I recorded on yesterday's blog that on Sudbury Market, earlier in the day, I purchased a brace of partridges. This afternoon Freja borrowed one of her Grannie's cookery books, looked up partridges (roast) and prepared them for dinner this evening. She wrapped each of them in a rasher of lean bacon, and made a sauce of cream, boiled onions, and various herbs and spices. Looking back, I can't think why I didn't buy three partridges. I've always said that a partridge is the correct size to feed one person. In fact, the two birds fed the three of us quite satisfactorily, but one each would have been easier for Freja to prepare and serve. As a dish it was a resounding success with all of us.
Above is Freja sitting down to her meal, and still wearing her cook's apron, and an air of quiet triumph at her culinary success, she being a true Horner (and therefore, of course - modest). We all enjoyed our evening meal immensely. Her late father did a great deal of shooting in the forests of Northern Sweden. He always made up his recipes as he went along, but never kept a record of them.
This always seemed a pity to me, but he obviously taught his daughters well. I've eaten everything he shot or caught from elk down to freshwater fish, over their thirty years of marriage, and I never knew him to use a cookery book; or to cook a less than perfect, locally sourced, meal, so his system of memory, and tasting and adjusting as he went along, worked well for him, and I think his daughter has inherited his skills.
Good night all.
3 comments:
She certainly didn't get it from me! Glad to see that she's taking good care of you both xxx
When we have partridges, we carve and eat the breasts and then I retrieve the legs and make soup.
Hello Z. I think you're right. W do exactly the same with wood pigeons, for the same reasons - the breasts are about eighty per cent of the meat, and it's the easiest way to prepare them. Must close. Ann's calling out that porridge is ready.
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