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by Phil Vickery and Simon Boddy from Game, New Ways to Prepare, Cook and Cure (Kyle Books)

Prep time: 25 mins + cooling

Cooking time: 1-1¼ hrs

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Ingredients

Squash

1 small butternut squash, skin on if small

2-3 tbsp any oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

sugar, for sprinkling

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Polpettine

4-5 tbsp any oil

2 medium onions

2 garlic cloves, crushed

450-500g pheasant meat – breast and leg, including skin and any of the lovely fat

finely grated zest of 1 small unwaxed lemon

2-3 tbsp dried breadcrumbs

2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted

4-5 tbsp roughly chopped fresh parsley

2-3 tbsp shop-bought pomegranate molasses, or make your own (see recipe below)

Method

Squash

1.ÌýÌýÌý Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.

2.ÌýÌýÌý Cut the squash lengthways into 6 long slices.Ìý Take care as this can be a bit tricky.Ìý I tend to: cut it in half, scoop out the seeds with a dessert spoon; lay the cut side flat on the board; and then cut each half into 3 long slices with the skin left on.

3.ÌýÌýÌý Place in a baking tray, drizzle with the oil and lightly dust with salt and pepper and sugar.

4.ÌýÌýÌý Roast for 40 mins or until well browned and cooked through.Ìý Remove from the oven and leave to cool.Ìý This can be done well in advance.

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Polpettine

1.ÌýÌýÌý Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onions and garlic until they have taken on a little colour. Leave to cool.

2.ÌýÌýÌý Whizz the pheasant meat in a food-processor until you have a not too fine purée.

3.ÌýÌýÌý Spoon the pheasant into a bowl, add the cooled onions and garlic, lemon zest, breadcrumbs, pine nuts and parsley and mix thoroughly.

4.ÌýÌýÌý Slightly wet your hands and then mould the pheasant mixture into small balls roughly the size of a walnut.Ìý You will probably end up with around 12.

5.ÌýÌýÌý Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan (ovenproof if transferring it to the oven), add the polpettine and brown gently all over.Ìý You can cook them right through like this, which will take about 20 mins.Ìý Alternatively, once browned, pop into an oven preheated to 220C/Gas 7 and cook for 10 mins.

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To Finish

1.ÌýÌýÌý While the polpettine are cooking, cut the cooked flesh away from the skin of the squash in nice large pieces and warm through in the oven or microwave.

2.ÌýÌýÌý Once the polpettine are cooked, add the pomegranate molasses and swirl around the pan so that it coats the meatballs all over.Ìý Take care not to burn.

3.ÌýÌýÌý To serve, place the warmed squash in the middle of a warm plate and pile the polpettine in the centre.

To make your own pomegranate molasses, put 200ml pomegranate juice into a saucepan, add 2-3 tbsp caster sugar and gently bubble down to a syrup.Ìý Once nice and sticky, remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, then squeeze in the juice of 1 large lemon and stir.