Roast Pheasant With Ancho Chili Pesto and Corn Bread Stuffing

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium-size bowl. Add the corn bread crumbs and toss to combine. Add the cumin, teaspoon of salt, pepper, chicken broth and egg and stir well. Set aside.

2. Step 2

   To make the pesto, place the chilies in a small saucepan and cover with water. Simmer over medium heat until peppers are softened, about 10 minutes. Drain. Stem and seed the peppers. Chop the peppers with the garlic and ¼ teaspoon of salt and chop until they form a paste.

3. Step 3

   Use your fingers to carefully loosen the skin over the breasts on each pheasant. Place some of the ancho pesto under the skin on each bird. Fill the cavity of each bird with the stuffing. Do not overstuff them; if extra stuffing remains, place it in a small dish, cover and bake it with the pheasant.

4. Step 4

   Rub the olive oil over the skin of the pheasants and season them with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together to close the cavity. Place the birds in a large roasting pan.

5. Step 5

   Roast for 15 minutes, stopping to run a spatula under the pheasants to prevent sticking. Lower the oven to 350 degrees. Roast until the juices run slightly pink when pricked with a fork in the thickest part of the leg, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the string. Cut the pheasants in half and serve with the stuffing.