Partridges with green cabbage. Menorcan cuisine
Partridges with green cabbage ©Oriol Aleu

Partridges with green cabbage

Ingredients for 4 people
4 partridges •  8 outer leaves of green cabbage • 50g bacon fat • 50 g butifarró negre (black sausage) • 50g sobrassada • 50g streaky bacon • 1 dl white wine • vegetable mix for soup (carrot, celery, leek, turnip) • 1 onion • 1 pinch ground black pepper • 2 dl water or broth • salt • twine

Preparation
1. Peel and chop the onion and the soup vegetables. Blanch the cabbage leaves in salted water for 1 minute and put in cold water to cool down. Make 4 parts of the sausages and streaky bacon.
2. Melt the bacon fat in a pot. Salt and pepper the partridges and stuff them with a piece of each sausage and one of streaky bacon, then fry them on a high light for 2 minutes on each side.
3. Strain the cabbage leaves and roll each partridge in one or two of them. Close each bundle with twine.
4. Place the pot on the heat; fry the onion for 5 minutes and add the bundle of vegetables. Place the partridges in the pot and add the water and wine, but do not cover all the ingredients. Simmer for 40 minutes.
5. Remove partridges, strain and reduce the sauce for 10 minutes on a high light and serve.

One option is to prepare all the vegetables peeled and sliced​​, and the dish will be more complete. You can finish cooking in the oven, spread as usual.

Original partridges with green cabbage recipe from the book Minorca. Cooking and gastronomy. Triangle Postals. Photography: Oriol Aleu

See all Menorcan recipes.

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