Partridge Risotto

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Medium

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 35 mins

• 2 plump oven ready partridges
• 50g butter
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 300g Arborio rice
• 100ml dry white wine
• 1 litre hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp garlic flavoured olive oil
• 50g freshly grated Pecorino (or parmesan) cheese
• large handful of baby spinach leaves
• large handful of wild rocket
• shavings of Pecorino cheese to serve

Remove the breasts from the partridges (ask your butcher to do this for you). Set the breasts to one side. Skin the leg joints and slice the meat from the one then chop the meat into small pieces.

Melt half the butter in heavy-based pan. Add the onion and partridge leg meat, cook gently for 5 mins, stirring occasionally until the onion has softened. Pour in the wine and boil rapidly until almost completely evaporated. Add the rice and cook, stirring until the grains are all coated in the buttery juices.

Add a ladleful of the hot stock and simmer, stirring until absorbed. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time until the rice is tender but still retains some bite – this will take about 20 mins.

Heat the garlic, olive oil in a heavy based frying pan and fry the partridge breasts for 2-3 mins each side until golden brown and just cooked through. Transfer to a board and slice.

Stir in the remaining butter and grated Pecorino cheese into the risotto until melted, then stir in the spinach and rocket. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with the sliced breast meat and wild rocket to garnish.