Cabbage was considered a luxury by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, but today is has a humbler reputation. Philippa Davis’ cabbage ‘burrito’ with partridge spicy slaw is a fun, Tex Mex-inspired version of ‘stuffed’ cabbage. Plus, this is just one of many slaw variations.

For more fun game suppers, try pheasant nachos – on the table in less than 30 minutes.

CABBAGE ‘BURRITO’ WITH PARTRIDGE SPICY SLAW

Serves 2 as a main

Ingredients

Spicy slaw

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 small red chilli, finely sliced
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 200g red cabbage, finely sliced
• 10g coriander, finely chopped

Partridge marinade

• 4 partridge breasts, skin off and cut into 1cm thick strips
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed with a little salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 3 tsp olive oil

Tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 peeled garlic clove, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes

Burrito filling

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 red pepper, cored and cut into 0.5cm thick strips
• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

To wrap

• 4 large cabbage leaves ( I used savoy )
• 100g grated cheddar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

For the spicy slaw, mix everything together in a bowl and season.

For the partridge marinade, mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl with the partridge.

Leave for one hour in the fridge.

For the tomato sauce, on a low heat, sauté the garlic in the oil until it just starts to go golden.

Add the cinnamon and oregano then the tomatoes.

Season and simmer for 15 minutes.

For the ‘burrito’ filling, in a pan on a medium heat, fry the red onion, pepper and half the coriander in the olive oil until just starting to soften; this will take about five minutes.

Push the onions and pepper to one side of the pan, then fry the partridge and its marinade for a couple of minutes until cooked. Stir in the onions and peppers and remaining coriander.

To wrap, remove the thick part of the rib on your cabbage leaves then blanche in boiling water for two minutes.

Drain and cool.

Place a quarter of the partridge mix on a leaf and top with 20g of cheese. Roll up like you would a burrito or tortilla and place in a baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the leaves and partridge.

Top with the tomato sauce and the remaining cheddar.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Serve hot with a spoonful of slaw.