.

-oO()Oo- Do you have a favourite country recipe, then email it to Mrs Beecham :- grantleigh.manor@which.net

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