Pheasant à la Gitana (Pheasant, Gypsy Fashion) is a traditional British recipe, based on Charles Elmé Francatelli's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of pheasant fried in butter with bacon and garlic and which is finished by stewing gently with onions, tomatoes and sherry and coloured with paprika. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Pheasant, Gypsy Fashion (Pheasant à la Gitana).
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Pheasant à la Gitana that's derived from the chef, Charles Elmé Francatelli' 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
No. 481,—PHEASANT A LA GITANA
Truss a pheasant as for boiling, put it in a stewpan with half a pound of streaky bacon cut into squares of about an inch; add an ounce of butter and a clove of garlic; fry all together over the fire, until the pheasant has become equally browned all over; then pour off all grease, add two Portugal onions, and four ripe tomatas, sliced thin, and two glasses of sherry; put the lid on, and set the stewpan to stew gently over a slow fire for about three-quarters of an hour, gently shaking the pheasant round occasionally; just before dishing up, add a teaspoonful of sweet red Spanish pepper.
Note.—All kinds of game and poultry, or indeed all kinds of meat, or firm-fleshed fish, are most excellent when dressed à la Gitana, or gipsy fashion.
Melt the butter in a large pan, add the pheasant, bacon and garlic and fry over medium heat, turning the pheasant over until it is evenly browned all over. Pour off all the fat from the pan then add the onions and tomatoes.
Pour in the sherry, secure a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for about 45 minutes, or until the pheasant is tender. Occasionally stir or shake the pan during the cooking time to ensure the contents do not catch and burn.
Just before serving, stir in the paprika then transfer the pheasant to a serving dish, pour over the sauce and serve.
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