Name: Seared pigeon with blackberries and beetroot
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 6 as a starter
Ingredients: 500g small beetroot, scrubbed and cut into wedges; 1 tbsp rapeseed oil; 3 thyme sprigs; 12 wood pigeon breasts (about 600g); 1 tbsp rapeseed oil; 1 banana shallot, finely chopped; 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked; 100ml port; 200ml chicken stock; 1 tsp redcurrant jelly; 150g blackberries; 1 tsp sherry vinegar; 50g shelled Kentish cobnuts or blanched hazelnuts; 80g watercress

Seared pigeon with blackberries and beetroot

This pigeon with blackberries recipe is a showpiece starter for 6: pink wood pigeon, roast beetroot, a port and blackberry pan sauce and toasted cobnuts.

Dairy-freeGluten-free

Serves6 as a starter

Hands-on40 min

Oven40 min

DifficultyMedium

Late September brings the last of the blackberries and the first proper chill, and this starter makes the most of both: wood pigeon breasts seared and served pink over roast beetroot, with a glossy port and blackberry sauce and a scatter of toasted Kentish cobnuts. It looks like restaurant food and takes 40 minutes at the stove.

Why it’s so good: Pigeon is dark, lean and gamey, and blackberries and beetroot carry the same earthy sweetness, so the sauce tastes as though it grew in the same hedge as the bird. The cobnuts add crunch against the soft meat.

Make it easy: Roast the beetroot and toast the cobnuts earlier in the day, then the only cooking to do in front of guests is a few minutes of searing and a quick pan sauce.

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Toss the beetroot wedges with the oil and thyme sprigs on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper and roast for 35-40 minutes, turning once, until tender to the point of a knife and caramelised at the edges. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, toast the cobnuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan, until golden and fragrant. Tip onto a board, cool for a minute and chop roughly.

Pat the pigeon breasts dry and season well. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until it shimmers. Cook the breasts in two batches so the pan stays hot, 2 minutes on each side for pink meat with a well-browned crust. Transfer to a warm plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for at least 5 minutes while you make the sauce.

Turn the heat down to medium, add the shallot and thyme leaves to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until soft. Pour in the port and let it bubble until reduced by half, then add the stock and redcurrant jelly and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce is reduced by half again and coats the back of a spoon.

Add the blackberries and cook for 1-2 minutes until they are warmed through and just starting to soften but still whole. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the sherry vinegar and any juices from the resting plate, and season to taste.

Slice each breast thickly on the diagonal. Divide the beetroot and watercress between 6 warmed plates, lay the pigeon on top and spoon over the sauce and blackberries. Scatter with the cobnuts and serve straight away.

Per serving (Serves 6 as a starter)

Calories

335kcals

Fat

16g (3.8g saturated)

Protein

27g

Carbohydrates

12g (10g sugars)

Fibre

3.9g

Salt

0.8g

Quick wins, tips & make ahead

Pigeon: wood pigeon breasts are small and lean, so they go from pink to grey in a minute. Two minutes a side in a properly hot pan, then a rest, gives rosy meat; if you prefer game cooked through, give them another minute each side and rest for the same time.

Make ahead: the beetroot can be roasted up to a day ahead and warmed through in a low oven, and the sauce can be made to the end of the port and stock reduction a few hours ahead, then finished with the blackberries and vinegar at the last minute.

Swaps: venison loin or duck breast work in place of pigeon, cooked a little longer and sliced thinly. Hazelnuts stand in for cobnuts once the short cobnut season has passed, and a handful of late raspberries can replace some of the blackberries.

Check the label: stock cubes are usually gluten-free but a few are not, so read the packet if the dish needs to be gluten-free.

Seared pigeon with blackberries and beetroot

Method

Nutrition

Quick wins, tips & make ahead

Rate & review

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Seared pigeon with blackberries and beetroot

Method

Nutrition

Quick wins, tips & make ahead

Rate & review

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