| Thankyou all.
Here is a favourite recipe for pidgeon.
4 plump wood pidgeon
2 tablespoons butter
slice of pancetta (italian bacon)
1 small carrot and one small stick celery, top removed
1 or 2 spring opnions, green removed
1 clove of garlic crushed without salt
bay leaf
sherry
brandy
fresh mascarpone cheese
Claen and if necessary draw the pidgeon, preserving the livers
With the necks, legs and feet make a light stock using the bay leaf.
Cool and remove any fat.
Reheat, add a generous amount of sherry and reduce to about 1 1/2 cups
Cut the pancetta, onion carrot and celery into a very small dice.
In a pan sufficient to comfortable fit the pidgeon, heat the butter
with a small amount of olive oil. Add pancetta and melt the fat over a
very low flame. Add the garlic and stir till the aroma arises. bBe
careful to use a low flame or it will burn.
Add the diced vegitables, stir well, dust the pidgeon with flow and
gentle brown, being careful not to break the skin.
Here it gets dangerous! Heat the brandy (I use about a cup)
untilslightly reduced and steaming. Use a steel pot. Set the brandy
alight and pour quickly over the hot pidgeon. This will really ignite
as the fat burns so I do it outside.
Add the stock reduction to the pan, cover and cook on a very low heat
for about 20 minutes until the pidgeon is cooked to your liking. It
should still be pink on the breast.
Remove pigeon carefully to a warm place. Chop the reserved livers
finely and stir into pan.Reduce the pan juices if
necessary to provide enough sauce, then stir in enough mascarpone to
provide a sauce of medium consistency.
Cut the pidgeon in half and serve with the sauce poured over.
If you like, the pan juices may be strained before adding the
mascarpone, but I prefer not to do this.
Serve on a bed of hot toated polenta.
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1 large duck
salt
paprika
ground ginger
1 small onion, grated
1 cup red wine
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon rind
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
Cut duck into quarters and remove any excess fat. Arrange duck pieces in
a single layer in a baking dish and bake uncovered in a preheated oven
(200C/400F) for 30 minutes.
Remove duck from oven and pour off fat that has accumulated in the dish.
Season duck pieces generously with salt, paprika and ginger and return to
the dish. Sprinkle with the onion, pour in half a cup of the wine, and
cover dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
Continue cooking until duck is tender (about 45 minutes) turning pieces
now and then.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornflour, salt, lemon rind, and
remaining half cup of wine. Bring to the boil, stirring, and simmer
until smooth and thickened. Spoon over duck and bake uncovered for
another 10-15 minutes, basting often, until duck is glazed. Sprinkle
with sesame seeds to serve.
--- taken from Australia the Beautiful cookbook
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