Wood pigeon with beetroot, berries and buttermilk
- Starter
- Medium
- 4
- 1 hour 45 minutes
PT1H45M
Perfectly pink wood pigeon breasts are paired with salt-baked baby beetroot, sweet fresh berries and a tangy buttermilk dressing in this British game starter from Ivan Tisdall-Downes. Brought together with a rich jus made from the pigeon carcasses and garnished with foraged chickweed, it's a colourful dish that's perfect for celebrating autumnal flavours.
Ingredients
Pigeon
- 2 wood pigeons , whole
- unsalted butter , for cooking
- vegetable oil, for frying
- sea salt
Jus
- 2 red onions, quartered
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
- 1/2 garlic bulb
- 100g of portobello mushroom , diced
- 1 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2l white chicken stock
Beetroot
- 750g of plain flour
- 375g of salt
- 375ml of water
- 1kg baby beetroot
Buttermilk dressing
- 225g of buttermilk
- 4 tbsp of mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp of white miso , heaped
- 7ml of vinegar, or ideally pickling liquor (either homemade or from a jar of gherkins)
- 1 lemon , juiced
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- sea salt
To serve
- 100g of hazelnuts
- chickweed
- mixed berries , such as raspberries and blackberries
Equipment
- Blender
- Muslin cloth
Method
1
To begin, prepare the pigeons. Remove the legs from each bird and set aside for the sauce. Cut the crown off of each bird and remove the wishbones (you can ask your butcher to do this if preferred). Season the crowns with salt and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Reserve the carcasses and bones for the sauce
- 2 wood pigeons , whole
- sea salt
2
Preheat an oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
3
For the jus, spread the pigeon bones and reserved legs out on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, place a large saucepan over a medium heat and, once hot, add a dash of oil, followed by the quartered onions. Allow to caramelise on the cut sides, then add the garlic
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
- 2 red onions, quartered
- 1/2 garlic bulb
4
Add the mushrooms, star anise and herbs to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the roasted bones, pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil before reducing the heat to a simmer. Cook on a low-medium heat for 3 hours, from time to time skimming away any scum that rises to the surface
- 100g of portobello mushroom , diced
- 1 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2l white chicken stock
5
When ready, remove the sauce from the heat, allow to cool, then strain through a sieve lined with muslin cloth
6
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
7
For the beetroots, place the flour, salt, and water in a stand mixer with a dough hook attached and mix until a smooth dough is formed (you may need to add a little more flour or water depending on the consistency). Alternatively, you can make this dough by adding the flour and salt to a bowl and gradually adding the water, mixing with your fingertips to make a dough. Place in the fridge to rest for 15 minutes
- 750g of plain flour
- 375g of salt
- 375ml of water
8
Split the dough into two pieces and roll each piece out into thick, circular rounds large enough to contain all the beetroot. Place one round on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, place the baby beetroot on top, then carefully drape the other sheet over the beetroots. Crimp the edges to make a completely sealed parcel – it’s important that there are no holes or gaps as you want to keep all of the moisture within the parcel
- 1kg baby beetroot
9
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove and allow to cool before cracking open the dough. Slice the beetroots into halves or quarters and set aside until ready to serve
10
For the buttermilk dressing, add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz to combine
- 225g of buttermilk
- 4 tbsp of mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp of white miso , heaped
- 7ml of vinegar, or ideally pickling liquor (either homemade or from a jar of gherkins)
- 1 lemon , juiced
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- sea salt
11
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
12
Place an ovenproof, heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the hazelnuts and place in the oven for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before crushing lightly. Leave the oven on, ready to cook the pigeons
- 100g of hazelnuts
13
When ready to serve, cook the pigeon crowns. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high and sear the crowns until golden all over. Place in the oven breast-side up for 8 minutes — the pigeon should be cooked through but still pink in the middle. Remove from the oven, add the butter to the pan and baste thoroughly. Leave to rest for 5 minutes in a warm place before carving
- vegetable oil, for frying
- unsalted butter , for cooking
14
Heat the jus gently in a pan and place the beetroot pieces in the oven to heat through
15
To serve, add some berries to the base of each bowl and arrange the beetroot pieces on top. Spoon some dressing around the plate. Slice the pigeon breasts and arrange over the beetroots. Pour over some jus, garnish with chickweed and serve
- chickweed
- mixed berries , such as raspberries and blackberries
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Wood pigeon with beetroot, berries and buttermilk
