Tony Singh serves up grouse dish to mark the start of the season

Top TV chef Tony Singh has marked the start of the grouse shooting season with a spin on a traditional dish.

Working with the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), the proud Scot has unveiled his new recipe: Grouse Parmo.

In a nod to the traditional ‘Parmo’, or ‘Teesside Parmesan’, Tony’s version combines the rich, gamey flavour of grouse with elements from the original dish.

“Here we take the king of game birds and make it a bit more fun and accessible, crossing it with a Teesside classic, the Parmo,” said Tony, who is currently starring on ITV show Cooking With the Stars.

The recipe incorporates a classic bread sauce in place of the traditional Béchamel and the dish is enhanced with a tomato sauce infused with redcurrant jelly.

He added: “The tomato and redcurrant sauce can be made two days in advance, as can the bread sauce and game chips—the rest is just before you serve.”

Lianne MacLennan from BASC Scotland said: “Tony’s inventive approach to cooking with game is sure to inspire more people to explore the rich flavours and sustainability benefits that game meat offers. This twist on a classic is sure to make the dish an option for home cooks.”

Grouse Parmo

Ingredients for 6

3 Birds, breast taken off and skinned, legs and bones to be used for game stock if you want.

100g plain flour

2 free-range eggs, beaten

75g Parmesan, grated

75g breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper

Method 

  • Season the flour and place in one bowl, put the beaten eggs in another bowl and the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
  • Dip each grouse breast piece in the flour, then dust off any excess and drop into the egg. Finally coat in the breadcrumb pressing it into the breast firmly.
  • Shallow fry the breast till golden and crispy and place in an oven proof tray, top with the bread sauce and sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and grill until it has some colour
  • To assemble, place some tomato and redcurrant sauce in the middle of the plate and place on a grouse breast. Serve the game chips on the side

Bread Sauce 

Ingredients

700ml milk

50g butter

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves

6 peppercorns

2 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

3 thyme sprigs

100g white breadcrumbs

Nutmeg – freshly grated about ½ of a nutmeg or a good pinch of ground Nutmeg

Method

  • Simmer the milk, butter, onion, cloves, peppercorns, garlic and herbs in a pan for 20 mins. Strain and return the liquid to the pan.
  • Add the breadcrumbs and simmer for 3-4 mins.
  • Add nutmeg, season and cover. This is to top the breast of Grouse

Redcurrant Jelly and Tomato sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

100ml red wine

1 tsp dried oregano

1 x 400g  tin of chopped tomatoes (or fresh cherry tomatoes 500g )

1 tbsp redcurrant Jelly

salt and pepper

Method 

  • Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion & garlic
  • Fry until translucent, then add the red wine. Allow to bubble fiercely until the volume of liquid has reduced by half, then add the oregano and tomatoes.
  • Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the lid.
  • Taste and add the redcurrant jelly.
  • Simmer for a further 10 minutes, uncovered, until you have a well-reduced sauce – you don’t want anything too wet for this dish as it will make the grouse soggy.

Game chips

2 Maris Piper potatoes  Vegetable oil, for frying  Smoked paprika  Chaat masala   Salt

Method 

  • Slice the potatoes as thinly as possible with a mandolin, sharp knife or a crinkle-cut knife.
  • Rinse the slices in cold water a couple of times and pat dry with a kitchen towel (this will help to remove the starch and make them crispier)
  • Heat oil to 170°c, deep-fry the potato slices for a couple of minutes until golden brown.
  • Drain any excess oil on a kitchen towel and season with salt, smoked paprika and the chaat masala