Hampshire Game Pigeon Breasts

Hampshire

Quality wild game specialists. Locally sourced produce from the Wiltshire and Dorset area. Hand prepared and packaged for delivery to your door. Pigeon pate is the perfect way to use up those extra pigeon breasts. It makes for a wonderful accompaniment to a bread and wine lunch or, when the weather perks up, great for a picnic. It is also very quick to make, perfect if you have unexpected guests coming for the weekend. Have a go at Mike Robinson’s recipe.

2 fillets per person 4 fillets per pack Pigeon breasts are a very popular restaurant dish. Like most wild birds, all the meat is on the breast - all that flying means big muscles! Perfect pan-fried as a starter or light meal. These wood pigeons are shot on well-managed estates in Cumbria and North Lancashire. Perfect with roast vegetables and a red wine sauce, or on top of a bed of pasta with an earthy mushroom sauce. Carefully cut the duck skin from the duck breast, then very finely chop the skin. Reserve 12 bacon rashers for lining the tin. Cut all the meat and remaining bacon into 1cm pieces, keeping the different meats separate (Step 1). Put all the best bits to one side.

An autumnal game dish, rich with brandy and veal stock.

Divide as two portions if you want to have this as a starter. Otherwise, the specified ingredients are per person.

The crown of a pigeon refers to the area of its breast (ask your butcher or game stockist if you're not sure), and a mirepoix is a mixture of vegetables used as a flavour base. Remember to cook the pigeon crown in an ovenproof pan, as you'll need to put it into the oven after colouring on the hob.

Ingredients

For the garnishes
  • 0.25 cauliflower, diced
  • 1 tbsp raisins
  • 50 ml brandy
  • 1 tsp mixed seeds
  • 0.2 radicchio (adjust amount to your liking)
  • 1 garlic clove, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 dash milk
  • 0.25 cauliflower, diced
  • 1 tbsp raisins
  • 1.8 fl oz brandy
  • 1 tsp mixed seeds
  • 0.2 radicchio (adjust amount to your liking)
  • 1 garlic clove, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 dash milk
  • 0.25 cauliflower, diced
  • 1 tbsp raisins
  • 0.2 cup brandy
  • 1 tsp mixed seeds
  • 0.2 radicchio (adjust amount to your liking)
  • 1 garlic clove, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 dash milk
For the pigeon
  • 1 whole wood pigeon
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 whole wood pigeon
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
Pigeon breast in horses
  • 1 whole wood pigeon
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
For the mirepoix
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 0.5 carrot
  • 0.5 onion
  • 0.5 stick of celery
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 0.5 carrot
  • 0.5 onion
  • 0.5 stick of celery
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 0.5 carrot
  • 0.5 onion
  • 0.5 stick of celery
For the game jus
  • 100 ml veal stock
  • 3.5 fl oz veal stock
  • 0.4 cup veal stock

Details

  • Cuisine: British
  • Recipe Type: Main
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Preparation Time: 40 mins
  • Cooking Time: 140 mins
  • Serves: 1

Step-by-step

  1. Remove the crown of the pigeon, and set aside.
  2. Make the mirepoix by sautéeing the vegetables for around 3-4 minutes, until just coloured. Roast the rest of the carcass with the mirepoix at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.
  3. Deglaze the pan with some red wine and add the veal stock.
  4. Gently simmer for 2 hours to reduce, making sure to skim as much of the scum off the top as possible. This will give you a rich and shiny game jus.
  5. To make the garnish, toast the seeds in a pan with a drop of oil and a pinch of salt. Fry the cauliflower and the diced clove of garlic in a pan over a low heat. Add a dash of milk and butter simmer for 5 mins then puree. Add salt to taste.
  6. Soak the raisins in brandy for 20 mins, then place on the heat with the brandy and a little extra water. Simmer until soft then purée.
  7. For the pigeon: pre-heat the oven to 180C. Warm a frying pan over a medium heat. Season the pigeon with salt and pepper and place skin side down in the pan. Colour the skin, then turn over and put the pan in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
  8. Remove the pan from the oven, add thyme, rosemary, a crushed garlic clove and butter to the pan and baste the pigeon. Rest on a chopping board for 5 mins.
  9. Keeping the pan the pigeon was in, fry off the radicchio; this will pick up all the lovely juices in the pan. Remove the breasts from the crown, slice thinly and serve with the garnishes.

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