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Pan-roasted grey partridge with orzo pasta, mustard, cream, mushroom and tarragon sauce
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 250g orzo pasta
- vegetable oil, to stop pasta sticking
- 50g butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 50g button mushrooms, sliced
- 150ml white wine
- 250ml chicken stock
- 200ml double cream
- 2tsp Dijon mustard
- 2tsp tarragon (picked leaves)
- 2 whole partridges
Method
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil on the stove. Add the orzo pasta and cook for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked. Strain the pasta through a colander and plunge into cold water until the pasta is cold, strain again and then add a little vegetable oil to the pasta and mix well. This will stop the pasta sticking together while you cook the partridge and make your sauce.
Melt 25g of butter in a pan and add the shallots and garlic, sweat until soft and the shallots are translucent, add the sliced mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce by two-thirds. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce further to a coating consistency. Add the mustard and tarragon leaves, stir well and keep warm. Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas 4. Truss the partridges, season and fry in the remaining butter with a little vegetable oil. Baste well, then place in the oven for 15-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes.
Bring a pan of water to the boil and plunge the pasta into it for a few seconds, just to reheat it and wash off the oil. Drain well.
Bring the sauce to a light simmer, add the pasta and mix. Take the legs off the partridges and cut the breasts off the bone.
Serve one leg and breast on top of a spoonful of pasta.
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