Spit Roasted Partridges with Cabbage and Squash

Put a little rosemary and a teaspoonful of butter in each partridge. Season each bird liberally all over with salt and fresh black pepper. Thread the birds on to the spit.

Wrap a bacon slice over the wings of each bird and then tie some string around to secure. Wrap a slice of bacon around the breast of the birds and secure with a cocktail stick.  Picture  .

Start the charcoal in the barbecue. Meanwhile prepare the squash  Recipe   omitiing the chilli. Peel and chop an onion. Take off the outer leaves of the cabbage cut into four, cut away the core and cut into slices. Cut a few slices of streaky bacon into lardons.

Cut up a foil roasting dish to make a drip tray. When the barbeue is ready, make a space and put in the drip tray, put the spit over the charcoal  Picture   and start up the spit  Picture  . Put a couple of glasses of red wine into the drip tray along with a good tablespoonful of olive oil and baste the partridges every five minutes or so. Cook for around twenty five minutes using a pointed knife to check when the juices run clear from the legs.

Meawhile brown the lardons in a tablespoonful of olive oil over a medium heat in a saute pan. Chop the onions, add to the bacon turning the heat down and stirring from time to time until the onions are soft but not brown. Add the cabbage and stir in with a few tablespoonfuls of oil, season with salt and pepper and stir for a while. Cover, turn the heat right down and cook until barely tender. Take off the heat and keep warm  Picture  .

When the partridges are ready, take off the spit  Picture  , cut into two to produce two breast/wing/leg joints, then cut into two, put into a dish and keep warm over the barbecue.

Assemble the cabbage and squash, put a portion of cabbage into serving plates, put partridge joints on top, and surround with some squash segments. Moisten with some of the drip tray juice and serve  Zoom  . This as good.