This salad is packed full of seasonal ingredients, most very local to Shropshire. All the components are served cold and can be made a day ahead, ready for a summer BBQ, or a light bite all on it's own. On a hot day it can be very refreshing. A few slices of a meaty, smoked pheasant are a welcome change up from crumbly bacon stirred into a basic potato salad. Another gem from Shropshire featured here is a fresh cheese, a bit like feta called Shrewsbury Fretta, I found the texture a bit firmer. Capers and cornichons provide a balancing tang.
A star in this dish is lovely smoked pheasant. This pheasant usually makes a welcome snack on it's own, but can easily feature on a composed dish.
The pheasants are raised free range on an estate in Bridgnorth, with only a supplemented diet of home grown wheat. The next stop is MacNeils smokehouse, a Beechwood smoke is used here. The final product is bound for Apley Farm Shop, where it can be found in season in the autumn months, The pheasant is available year round, as it freezes rather well.
Here is some information about how this shining star was created:
The recipe for 4 small plates goes as such:
4 medium sized potatoes, sliced, steamed and cooled
1/2 cup petit poi, steamed and cooled
6 minced cornichons
2 minced shallots
1 heaping tablespoon capers, minced
1/4 cup mayo
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
A pinch of celery seeds
Season with salt and pepper
Gently fold the ingredients together. This salad keeps well and actually marinades and develops flavours overnight.
Crumble a generous amount of the cheese over the top, when ready to serve on each plate.
Slice the pheasant and give each each person 4 to 5 slices along side the salad.
The cheese! Moyden's Handmade cheeses hail from Market Drayton. Shrewsbury Fretta is a young cheese, fretta means quick in Italian. An unpasteurised product with delicate flavours and a "meaty" texture. I found this cheese available at Apley Farm Shop in Norton.
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