Perdiz con Chocolate

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy lidded casserole, about 28cm wide
• •Mortar and pestle
• •Food mill or stick blender
• •Sturdy kitchen shears
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the birds

   Check the partridges for pinfeathers and, if they are wild, for any stray shot. Do not rinse them. Pat them thoroughly dry, season inside and out with 6g of the salt and all the pepper, and leave them for 30 minutes while you prepare the vegetables. Heat the oven to 160°C.

   The cooking time is based on young farmed partridges. An older wild bird may need another 20 to 35 minutes and a little extra water.
2. 2

   Toast the picada

   Heat 15ml of the olive oil in a 28cm heavy casserole over medium-low heat. Fry the bread cubes until crisp and golden, about 3 minutes, then lift them out. Add one whole garlic clove and cook until pale gold, about 2 minutes. Remove it. Toast the almonds in the same casserole for 2 to 3 minutes, moving them constantly so they colour without scorching. Set the bread, garlic, and almonds aside for the picada.

3. 3

   Brown the partridges

   Add the remaining 30ml olive oil and the lard to the casserole. Raise the heat to medium-high. Brown the partridges on the breast, back, and both sides until the skin is a deep hazelnut colour, 10 to 12 minutes altogether. Give each surface time against the pan. Pale skin adds nothing to the sauce. Transfer the birds to a plate.

4. 4

   Cook the sofregit

   Lower the heat and add the onions and carrot to the same casserole. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring often and scraping up the browned juices, until the onion is dark gold, soft, and jammy. Mince the remaining two garlic cloves, add them, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the crushed tomato and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until nearly all its water is gone and the oil shows around the edges. This slow sofregit gives the sauce its sweetness. Rush it and the wine will taste thin and sharp.

5. 5

   Reduce the wine

   Pour in the brandy and let it bubble for 1 minute. Add the red wine, bring it to a lively simmer, and reduce it to about 120ml, which takes 10 to 12 minutes. The smell should lose its raw alcoholic edge and turn rounder and more like cooked fruit.

6. 6

   Braise until tender

   Return the partridges to the casserole breast-side up. Add the stock, bay leaf, and thyme; the liquid should come roughly halfway up the birds. Bring it just to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven. Braise for 35 minutes, turn the birds onto their backs, and cook for another 25 to 35 minutes. They are ready when the legs move easily at the joint and the thickest part of the thigh reaches at least 74°C. Transfer them to a warm plate and cover loosely.

7. 7

   Pound the picada

   Discard the bay and thyme. Pass the vegetables and braising liquid through a food mill, or blend them directly in the casserole with a stick blender. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sauce lightly coats a spoon. Meanwhile, pound the toasted almonds, fried bread, fried garlic, and parsley in a mortar. Add 60ml of the sauce and work it into a thick paste, then pound in the 20g of chopped chocolate.

8. 8

   Finish without boiling

   Turn the sauce to its lowest heat and stir in the chocolate picada. Cook very gently for 5 minutes, stirring, without letting it boil. Add the sherry vinegar, then taste before adding any of the remaining 2g salt. The finished sauce should be dark, glossy, and savory, with the chocolate felt as depth rather than sweetness. If it becomes too thick, loosen it with water 15ml at a time.

9. 9

   Portion and serve

   Split each partridge lengthwise through the breastbone and back, using sturdy kitchen shears. Nestle the four halves in the sauce and warm them over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, still without boiling. Spoon plenty of sauce over each serving and bring the rest to the table. Serve with plain potatoes or good bread, which is there to catch the sauce and knows its job.

Chef Tips

• •Buy plump partridges with unbroken skin, preferably 450 to 550g each. Frozen birds are perfectly useful. Thaw them for a full day in the refrigerator, then dry them well or they will stew before they brown.
• •If partridge is unavailable, use eight large farmed quail. Brown them in batches and braise for 25 to 30 minutes. Quail makes a milder sauce and gives each person two small birds, but it respects the same method.
• •Use chocolate containing 85% cacao and weigh 20g. A sweeter bar makes the sauce taste confused, while unsweetened baking chocolate can make it severe. This isn't a pudding wearing feathers.
• •Canned whole peeled tomatoes are the sensible choice during partridge season, when fresh tomatoes are usually not worth buying. Drain them before weighing so the sofregit reaches its dark, concentrated stage without an extra half-hour of cooking.
• •Use a dry red wine you would willingly drink. A young Navarra Garnacha or Catalan Garnatxa suits the bird and can go to the table afterward. Avoid a very sweet, heavily oaked wine, which fights the chocolate.
• •Cooked partridge keeps for up to three days, covered in its sauce and refrigerated. Reheat it gently, adding a spoonful of water if the picada has tightened the sauce overnight.

Advance Preparation

• •The bread, almonds, and garlic for the picada can be toasted one day ahead. Cool them completely and keep them covered at room temperature; pound them with the parsley and chocolate only when finishing the sauce.
• •The whole dish can be made one day ahead and is better settled overnight. Cool the birds in their sauce, refrigerate within two hours, then reheat covered over low heat until the thighs reach 74°C.
• •If cooking for guests, braise and portion the birds earlier in the day. Finish the sauce with its picada during the final 15 minutes, then return the partridge halves just long enough to warm through.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)