Wild pigeon is cheap to buy and doesn't need to be hung like game. It is tasty and can be used to create gourmet style meals which won't break the housekeeping budget.
Pigeon is at its best during the months of April until October and unlike game, there is no closed season. The bird is best eaten within the first day or so of being shot but can be frozen for later use. It’s available by mail order from various online specialist meat and game retailers.
Pigeon Pie was a favourite picnic and event snack, particularly during the Victorian era. The simplest way to cook pigeons is to roast them with a bit of fat bacon covering them on gas mark 8, 230 C, 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes, allowing one bird per person. But there are other recipes that will give a gourmet meal at minimal cost – two such recipes are given below.
Braised Pigeon with Creamy Sauce
To serve four:
Ingredients:
- 4 wild pigeons
- ½ pt beef stock
- ½ pint single cream
- 1 tbsp red current jelly
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3 oz butter
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- Salt and black pepper
Method:
- Gently fry the pigeons in a saucepan with 1 oz of the butter and the oil until they are well browned
- Add the beef stock and season with the salt and pepper
- Gently simmer with a lid on for about 1 ½ hours
- Remove the pigeons from the liquid and keep warm in the oven on a low heat
- Mix the flour with a little bit of water to make a paste
- Stir the flour paste into the stock and gently bring to the boil, stirring all the time until the stock has thickened
- Add the red current jelly and the rest of the butter and cook gently for a couple of minutes
- Once the stock is off the boil, stir in the cream, pour a little over the pigeons and put the rest in a sauce boat
- Serve immediately – this will go well with boiled potatoes and cabbage. A little cranberry sauce makes a nice accompaniment
Pigeon Braised in Brandy
To serve two:
Ingredients:
- 2 wood pigeons
- 4 oz streaky bacon
- 8 black olives
- 4 tbsp dry sherry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion
- ½ pt chicken stock
- 2 tbsp brandy
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Stone and halve the olives and marinade in the sherry for a couple of hours
- Peel and chop the onion
- Chop the streaky bacon into pieces about an inch long
- Gently sauté the pigeons in the oil until brown then put in a casserole dish
- Sauté the onion and bacon in the oil the pigeons were cooked in until the onion just begins to brown
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the onion and bacon from the pan and add to the pigeons in the casserole
- Stir the flour into the fat and gently add the chicken stock, stirring all the time, until the sauce thickens
- Add the brandy and season with salt and pepper
- Pour over the pigeons, cover and pop the casserole, covered, in the oven on gas mark 3, 170 C, 325 F for about 1 ½ hours
The copyright of the article Two Braised Pigeon Recipes in Gourmet Food is owned by Elaine Findlay. Permission to republish Two Braised Pigeon Recipes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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