Roast pigeon with braised butter beans

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Used as a bed for squab in this roast pigeon recipe, the butter beans will need to be soaked overnight. When in season, this dish from Bryan Webb looks great garnished with some skinned broad beans, or accompanied with some wild rice. Roast pigeon is a wonderful alternative to standard Sunday roasts. Learn more about how to roast a whole pigeon in our guide.

First published in 2015
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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Roast pigeon

Butter beans

Mushrooms

Sauce

Equipment

  • Fine chinoise

Method

1
Begin this pigeon recipe by preparing the butter beans. To cook the beans, put the drained, soaked beans in a saucepan of fresh water. Add the celery and bay and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 2 hours or until soft
2
If the pigeons have not been gutted, remove and, but reserve the livers. Cut the feet but not all the way though: twist and pull and the feet will come off together with the sinew from the drumstick. Remove the wishbone and neck bones from each pigeon and keep to one side
3
Finely chop the shallots and divide them between the four pigeon cavities. Put a bay leaf and sprig of thyme in each one too. Season the inside of the birds with salt and pepper and push a cocktail stick though the legs to secure
4
To make the sauce, roughly chop the shallots and fry them along with the pigeon scraps for a few minutes. Add the brandy and bring to the boil, then add the Madeira and white wine. Boil until reduced by half, then add the stocks and simmer for another 30 minutes
  • 2 shallots
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 50ml of brandy
  • 100ml of Madeira
  • 100ml of white wine
5
Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan, return it to the boil and reduce until slightly thickened
6
Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas mark 7. Place the pigeons in a roasting tray, season with salt and pepper and spread the butter over the breasts. Once the oven is hot, roast the pigeons on their backs for 8 minutes. Baste with the buttery pan juices then turn the birds over so they are breast-down and continue cooking for a further 4 minutes for pink meat and 6-8 minutes for well done
7
Remove the pigeons from the oven and set aside on a warm tray to rest. Pour the fat away from the roasting pan then place it over a high heat. Use the sauce you have made to deglaze the roasting pan, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom. Strain the sauce back into a clean saucepan and set aside
8
To cook the mushrooms, heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Add the cleaned wild mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender. Season to taste. Meanwhile, reheat the butter beans and check the seasoning
9
Remove the legs from the pigeons and return them to the oven to continue cooking for another 4 minutes while you carve the breasts (with wings attached) from the carcass
10
Reheat the butter beans and season with salt and pepper
11
To plate, arrange the beans and mushrooms on heated serving plates. Sit the pigeon breast portions on top and add the legs. Pour the sauce over and serve
First published in 2015
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Showcasing quality ingredients from his native Wales, Bryan Webb cooks French-inflected dishes that champion simplicity and gutsy flavour.

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