Braised Partidge and Red Cabbage with a Blackberry Sauce

Well, I think we here in the UK can safely say that autumn has arrived. We probably could have said that it had arrived as of June as well, but this makes it official.

My attempts at cooking game last year didn't turn out that well; everything ended up too tough and overcooked. Well, this one moved me a little closer to victory over game birds. We did this one with 2 wood pigeons and 2 partridges. We found the flavor of the partridges more appealing. Not that I am against gamey flavors, but there is a line which can be crossed, and I think the wood pigeons were just a touch over the line. You're welcome to try if you like.

The blackberry sauce (with enough sweetness - you may want to keep an eye on adding more sugar and/or currant jelly) can be really nice if it is sweet enough to contrast and hold up to the gamey flavors of the meat. Yeah, this is autumn on a plate as far as I am concerned.

I used a few different recipes as *guidelines* but, in the end, I changed so many things about them that I can safely call this my own recipe.

BRAISED CABBAGE
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the bacon and saute off until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic, and saute until softened, but not allowing it to caramelize.

Turn the heat up to high and add the red wine and vinegar and deglaze the pan by scraping up any bits left on the bottom. Add the cabbage, ground cloves, sage and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir through thoroughly, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes and checking the seasoning as you go. Once the cabbage wilts down and has cooked to a texture with which you are happy, if you haven't finished the partridge, keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve.

PARTRIDGE
Rinse and dry out the partridges. Season inside and out with salt and pepper, brush with oil and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large, deep pot on medium-high heat. When hot, add the partridges and sear on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic and celery to the pot with a pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables are starting to go translucent, about 5-7 minutes. When this is done, add the partridges back to the pot, add the wine and stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until just done, 40 minutes or so. Meanwhile, make the sauce component.

SAUCE
Add the blackberries, blackcurrant jelly and 3 tablespoons of water to a small saucepan. Boil for 3 minutes or until the liquid in the bottom goes a bit thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat and set aside.

FINISHING
When the partridges are done, remove from the pot and set aside. Strain the liquid out of the pot, keeping the liquid and discarding the solids. Put the liquid in a clean saucepan over high heat. Reduce the liquid down to about 2 cups.

While this is happening (it may take awhile), after letting the birds rest for at least 10 minutes, remove the breasts and set them aside. Discard the bodies.

Mix the butter and flour together (this is a 'beurre manie', in case you're interested, used for thickening sauces) with a fork so it all sticks together. Add it to the stock along with the liquid left in the blackberry saucepan. Reduce down further, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add the blackberries in now and check the seasoning, adjusting as necessary with salt, pepper, sugar and blackcurrant jelly.

Place the breasts in the sauce and move around for 30 seconds or so to coat them and heat them through. Slice the breasts on the bias and place them on top of a mound of braised cabbage. Spoon sauce and some blackberries over and around. Serve hot.