Recipes, Game Bird Recipes

Tandoori partridge recipe

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Partridge often arrive at the table in more traditional forms, so here’s a partridge recipe that’s a little more exciting. It’s important to remove the skin to allow the spice marinade to penetrate the meat, rather than come away with the skin. The flesh stays tender, protected by the yoghurt marinade.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Method

  1. Remove the skin entirely from the partridge, then halve them lengthways through the carcass, keeping the legs attached. Pat them dry before marinating.
  2. Place all the ingredients (except the ghee) in a blender and blitz until completely smooth.
  3. Put the partridge halves in a container and pour the marinade over them. Gently turn the birds in the marinade, cover with a lid, and leave in the fridge for at least 6-hours.
  4. When ready to cook, skewer the birds through the base of the leg meat, straight through the breast and wing, ensuring all the breasts are on the same side. I usually fit four halves per skewer, but two might be easier to manage.
  5. Prepare the barbecue by loading it generously with charcoal. Light it and allow the embers to turn grey, orange, and pulsing.
  6. Brush the partridge all over with the marinade and melted ghee, then generously salt them.
  7. Arrange the skewers over the charcoal, ensuring they aren’t too close to the heat. Put the lid on and cook for approximately 8-minutes on each side (or less if needed). The meat should still be slightly pink in the centre of the breast.
  8. Remove from the skewers and serve with finely shredded iceberg lettuce, red onion, green chilli, young coriander stems, and slices of ripe tomato. Dress the salad with a little salt and white wine vinegar, and serve with lemon wedges.

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Valentine Warner is a chef, food writer, business owner and broadcaster, with a deep interest in nature, travel and provincial food. He describes his cooking style as ‘International Grandmother’ and combines his strong sense of storytelling with his infectious love of cookery. Val has a deep respect and understanding of ingredients, both wild and cultivated, and has the instinctive ability to rustle up hearty and wholesome meals from whatever’s available. Val is an avid proponent of native food sources, and finds common ground with Swaledale in their work to deliver top-notch meat, within a truthful, ethical and high welfare framework. Originally a trained portrait painter, Val has also authored 5 cookbooks, managed his own catering company and is a co-owner of Taqueria, a West London Mexican cafe. Val is also a partner in the Hepple Distillery in Northumberland and Holmen Lofoten hotel on arctic Norway’s Lofoten island.