My First steps to a River Cottage lifestyle (pics galore)

[BrewStew]

strange you say pigeon is now seasonal, according to the BASC, Wood Pigeon season is all year round, which is what i checked before i shot the critter!

http://www.basc.org.uk/en/shooting/woodpigeon-shooting.cfm

yeah, i'm glad I checked before taking out a blackbird! :lol:

i will definitely provide my thoughts on it's flavour :thumb:

 

[tubby_shaw]

Bru4u is in a different country Stew

 

[BrewStew]

ah ha, so he is. didn't spot that

Well that is rather silly, putting a season on a pest

 

[Aleman]

Joint out the breast of the bird, then fry skin side down on a hot pan (olive oil) for a couple of minutes . . . . Remove from the pan and allow to rest, In the meantime bung some Black pudding into the pan and heat through . . . .add some white wine to deglaze the pan, Slice the breasts into nice slices adding the contents of the pan over the bird serve with a rocket and green leaf salad (and a lemon vinaigrette).

 

[BrewStew]

mmm that sounds delicious *licks lips*

but i don't want to waste the rest of the bird. I want to boil it up and make some stock, which i guess i could add to the glaze in your suggestion :thumb:

 

[BrewStew]

:hmm: I think i might roast it as i dont want to be too adventerous with the first go. I might try something more fancy next time

HFW's book of meat reckons 15-20 mins at 230'c. I'll cover it with streaky bacon so it doesn't dry out and add a drizzle of my elderberry wine to the mix.

I was thinking of stuffing it with blanched onions, garlic maybe chopped leeks and button mushrooms.

traditional mix of veg (carrots, brocolli etc), and add the drippings of the bird to the stock.

depending on what's left i might boil the carcass and see what Pigeon soup tastes like

what does everyone think?

 

[jamesb]

Wild garlic is in season now... be more fitting than the standard stuff. Lovely flavour too.

 

[BrewStew]

ah! super!

cheers mate :thumb:

 

[percival]

sounds good to me! i used to often make soups from carcasses and giblets and very yummy they were too. The roast with bacon and stuffing also a good plan as its something you're familiar with so you'll get an excellent feel for how pigeon really tastes, and won't be fretting about trying something new and ruining it!

 

[BrewStew]

yeah!

i'm annoyed i chucked the giblets now :evil: as i didn't realise they were usable at the time (being an unfamiliar bird). next time i'll keep them and flash fry them or something :thumb:

 

[MEB]

DON"T stuff it. Roasted they are a delight i reckon. I've eaten a lot of wood pidgeon over the years-i was very poor and lived in wiltshire. As for blackbirds :evil: don't even consider it, they taste ***** and have tiny amounts of meat on them. Blackbirds also mate for life. So if you shoot one the partner spends the rest of it's life looking for it's mate and not breeding again.
I roast pidgeon at 200C for 20 mins or so for a bird your size. Thyme goes well with them. I usually mix some chopped garlic with thyme and softened butter, spread this over the bird and then bung the rest in the cavity. The juices left in the pan i deglaze with red wine for a light gravy and i always have mash tata and some nice greens to cut through the strong pidgeon flavour. It shouldn't taste too gamey but pidgeon is quite a strong flavour. I really like it. :

 

[MEB]

yeah!

i'm annoyed i chucked the giblets now :evil: as i didn't realise they were usable at the time (being an unfamiliar bird). next time i'll keep them and flash fry them or something :thumb:

Pidgeon giblets are F-ing horrible i reckon. :sick:

 

[BrewStew]

fair enough. cheers :thumb:

 

[arturobandini]

Blackbirds also mate for life. So if you shoot one the partner spends the rest of it's life looking for it's mate and not breeding again.

So always shoot Blackbirds in pairs. Great advice MEB!

 

[BrewStew]

:lol:

or, don't shoot them, cos they're protected :lol:

 

[A T]

Blackbirds also mate for life. So if you shoot one the partner spends the rest of it's life looking for it's mate and not breeding again.

So always shoot Blackbirds in pairs. Great advice MEB!

:lol: :lol:

 

[BrewStew]

I got home late as i decided to have a few jars in my local after a very generous donation of empty bottles and they wanted to sample my home brew. I had good results!

I nearly cancelled the pigeon roasting as i though i'd had a few too many, but then i got the munchies and thought that it's still worth a pop.

all's gone well except i think the veg might be overcooked, but who cares, i'm concentrating on the meat :grin:

there's about 5 or 10 mins left of the roasting then i'll be serving up.

photos to come and my comments on the taste of the bird afterwards :thumb:

 

[BrewStew]

i just had to interrupt my meal to report on the meat.

oh WOW!

this is fecking delicious!

a little tough to cut mind, but i've not yet given it chance to rest, which i will do while i'm eating some of the veg smothered in the stock.

it's not gamey at all! no where near as powerful as pheasant. it's a really pleasant taste.

will report more afterward :thumb:

 

[ni9e]

Looking forward to the full report :party: Ive never had pheasant so could you liken it to chicken :thumb:

 

[BrewStew]

no it's not like chicken in anyway. this dish was a completely different colour, texture and taste.

chicken is BLAND compared to game like pheasant, duck etc. I think that this wood pigeon was not quite as strong as pheasant... but perhaps a little more flavoursome than duck.

i suppose i'd describe it like this.... pheasant, the wood pigeon i just ate, venison, duck etc, i'd compare to a rich and full bodied home brewed DARK beer. Chicken i'd compare to the likes of fosters, carling etc.

as with all game, it's definitely an acquired taste but i've eaten duck, pheasant, partridge, venison, rabbit and numerous others... and liked them all :thumb:

all i can say, is give it a try


anyways back to the dinner.... unfortunately i wont be posting piccies tonight as i'm knackered, and have been waiting for the pigeon carcass stew to finish reducing down. That tastes gorgeous too i might add :thumb:

i'll be sure to post them tomorrow, i promise :thumb: