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Are you game for a classic English dish of pheasant
The game season is nearly at an end so now’s the time to enjoy these great meals, writes Clare Latimer
THE game season is coming to an end so this is the time to have your last gamey cook up until next autumn.
I have casseroled the partridge because at the end of the season obviously the birds are a little tougher and older.
Pheasant is not so tricky due to having more breast and therefore no tender meat anyway.
Either way they are both wonderful, rich and very English dishes and all the better for having a season so we get the break and then a new start – so do the birds for that matter!
Partridge Casserole with Winter Vegetables
Lovely wintery casserole and best served with fluffy mashed potatoes. No need for extra vegetables so makes this dish easy to serve.
Ingredients
Serves four
1kg Savoy cabbage, cored and cut into wedges;
Four partridges, plucked and gutted;
Two tbsp vegetable oil;
Six thick slices streaky bacon;
One desp juniper berries, crushed;
Three carrots, cut into One cm slices;
Two sticks of celery;
125ml dry white wine;
200ml chicken stock;
Four small onions, peeled; and studded with four cloves;
Bouquet garni;
One tbsp red wine;
One tsp cornflour;
Two tbsp chopped fresh parsley.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C 350°F Gas mark 4.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the cabbage wedges.
Leave to simmer for five minutes until almost tender, then drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole and add the partridges.
Cook for 10 minutes until browned on all sides. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Allow the casserole to cool slightly, then line the base with the bacon slices.
Add half the cooked cabbage, the crushed juniper berries and season well with salt and pepper.
Put the partridges on top and surround with the carrots. Cover with the remaining cabbage and pour over the wine and stock.
Add the onion and bouquet garni to the casserole, pushing them well down into the cabbage.
Cover the casserole and cook in the oven for about one hour, or until the partridge and carrots are tender.
Transfer the partridge to a serving dish and cover with foil to keep warm.
Using a slotted spoon, arrange the vegetables and bacon around the birds, leaving the juices behind in the casserole.
Discard the bouquet garni. Remove cloves from onions.
Put the casserole over a high heat and bring the juices to the boil. Leave to simmer for about 15 minutes to reduce by half.
Stir the red wine into the cornflour and mix to a paste. Whisk this into the juices and stir the sauce until smooth and thickened.
Season to taste. Pour over the sauce and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
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