Now that the Glorious Twelfth has passed (and if you’re reading this in Ballymena or East Belfast, I don’t mean that Glorious Twelfth, as you very well know), lots of tasty little birds will soon be winging their way down from the Scottish grouse moors to hang in the front window of your local game dealer.
Or possibly not. Bit of a problem. The days of double-barrelled names with double-barrelled shotguns standing in their tweeds knee-deep in the heather, ready to take a pop at a 60mph flash of red feathers, would appear to be over.
There were reports at the weekend that most Scottish estates had postponed the start of the season, and many have cancelled it completely. There aren’t enough birds to shoot, and no one seems entirely sure why. Some blame an infestation of parasitic worms, some blame incompetent moor management, some just blame the weather.
Whatever, it’s all a bit of a shame. Unless you’re a class warrior or a member of the League Against Cruel Sports, there’s no reason to disapprove of grouse shooting. Unlike pheasant or partridge, they can’t be reared in captivity and released purely for sport: they’re wild. And a lot of the £70 million a year that the business earns goes back into managing the moors and the ecosystems they support, protecting the grouse from predators and maintaining the heather. What’s not to like?
Anyway, assuming you have managed to lay hands on a few of the little blighters, what are you to do with them? Wrapped in bacon and simply roasted, they’re delicious, but the estimable Scottish chef Nick Nairn fries the breasts and serves them with skirlie, a traditional Scots dish of onion and oatmeal. Good idea.
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INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
Prep 30min
Cook 30min
8 grouse
1tbsp olive oil
50g goose fat
1 onion, chopped
125g medium oatmeal
300ml red wine
450ml grouse stock
1tbsp redcurrant jelly
25g unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
METHOD
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Remove the breasts from the grouse and pull off the skin. Use the legs and the carcasses to make stock.
Melt the goose fat in a frying pan and add the onion. Cook over a gentle heat until translucent and just beginning to colour. Stir in the oatmeal and cook very gently for 8-10mins, stirring constantly, until the oatmeal has absorbed all the fat and is toasted and crumbly. Season with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and keep warm.
For the sauce, put the red wine and redcurrant jelly in a saucepan and reduce to about 2tbsp. Add the grouse stock and boil to reduce by half. Taste and season. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter in small pieces.
Season the grouse breasts with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan until shimmering hot, and fry the grouse breasts for 2mins on each side. Remove from the heat, cover loosely with foil and rest the meat for 5mins.
To serve, pile the skirlie on four warmed plates, slice the grouse breasts and place on top, and pour the sauce around.