Ingredients
- 4 partridges
- Olive oil
- 100 cubed pancetta or lardons
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 shallots, chopped
- Thyme
- 8/10 vacuum packed or canned chestnuts
- 100 ml port
- 200 ml red wine
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 2 teasp redcurrant jelly
- 10 juniper berries
- 1 teasp tomato purée
- 1 large carrot cut into small dice
- 4 rashers of streaky bacon grilled
- Some puff pastry for making fleurons to decorate
Method
- Sear the partridge in the olive oil in a large casserole and remove.
- Sauté shallots, garlic, carrot and bacon together.
- Add the partridges breast side down and pour over the port and wine.
- Add the stock and the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil.
- Season, cover and cook for 20 minutes in the oven. Remove the lid and cook for a further 5 mins.
- Bring out of the oven and leave to cool before separating the breasts and legs.
- Separate the legs from the breast and place into a dish for reheating later.
- Pour some stock or a little of the sauce and cover with foil and keep until ready to reheat.
- Drain the sauce keeping the vegetables and bacon to one side. Boil rapidly to reduce a little. The sauce shouldn't be too thick but if you need to, then whisk in little blobs of beurre manié (equal quantities of butter and flour needed together)
