Pheasant Confit Pappardelle
This luxuriously rich dish comes together in one pan (except for cooking the pasta). As for the pasta, a chef once advised me, “The sauce and the pasta are like a man and a woman. The sauce always waits for the pasta.”
A note about seasoning: Confit meat is slightly salty because of the cure that happens before it is cooked in the oil, so salt the recipe below sparingly until the preparation is finished. The final tasting should tell you IF you need to add any salt.
Serves: 4
Time: 40 minutes
1 lb. Pappardelle pasta, cooked
8 oz. white mushrooms, stemmed, cut into 6-8 wedges each
6 oz. fresh asparagus, cut into 1” lengths
1 3 c. chopped shallot
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. grapeseed or canola oil
1 medium clove garlic, minced
2 ¼ c. pheasant or chicken stock
1 c. heavy cream
2 sprigs fresh tarragon
¼ c. dry Marsala
½ of a fresh lemon
1 c. Pheasant Confit, medium chop
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat a 10” sauté pan over high heat, add 1 Tbsp. oil and cook mushrooms until moisture is gone, then reduce heat to medium. In a medium bowl, toss the asparagus with 2 tsp. oil, add to the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until asparagus is tender-crisp. Remove mixture to a bowl; set aside. In the same pan over medium-low heat, heat the remaining 2 tsp. oil, add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook just until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the Marsala, stock and tarragon and gently simmer until reduced by half. Add cream and reduce again by half. Remove tarragon sprig, stir in the mushrooms, asparagus and confit, and gently stir to combine and heat through. Squeeze juice from lemon over the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until pasta is ready.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions; drain, reserving ½ c. of the cooking liquid. Add cooked, drained pasta to pan and gently toss to combine evenly, adding some of the pasta liquid if necessary, to thin sauce. Taste again and adjust seasonings before serving.