Judías con Perdiz Toledanas

Judías con perdiz are Toledan, from Castilla-La Mancha's hunting country: white beans cooked with partridge until the bird gives up its strength to the pot and the beans turn creamy around it. This is cocina de cuchara, spoon food, and it isn't a thin bean soup with a bird dropped in at the end. The partridge must season the beans, and the beans must soften in that gamey broth.

The method that decides it is the sofrito, the slow onion base. Cook the onion, carrot, garlic, and tomato low until the onion is dark gold and the tomato has lost its raw water. Rush it and the stew tastes pale. Give it time and the broth has the sweetness and depth this dish needs, because partridge is lean and won't flatter a weak base for you.

If you can't find red-legged partridge where you are, use pheasant legs or small quail. Pheasant is closer in flavour but may take longer; quail is smaller and gentler, so add it after the beans have begun to soften or it will fall apart before the beans are ready. No hace falta haber pisado España. You do need dried beans soaked overnight, a real bird with bones, and patience.

In the Margin beside this dish I keep one warning: don't boil it hard. A steady tremble gives tender beans and a clear, deep broth. A hard boil breaks the skins and dries the bird. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.