FLAMING PARTRIDGE FLATBREADS
We’d been run off our feet all day, trying to juggle production for Goat Rodeo Goods, an upcoming event and general farm work. None of us had eaten all day and were getting ratty. A rummage through the fridge, freezer and polytunnel turned up a handful of ingredients.
This recipe was thrown together just as the sun was starting to set at Gartur on a crisp March evening. We had about 45 minutes until sundown and we had all of the feels it was going to be a good one.
If you haven’t had it before, partridge is very tender, with slightly sweet undertones and is generally less gamey than other game birds. This recipe works with with pheasant or chicken as well.
If you’re a legend cooking this over a fire, light your fire/ BBQ and stoke it up (I prefer to use a mixture of local lump wood charcoal and seasoned wood). Let your fire get roaring hot whilst you prep the below so by the time you come to cook on it the wood and charcoal is glowing with flakey white and greyness and ready to put a grill on top.
Of course you can cook this in a frying pan in your kitchen too, but it’s just not quite as fun.
Chicken Fried Chicken of the Woods
Ingredients
- 1 large section of Chicken of the Wood Mushroom (about 1kg)
- 1 litre (4 US cups) water
- 40g salt
- 240g (2 US cups) of plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 230ml (1 US cup) of ale
- 2 cups of crushed corn flakes (if you want to substitute bread crumbs here, do, but corn flakes really do give a superior crispiness to the batter).
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- vegetable oil for frying
Method
- Method:
- Clean the mushroom, ensuring you remove all tree bark from the mushroom, especially if it was found on a yew tree.
- Cut off any dry or flaking bits at the edges and slice into pieces roughly 1cm thick.
- Mix up the brine and let the pieces soak for about 5 minutes while you mix up the batter.
- Add all the ingredients for the batter to a bowl, except the corn flakes. Mix into a smooth, thick batter.
- Crush the cornflakes and place in a shallow pan.
- Remove the mushrooms from the brine and pat dry. Dunk each piece individually into the batter, then coat with bread crumbs.
- Heat about 1cm of oil in a frying pan. Working in small batches, lightly fry off the breaded mushrooms, roughly 2 minutes each side to seal.
- Once browned, place mushrooms on a tray and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 180c/360F and ensure they are fully cooked
- Serve with garlic mayo or in a wrap or taco.
Serves: 2 (2 flatbreads each)
Prep/cooking Time: 45 minutes
4 Partridge Breasts
2 Tablespoons Goat Rodeo Goods BBQ Rodeo Rub
Olive oil
Flatbread:
3 Tablespoons Greek Yoghurt (full fat)
6 heaped tablespoons self-raising Flour + some for dusting
Pinch of salt
Drizzle of oil
Tzatziki:
5 Tablespoons Greek Yoghurt (full fat)
1 Cucumber, halved and deseeded
A squeeze of Lemon Juice
Handful of Mint, chopped
Handful of Dill, chopped
Salt and Pepper
To Serve:
Pickles
Salad
Coriander
Lime
Prepare the Partridge:
Place 2 pieces of baking parchment over the partridge breasts a whack with a meat tenderiser, rolling pin or one of the more menacing looking kitchen utensils. You’re not trying to knock it into next Tuesday, just soften the ode bird up a bit and flatten it out so it cooks evenly. It should be roughly 1cm thick.
Generously cover the pheasant in the BBQ Rodeo Rub and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
Make the Flatbread Dough:
In a bowl, add the flour, yoghurt, and a pinch of salt, and mix with your hands to make a dough. If it's too wet, add more flour, if it's too dry and doesn’t want to come together then add more yoghurt.
Bring it together into a ball and then knead it on the work surface until it's smooth, only about a minute—it really doesn’t need much kneading.
Split your dough ball into four, and gently stretch the dough out to form a circular(ish) shape. It should be roughly the thickness of a pound coin (¼ inch). Dust each side with a little flour and rest under a tea towel until you are ready to cook.
For the Tzatziki
Grate the cucumber add a pinch of salt and then squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can.
Mix in a bowl with the yoghurt, herbs, lemon, and black pepper.
To Cook:
When your fire/ bbq is ready, add a drizzle of olive oil to the partridge breasts and stick them on the grill for about 2-3 minutes until they have browned on one side.
Flip them over and do the same again. The internal temperature needs to reach 62℃.
Take them off the grill and let them rest—always rest the breast!
If cooking indoors, heat a splash of oil in a nonstick pan on medium heat. Cook the partridge breasts until brown on one side (approx 2-3 minutes).
Flip over and do the same again until the internal temperature reaches 62℃.
Take them out and leave them to rest.
Drizzle a little oil over your flatbreads and add those to the grill (or the pan) while the breasts are resting.
After a minute or so, flip them over and do the same again. You want them to start to brown in parts. It is one of the reasons I love stretching these by hand rather than with a rolling pin as they have an uneven texture that browns in parts beautifully.
To Build the Flatbreads:
To serve, add a small handful of salad, a dollop of tzatziki, and some pickles to a piece of flatbread (I’ve used the Goat Rodeo Goods Rodeo Disco ones on here).
Slice your partridge breast and pile on top. Garnish with a few coriander leaves and a squeeze of lime.
Enjoy the sunset and scran away!
