delicious UK – April 2018

Whenyouhearthewordpigeon,trytoscruboutimagesofthemarauding,

scraggy flocks of one-legged birds pirating about busy city centres. Those are

feralpigeons;woodpigeonsareadiferentspecies.

Thewoodpigeonspendsalifeonthewing,duringwhichitcommandsvast

areasofwoodandopenfarmland.Therearenochainsintheirskyway.There

arenofencestokeepthemin,orkeeperstoshutthemup.Theyarewildand

freeand,asaresult,benefitfromacompletelynaturaldiet.What’smore,

they’recommon,sotheirnumberswilloccasionallybeculled.Allthismakes

themoneofthemostsustainableandhealthyformsofmeat we could hope to

eat.Beyondthat?Well,they’reincrediblydelicious.

Sorrel,theslenderherbaceousperennialplantmuchlovedforitsappley,

sourflavour,makesabeautifulsaucetoservealongside pigeon, cutting the

rich dark meat with its clean, sharp quality.

Lightly cured pan-roast
pigeon with sorrel sauce
andcrispybacon
SERVES4. HANDS-ON TIME 40 MIN, PLUS
AT LEAST 12 HOURS CHILLING

MAKE

AHEAD

Once removed from the brine,

thepigeonwillkeepcovered

inthefridgeforupto24hours.

FOOD

TEAM’S

TIPS

Buywoodpigeonbreastsfrom
butchers, larger supermarkets or
online from wildmeat.co.uk.
Ifyoucan’tgetholdofsorrel,usethe
same quantity of young leaf spinach and
wilt it with a squeeze of lemon juice.

•8woodpigeonbreasts (see tips)

• 1tbspoliveoil


• 8rashersstreakybacon


• Knob of butter
  •1shallot,finelychopped
  •100mlchickenorvegetablestock
  •150gsorrel,stalksremoved (see tips)


• 150ml double cream

FOR THE BRINE
•4tspsalt

• 6bayleaves


• 2garliccloves,bashed


• Small handful fresh thyme sprigs


• 500ml apple juice

1 Putalltheingredientsforthebrine
inapansetoveramediumheat.Bring
to a simmer, then remove from the heat
and leave to cool completely.

2 Putthepigeonbreastsinaglass/ceramic

bowlandpouroverthecooledbrine.Cover

andchillfor12hoursorovernight.

3 Removethepigeonfromthebrine(discard

the brine) and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Putonaplate,coverwithclingfilmand

chill until needed (see Make Ahead).

4 Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium

heat.Frythebaconuntilgoldenandstarting

to crisp. Turn up the heat and add the pigeon

breasts. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each

side(itneedstobepinkinthemiddle),then

transfer the pigeon and bacon to a plate.

Coverwithfoiltokeepwarm.

5 Lowertheheatandaddthebutter.When

it foams, add the shallot and cook, stirring

regularly,untilsoftened.Pourinthestock,

bringuptoasimmerandbubble until most

ofthe liquid has evaporated.

6 Cut the sorrel leaves into rough ribbons

andaddtotheshallot.Givethesorrelastir

to ensure the leaves are nicely wilted (see

tips).Addthecream,stir,thenbringthe

sauceuptoasimmer.Cookfor1-2minutes

untilthesaucehasthickenedslightly.

Season,thenremovethepanfromtheheat.

7 Divide the bacon among 4 warmed plates.

Slice the pigeon thickly and arrange next

to the bacon on the plates. Spoon the sorrel

sauceonto the plates and serve.

PER SERVING526kcals, 43.3g fat (18.4g

saturated),32.8gprotein,0.9gcarbs

(0.8gsugars), 2.4g salt, 0.5g fibre

WINEEDITOR’S CHOICESoft, oak-aged

riojas from Spain or Portuguese Douro

Valley reds are the best for wood pigeon.

*TS&CS: OFFER INCLUDES: £70 OFF 4-DAY AND 2-DA

Y COURSES;

£50 OFF

£240 C

OURSES;

£30 OFF

£195 C

OURSES AND

£20 OFF

£145 C

OURSES. THIS PROMOTION CANNOT BE US

ED IN CONJUNCTION

WITH ANOTHER OFFER; VISIT RIVERCOTTAGE.NET/TERMS-CANCELLATION FOR FULL BOOKING TERMS; RIVER

COTTAGE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REMOVE

THIS PROMOTION AT ANY TIME

PIGEON loves...Sweetfruitsuchasgooseberries,applesandplums,particularlywhenthey’restewedorfrieduntil
sticky-sweet.•Bigaromaticspices:trystaranise,chilli,ginger,garlicandvinegar.•Smokeandfire:barbecuingpigeonbreast
works a treat, as does smoking it or chargrilling it. Herbs such as thyme, rosemary and bay are all good things to get involved here.

5MORETHINGS

TOTRYWITHPIGEON

• For North African-style pigeon
  pittas, rub pigeon breasts with
  apoundedpasteofgarlic,cumin
  seeds, chilli powder, caraway seeds,
  paprika, salt and black onion seeds.
  Chargrill the breasts, then slice
  andstuffintohotpittas.Servewith
  yogurt, fresh mint and roast beetroot.


• Make pigeon rillettes, a rustic sort
  ofpâté.Slowlybraiseawholepigeon
  (seewildmeat.co.uk) in pork fat,
  garlicandthymeforseveralhours.
  When it’s very tender, shred the meat
  from the bone, mix with the cooking
  fat and season with salt and pepper.
  Whencooled,spreadthicklyontoast.


• Make a classic pigeon breast salad.
  Frypigeonbreastsuntiljustpink,
  thensliceandserveoverthetopofa
  saladmadewithcurlyendive,warm
  crunchy croutons and a sharp/sweet
  mustard dressing. Perfect.
  •Nexttimeyoumakecarbonara,give
  it a gamey twist. Sear pigeon breasts
  with the bacon/pancetta, remove and
  rest.Whenreadytoserve,slicethe
  breasts and toss through hot pasta
  with the egg and grated cheese.


• Try hot-smoking: lightly cured pigeon
  breasts(like the ones in the recipe,
  left)smokeinminutesandareso,
  so good. See p103 for hot-smoking
  instructions and find equipment at
  hotsmoked.co.uk.

54 deliciousmagazine.co.uk