Pigeon Breast Filo Parcels

Pigeon breasts in filo pastry served on sautéed beetroot, an artichoke puree and a blackberry sauce.

I made this for a dinner party starter for 12, but you can make it for any number, just remember that the pigeon has 2 breasts.

First get yourself 6 pigeons, (wood pigeons have far more taste, but home reared will do perfectly well)

Cut off the breasts, legs, remove the liver, crops and hearts (the rest goes into the oven to brown, then into a pot with onion, dried root vegetables and a few litres of vegetable stock to make a pigeon soup)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marinade the breasts in a freezer bag along with the legs (these are to be part of the pigeon soup with liver dumplings and fresh cepes for tomorrows lunch starter).

1tbsp. Olive oil

1 sprig of Rosemary

2tsp. Honey

A few sprigs of Thyme

1dsp. Raspberry vinegar

Salt and vinegar

 

Seal the bag and put in a cool place for a few hours, remove from the bag (keep the marinade you will use it in the sauce), wipe off the excess marinade and sauté in butter, DO NOT overcook they should still be very pink inside (they are going into the oven later). Remove from the heat and store in a plastic box until ready to use.

Beetroot

Peel 2 large beetroots, cut in half and slice on a mandolin and fry a few at a time in butter until soft.  Drain  on  kitchen paper and set aside until required.

Artichoke puree

2 potatoes peeled and cut in 4

1 jar of artichokes preserved in oil

Salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes until soft then blend together with the artichokes, add a knob of butter and season to taste.

 

Blackberry sauce

First pick yourself about 30 blackberries (not worth picking 30 so take them out of the kilo that you picked)

In the pan that you have fried the breasts deglaze with a ladleful of pigeon stock (you have that simmering away on the stove). Add a small glass of wine 0.2ltr, add the blackberries and poach, reducing the liquid by half.

 

Push all through a sieve and return to a small saucepan and thicken with beurre manier, transfer to a piping bottle.

I used strudel pastry as herein Germany it is readily available in any self-respecting supermarket or corner shop for that matter.

Slice the sheets into 3 cm strips, you will require 36 strips. Melt some butter  in a small saucepan and brush a strip of pastry with butter place another strip on top, brush this with butter and place another piece on top of this (3 layers), now starting at one end lay a pigeon breast in 1 corner of the long strip and wrap it around until the whole breast is enclosed. Place on a baking tray, when all of the 12 are done, brush with the remaining butter and place in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 20 minutes (keep an eye on them, they should be golden brown).

The plate of food

When they are in the oven, dress your plates, form the beetroot slices into an over lapping base for the pigeon parcel. Heat the artichoke puree in the microwave, place a dessert spoon of the puree opposite the beetroot, spread a little and pipe a line of blackberry sauce on top.

Pile some beetroot shoots to one side, when the parcels are ready, place on top of the beetroot base and decorate with more of the blackberry sauce, sprinkle over with crispy fried smoked speck, pancetta or thin sliced dry cured smoked bacon, that has either been fried long and over a low heat or done in the oven between two plates at a low heat.

Serve immediately and to drink? A good heavy red wine (Primativo), if you notice I had been doing a little wine tasting while in the kichen!

The guests enjoyed it (well at least they said they did and the plates were clean