Pheasant with Bacon and Prunes

Wash the pheasant, pat dry and rub the outside with salt and pepper. For the stuffing, skin and chop the sausages. Mix in the ground cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Shred the lemon rind finely. Stone and roughly chop the prunes. Add both to the stuffing and mix well. Stuff the pheasant, sew closed, then cover with bacon rashers and tie with kitchen string.

Skin the onions and cut into very thin rings. Heat the oil in a flameproof roasting tin or large pan and briefly sweat the onions with the bay leaves. Add the pheasant and brown on all sides. When the pheasant is browned on all sides add the red wine and vinegar. Put a lid on the roasting tin, reduce the heat and braise the pheasant for about 1 hour.

For the sauce, wash and dry the spring onions. Discard the green parts and cut the white parts into thin rings. Peel and finely dice the carrots. Thinly slice the celery hearts. Blanch the prepared vegetables in plenty of boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Stone and dice the prunes. Take the cooked pheasant out of the roasting tin and remove the kitchen string.

Add the Chianti and Vin Santo to the cooking juices in the tin, season with salt and heat through. Mix the sauce with the blanched vegetables and the chopped prunes. Halve the pheasant and serve on a platter with the prune and vegetable sauce and a sprig of bay leaves.