Partridge stew recipe with pancetta, chick peas and baby chorizo

Photo by Steve Lee, from Venison: The Game Larder

Ingredients2 partridges100g onion, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, finely chopped150g pancetta, cut into largelardons1 good sprig thyme4 baby chorizo cut into 2cm slices20g tomato purée100ml white wine1 litre white chicken or gamebird stock1 litre passata1 tin chick peas250g tomatoes, deseeded anddiced large1 tsp chopped oregano

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Serves 4

A warm and filling partridge stew recipe using tomato and chorizo paired with partridge. This is my take on a dish I saw in Spain and is great for a shoot lunch as it’s so easy to make. For our shooting party, we matched it with two wines: a Vega Naum Albariño and a Monte Real Reserva de Familia. Abariño is one of my favourite wines from Galicia. It has a fantastic fresh balance of fruit and acidity and the Monte Real Reserva de Familia is the family reserve with oak, vanilla and spice all present in this king of reds. It’s best, but not essential, to prepare the sauce in advance and refrigerate overnight. Sweat the onion and garlic in a little olive oil on a low heat for 3 minutes, but don’t colour. Then add the pancetta and thyme, cook for another 3 minutes, the add the chorizo and continue to cook until the onion is soft. Add the tomato purée, cook for 1 minute, then pour in the wine and reduce by half. Add the stock, reduce by half again, and add the passata. Season and allow to cook for 20 minutes.Remove the wishbones from the partridges then take off the legs and the breasts. Season and fry the legs in olive oil to colour but not cook. If you have chilled the sauce, re-heat it then add the legs, cover, and cook at a simmer for 40 minutes.Fry the seasoned partridge breast in olive oil for 2 minutes on each side and add to the sauce with the chopped tomatoes, chick peas and oregano. Cook for a further 10 minutes until the breasts are tender, then serve.