Pistachio-stuffed Pheasant Breast with Glazed Chestnuts and Sauerkraut

For the pheasant: Rinse the pork caul. Rinse the carrot and celery, peel the carrot, trim the celery, and finely dice both. Blanch diced vegetables for 1 minute in salt water, then rinse with cold water and drain. Remove the legs and breasts of the pheasants and chop the rest of the meat into small pieces. Remove the skin from the legs, salt, marinate with port wine and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the sauce: Rinse the carrot and celery, peel the carrot and red onion, and cut the vegetables into small cubes. Cook the remaining pieces of pheasant meat in hot oil, add the vegetables and tomato paste and cook for 6 minutes. Deglaze with a little port wine, boil and repeat this process two or three more times. Subsequently, add spices (bay leaf, juniper berries and allspice) and stock and cook for about 40 minutes at a gentle boil.

For the sauerkraut: Peel the onion and chop finely. Heat oil in a hot saucepan and sauté the onions until soft. Add the sauerkraut, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and reduce almost completely. Pour in the broth and add the pancetta. Simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a spice bag or disposable tea bag with the peppercorns, juniper berries and bay leaf, and seal.

After the sauerkraut cooks for about 30 minutes, add the spice bag and apple sauce and let stew.

For the stuffing: Combine the marinated pheasant leg meat, egg white and cream in the mixer. Add the blanched vegetable cubes, parsley and fold in the pistachios. Season stuffing with salt and white pepper.

Preheat the oven to 150°C (approximately 300°F). Rinse the pheasant breasts, pat dry, cut crosswise and fill each with stuffing. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the pig cauls on a tea towel and drain. Wrap each stuffed pheasant breast in a piece of pork caul and sear each side in hot oil. Then, put the breasts in the oven and cook for about 15-18 minutes until done.

Meanwhile, pass the sauce through a sieve, mix with the crème de cassis and thicken to taste with a bit of cornstarch which has been mixed with some cold water.

For the glazed chestnuts: Let the sugar caramelize in a saucepan until light brown. Add the chestnuts and cook, turning continuously. Season with salt and pour in the vegetable broth. Cover the chestnuts and cook for about another 3 minutes, then serve as soon as possible.

Remove the pancetta and the spice bag from the sauerkraut and season with salt, pepper and sugar.