Red Wine-Braised Partridge
By Andrew Zimmern
After a great day in the field, I’m headed to my grill to make patridge a la cacciatora. Cacciatora, which translates to “in the hunter’s style,” is rooted in the thousand year old cucina povera philosophy—traditional humble Italian cooking that’s about creating great meals with what’s at hand, highlighting seasonal ingredients without waste, making more out of less. It’s a simple braise of game birds stewed in red wine with vegetables, and it’s a great use for partridge. I like to brine the birds, then grill them before adding to the rich base, an extra step that adds a bit of smoke and the kiss of the fire to this incredible dish. Served alongside gnocchi and grilled crusty bread, it doesn’t get better than this.
Watch this episode of Field to Fire on Outdoor Channel and Tastemade.
Partridge a la Cacciatora
Ingredients
Patridge
- 4 partridges
- 2 quarts water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries, lightly crushed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup diced pancetta
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- Hot chile flakes to taste
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced fennel
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon Andrew Zimmern’s Italian Seasoning
- 2 cups red wine
- 3 cups Sam Marzano tomato puree
Serving
- Crusty bread
- Cooked gnocchi (recipe)
Instructions
In a large pot, combine the water, sugar, salt and juniper berries. Whisk to dissolve. Add the partridges, and brine the birds for 24 hour or overnight in the fridge.
Drain and dry. Rub the partridge quarters with the olive oil and Italian seasoning blend. Set aside while you prep your sauce ingredients.
Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until light brown and rendered. Add the garlic, chile flakes, onions, mushrooms, carrots, fennel, rosemary and parsley. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until the vegetables are lightly browned. Stir in the Italian seasoning.
Pour in the red wine. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the wine has evaporated by half. Add the tomatoes. Cook for another 10 minutes and set aside to rest.
Cut the partridges into quarters. Season the pieces with olive oil and salt. Grill the partridge over medium direct heat. Grill the breasts for about 5 minutes, you want to keep your breast meat “pink,” and let the dark quarters slowly cook about 10 minutes longer.
Place the grilled partridge in the sauce, cook to warm it all up together for 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and ground pepper.
Serve, alongside some gnocchi and crusty grilled bread. Garnish with extra parsley or chives.
