Perdiz al Modo de Alcántara

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Nonreactive covered container large enough to hold four partridges closely
• •Small frying pan
• •Food processor or sturdy mortar
• •Heavy lidded casserole, about 30cm wide
• •Kitchen string and small skewers
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Inspect the birds

   Check the cavities carefully and remove any remaining feathers, loose bone, or shot from wild birds. Wipe the partridges clean and pat them dry. Do not rinse them around the sink. Set the reserved livers aside with enough trimmed chicken liver to give you 160g in all.

   Farmed partridge is younger and cooks more predictably. A mature wild bird may need another twenty minutes in the covered pot, so judge tenderness as well as time.
2. 2

   Build the stuffing

   Melt 15g of the lard in a small frying pan over low heat. Add the onion and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until soft and pale gold. Add the garlic for the final minute, then spread everything on a plate and let it cool completely. Pulse the cold poultry livers in a processor until coarsely chopped, not liquid. Mix them with the onion, garlic, ground almonds, breadcrumbs, egg yolk, 5g salt, and 1g pepper. Fold in the foie gras and truffle now if using them.

3. 3

   Stuff and secure

   Divide the stuffing among the four partridges, filling each cavity loosely. Leave enough room for the filling to swell as it cooks. Close each opening with a small metal skewer or two wooden cocktail sticks, then tie the legs together with kitchen string. A packed-tight bird cooks unevenly, and pâté escaping into the wine is no one's idea of economy.

4. 4

   Steep in Port

   Fit the stuffed birds closely into a nonreactive container and pour over the 750ml Port. Cover and refrigerate at 4°C or colder for 48 hours, turning the birds every 12 hours so all sides spend time in the wine. Keep them refrigerated throughout; fortified wine adds flavor, but it does not make raw poultry safe at room temperature.

5. 5

   Drain and brown

   Lift the partridges from the Port and strain the liquid into a jug. Pat every surface of the birds thoroughly dry. Season them with the remaining 11g salt and 2g pepper. Melt the remaining 45g lard in a wide, heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the partridges on every side for 8 to 10 minutes in all, working in two batches if the pot is crowded. Set them on a plate.

6. 6

   Reduce the Port

   Pour the strained marinade into the casserole and scrape up the browned residue. Bring it to a full boil for 5 minutes, then continue boiling for 10 to 15 minutes, until reduced to about 350ml. The full boil makes a marinade that held raw poultry safe for the braise. Add the unsalted stock and bring the liquid back to a gentle simmer.

7. 7

   Braise gently

   Return the partridges and their collected juices to the casserole, breast sides up. Cover tightly and braise in a preheated 150°C oven for 70 to 90 minutes, turning each bird once after 40 minutes. The liquid should move gently, never hammer at a boil. They are ready when the legs yield at the joint and the centre of the stuffing reaches at least 74°C on an instant-read thermometer.

   If an older wild bird is still firm when the stuffing is safely cooked, keep braising it under the lid and check every 15 minutes. Add 50ml water only if the sauce threatens to catch.
8. 8

   Finish the sauce

   Move the partridges to a warm platter and rest them for 10 minutes. Skim excess fat from the braising liquid, then boil it uncovered for 8 to 12 minutes, until glossy and thick enough to leave a light coating on a spoon. Return any juices from the resting birds to the sauce. Taste before changing anything, because Port becomes sweeter and saltier as it reduces.

9. 9

   Serve the partridges

   Remove the string and skewers. Serve one small partridge per person, whole or split lengthwise to show the liver and almond filling. Spoon the dark Port sauce around the birds rather than drowning their browned skin. Plain mashed potato or good bread is enough beside it. The partridge has already done the talking.

Chef Tips

• •Order farmed partridges from a game butcher and ask for the livers. If the birds arrive without giblets, ordinary chicken livers are the sensible substitute. Calf liver is too strong and turns the stuffing heavy.
• •Foie gras and black truffle make the grand feast-day form tied to the dish's reputation. Use good fresh truffle or leave it out. A tired jarred truffle gives perfume from the liquid and very little from the truffle itself.
• •Use a proper ruby Port that you would willingly drink. Cooking wine is usually harsh and salted, and reducing it only concentrates the problem.
• •If partridge is unavailable, use eight farmed quail. Marinate them for 24 hours rather than 48, divide the stuffing among them, and begin checking after 35 minutes of braising. The result is gentler and less gamey.
• •Serve a dry, medium-bodied red from Extremadura, particularly one based on tempranillo. The sauce already carries the sweetness of Port, so the wine in the glass should be dry.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and keep them for up to two days. Reheat the birds covered in their sauce until the centre of the stuffing reaches 74°C.

Advance Preparation

• •Stuff the partridges and begin their Port bath exactly 48 hours before cooking. Turn them every 12 hours and keep them at 4°C or colder.
• •The almonds may be toasted and ground two days ahead, then kept airtight. Chop the onion and prepare the raw liver filling only when you are ready to stuff the birds.
• •For the best texture, braise the partridges on the day they will be served. They may rest in their finished sauce for up to one hour, then be reheated gently under the lid before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 375g)