SATURDAY SUPPER

Pappardelle with grouse ragu Tim Siadatan, head chef at Padella Serves 4

— good-quality olive oil — 2 grouse — ½ onion, finely chopped — 1 celery stick, finely chopped — 1 carrot, finely chopped — 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped — 2 plum tomatoes, peeled and deseeded — 1 tbsp roughly chopped thyme, juniper and bay leaves (tied up in a muslin) — ½ tsp freshly ground cinnamon — 175ml red wine — 300ml chicken stock — 60g unsalted butter, cubed — 500g pappardelle — 60g Parmesan, finely grated, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Heat a pan large enough to fit both grouse in, on a medium heat, and add a touch of olive oil. Season the grouse with salt, then add to the pan. Cook until all sides of the birds have coloured (don’t be tempted to rush this stage as this is where you’ll create a lot of flavour). Once the grouse are beautifully golden, take the legs off each bird and put it all to one side.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan, then add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, tomatoes, herbs and cinnamon. Sweat for 25-30 minutes on a mediumlow heat until they are totally soft. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium-high and cook for five minutes, until slightly reduced. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then season with salt and pepper. Transfer everything (including the grouse) to a casserole dish, add a glug of excellent-quality olive oil and put on the lid, or tightly seal with tinfoil. Roast for 20 minutes, take out the crowns/breasts of the birds and continue cooking the legs and vegetables for another 40 minutes. Take out the legs and set aside.

Put the cooking liquid back on the hob, on a medium-high heat, and reduce until it thickens slightly. Take off the heat to cool, then remove the muslin bundle. Pull the breast off each crown and the meat off the legs and chop it all into small pieces (be careful of lead shot and small bones). Stir into the thickened sauce and add a good grind of pepper and salt, if necessary. You can chill this in the fridge for up to two days.

To serve, bring water to the boil in a pan and add salt. Heat the grouse ragu and the butter in a large saucepan, big enough to fit the cooked pappardelle as well. Cook the pappardelle for one minute less than instructed on the packet, then strain it, but be sure to retain the pasta water. Add the pappardelle to the ragu and stir vigorously over a medium heat, adding small ladlefuls of the pasta water as you go, to emulsify the sauce. The aim is a silky sauce that hugs the pasta ribbons. Serve on hot plates and finish with grated Parmesan on top.