..and a (Spanish) partridge in a pear tree
This recipe is intended to be prepared with an actual Partridge. In my case, I used Hungarian Partridges (compliments of my friendly hunter-neighbor). However, if your local grocery doesn't carry partridges, you could easily substitute game hens or pheasant.
Toledo (Spain)-Style Partridge
Ingredients for 4:
- 2-4 partridges, cleaned and split in half
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt
- 3 tbsps Spanish virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp plain four
- 1tbsp white wine vinegar
- 250ml (8 fl oz) chicken stock
- 1 wineglass dry white wine
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 tbsp bitter dark chocolate, grated
Preparation:
Sprinkle
salt and pepper over the partridges. Heat the oil in a deep, flameproof
casserole, add the birds and fry for about 5 minutes until golden brown
on all sides. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a further 4-5
minutes, until softened.
Now make a roux, by stirring in the flour, then add the stock, wine, vinegar, bay leaves and cloves. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring constantly, and season with a little salt and pepper.
Cover the casserole and leave to cook very gently for about 30-40 minutes, until the birds are tender. Stir in the grated chocolate, cover and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Remove the birds to a heated serving dish and strain the sauce over them.
Try this dish with a 'gamey' red wine. Reds containing the Mourvèdre grape (known as Monastrell in Spain) usually fit this description. Two to try:
1. Carchelo Tinto '03 ($8) from the Jumilla D.O.
2. Louis Bernard Lirac '99 ($12) from the Southern Rhone Valley of France
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