Instructions
Step #1 - Roughly chop Carrots, Celery, Onion.
Step #2 - Season Partridge generously with Salt and Pepper.
Step #3 - Place Partridge in bottom of stock pot.
Step #4 - Add chopped Vegetables, Garlic and Bay Leaves to stock pot. Fill stock pot with 10 cups of water.
Step #5 - Add Salt, thyme and dash of poultry seasoning to stock then bring to a boil.
Step #6 - Reduce to simmer and cook for roughly 20 minutes or until Partridges are done, about 155-160 degrees.
Step #7 - Remove Partridges from simmering stock and allow to cool, but allow stock to continue cooking.
Step #8 - When birds are cool to the touch, peel breast meat from birds' carcasses and set meat aside.
Step #9 - Optionally - If you want to instill even more flavor in your stock, consider adding bird carcasses back to stock pot and let simmer for another 1 or 2 hours covered. Occasionally skim the fat off the top of the stock.
Step #10 - After simmering stock, put another empty stock pot in sink and set a colander over top of it. Pour stock mixture through colander, so the bird carcasses and vegetables are captured by colander. You can discard everything the colander captures.
Step #11 - Consider restraining through another colander lined with paper towels to remove small particles.
Step #12 - You should be left with a brownish liquid stock, with no large chunks or debris floating in it.
Step #13 - Set your sauce pot back on the stove and allow it to slowly come up to a boil on low medium heat.
Step #14 - While it's heating up, start making your dumplings.
Step #15 - Combine Flour, baking powder and salt.
Step #16 - Cut butter into dry mixture with pastry blenders.
Step #17 - Add milk, mixing with spatula.
Step #18 - If dough seems too loose, add a little more flour until you get a good consistency.
Step #19 - Once milk and flour are combined, dump out onto well-floured surface.
Step #20 - Flour a rolling pin and roll dough so it's flat and a little thicker than a pie crust.
Step #21 - Using a floured pizza cutter or knife, cut dough into even strips about 1 inch thick, they should look like really thick pasta noodles.
Step #22 - Take your long, 1-inch thick strips and cut those into sections about 2" long, you should end up with dumplings roughly 1" x 2", it doesn't matter if they aren't perfect.
Step #23 - Make sure stock is boiling and drop dumplings into stock 1 or 2 dumplings at a time, stirring the whole time.
Step #24 - Cook for 30 minutes or until dumplings are not doughy any longer.
Step #25 - Turn off heat and add cooked partridges back.
Step #26 - Sprinkle in Thyme and salt to taste then serve with fresh chopped parsley.
