Mini Wood Pigeon Pie #1: Hunter's Pie

 

Pigeon hunter's pie with mashed neeps, cabbage and onion

As the title of this post suggests, this is the first in a series of what I expect to be 6 posts about small, single serving pigeon pie recipes. The recipes in this series were all created (by me!) a few years ago now and originally published on another site, which is no longer current. I managed to save a number of my food and travel articles from the site, of which this series of mini pigeon pie recipes formed but one.

A great many of these recipes use pigeon based wild game stock, so I thought it sensible to begin this first post by showing you precisely how I make a simple pigeon stock.

Quick and Easy Pigeon Stock Recipe

Clear and fresh pigeon stock

While some people may pluck freshly shot pigeons in order to subsequently roast them whole, this is not a technique I ever employ. I simply don't think it is worth it, as there is virtually no meat on any part of the bird other than the breasts. Instead, therefore, I simply crown them and subsequently remove the breast fillets from the crown with a fish filleting knife.

Breast fillets removed from pigeon crown

You will see that this procedure leaves the bony shell of the pigeon's breastbone fully intact and it is from these bones that I make my pigeon stock.

Pigeon crowns and stock vegetables

I find that around 8 breasted pigeon crowns is a good number for making ultimately about a pint of stock. Begin by adding them to a stock (or large soup) pot along with a medium peeled and quartered onion, 2 washed and roughly chopped large carrots, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and some salt and pepper.

Water is added to stock vegetables

Pour 3 pints (1.7 litres) of cold water into the pot, ensuring all the solid items are fully covered. Add a little more in the unlikely event it should be required. 

Reduced pigeon wild game stock

Put the pot on to a high heat until the water starts to boil. Reduce the heat to achieve a low to medium simmer and continue to cook uncovered in this way for at least an hour or until the liquid is reduced by at least half or up to two-thirds.

Straining pigeon stock

Allow the stock to cool for about half an hour. Suspend a sieve over a large bowl and line it with a sheet of kitchen paper. Carefully ladle the stock in to strain, remaining aware that it will still be very hot. Sieving it while hot and before the fats have congealed is essential. Note that it is likely you will have to change the kitchen paper 2 or 3 times as it becomes clogged.

Your sieved stock will keep in the fridge for 3 or 4 days or can be frozen very successfully in small batches.

Pigeon Hunter's Pie with Mashed Neeps and Sauteed Cabbage and Onion

So let's move on to today's main event that is this single serving hunter's pie, served with sauteed cabbage and onion and mashed Swede turnip (regularly of course referred to as neeps in Scotland). I've labelled it hunter's pie in contrast to cottage pie (made with beef), swineherd's pie (made with pork), shepherd's pie (made with lamb) or gardener's pie (the vegetarian equivalent). Do you maybe have another name for this type of pie, made with wild game and topped with mashed potato?

Pigeon hunter's pie with cabbage, onion and neeps

Cook Time

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 1 hour

Ready in: 2 hours

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 large baking type potato, peeled and chopped to 1.5 inch (4cm) chunks
• Salt
• 2 pigeon breast fillets
• 1/2 small onion, peeled (1/4 finely chopped for pie and 1/4 finely sliced for sauteing with cabbage)
• Black pepper
• 2 teaspoons pigeon stock (prepared as in further up this post)
• 1/4 medium Swede turnip (rutabaga), peeled and chopped to 1 inch (2.5cm) chunks
• 2 inch (5cm) square piece of white cabbage, moderately finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Little bit of butter for mashing Swede turnip

Method

Put the potato chunks into a pot, season with salt and add enough cold water to ensure they are all comfortably covered. Put the pot on to a high heat until the water just starts to boil. Adjust the heat to achieve a moderate simmer and continue to cook in this way for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are just softened. 

Drain the potatoes at your sink through a colander, return to the empty pot and sit aside to steam off and dry out for 5 minutes while you prepare the pie filling.

Chopping pigeon breasts

Note that while the pigeon breasts can be minced for this recipe or, "Whatever'd," in  one of those new fangled food processing machines, I find that by taking a couple of minutes to carefully chop them with a large knife in traditional fashion, the texture of the meat in the finished dish truly is far superior.

Put your oven on to preheat to 200C/Gas Mark 6/400F.

Pigeon meat is mixed with onion and seasoning

Add the chopped pigeon meat and onion to a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix very well by hand to fully combine.

Pie filling is arranged in cooking dish

Put the pie filling into a 5" x 4" x 1.5" (12.5cm x 10cm x 3.5cm) ovenproof dish and spread it out to even thickness. Drizzle over the two teaspoons of pigeon stock.

Potato is spooned on to pie filling

Mash the potatoes with a hand masher and set aside to further cool until the oven is preheated. Start at that stage by spooning the mash on to the pie filling in medium sized blobs. If you try to spread it straight on, you will end up forcing the potato down into the filling and spoiling the final effect of the pie.

Mashed potato is spread over pie filling

Fill a cup with boiling water and dip an ordinary table knife in the water for a few seconds before using it to spread out the mash. This makes the process much easier and again helps to prevent the mash being forced down into the filling if you need to apply undue pressure. Draw the knife gently back and forwards over the spread mash to create small ridges and allow for a better presentation as these crisp up during cooking.

Sit the pie dish on a baking tray and cook in the heated oven for 30 minutes.

When the pie has been in the oven for about 10 minutes, put the Swede chunks into a pot of cold, salted water and the pot on to a high heat until the water starts to simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a medium simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, just until the chunks are fully softened. Drain through a colander at your sink and set aside for a few minutes to steam off and dry out.

Sauteing cabbage and onion

Take the pie from the oven and set briefly aside while your kitchen grill (broiler) preheats to its maximum setting. Pour a little vegetable oil into a small to medium frying pan and add the shredded cabbage and remaining onion. Season with salt and pepper and saute over a medium to high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until just softened, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.

Swede is carefully mashed

Put the pie under grill for a couple of minutes, checking it frequently, until the top of the potatoes are nicely browned.

Mash the Swede turnip with a hand masher.

Browned hunter's pie

Lift the pie to one corner of a square serving plate (remembering the dish will still be extremely hot!) and plate the mashed Swede and sauteed cabbage and onion to serve.

Partridge Breast, Stornoway Black Pudding and Red Wine Sauce

 

Partridge breast and black pudding with red wine sauce

Partridge breasts are very tender in texture and delicate in flavour. While it is important not to overwhelm them with other ingredients or accompaniments, they can be enhanced extremely well with any number of potential, more robust flavours. In this instance, I have served the sliced partridge breast on a slice of Scottish Stornoway black pudding and accompanied them with a homemade red wine and cranberry sauce.

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ready in: 20 min

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 skinless partridge breast fillet
• 1 slice Stornoway black pudding
• 1 large glass red wine (Shiraz was used in this instance)
• 2 teaspoons whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1 ounce/25g (0.25 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, rolled and shredded

Method

Red wine and cranberry sauce added to saucepan

Pour the wine into a small saucepan and add the cranberry sauce. Bring to a simmer until reduced by half, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.

Add the oil to a small frying pan, remove any rind from the slice of black pudding and fry over a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes each side until done.

Partridge breast is fried in butter

When the black pudding is on to cook, season the partridge breast on both sides with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a second frying pan and fry the partridge breast for 2 minutes each side. Remove to a plate, cover with foil and leave to rest for 3 or 4 minutes.

Black pudding with red wine sauce

Pour enough red wine sauce into a deep serving plate to comfortably cover the base. Sit the cooked black pudding slice in the centre.

Partridge breast is plated atop black pudding

Cut the partridge breast in half at a slight angle and sit it carefully on top of the black pudding. Garnish with the fresh sage to serve.

Venison and Mediterranean Vegetables Tagliatelle Pasta

 

Venison loin with tagliatelle pasta

Venison may not be the first meat we would think of to serve with pasta but, as this recipe will hopefully show, it works incredibly well if incorporated in the right fashion. The slow cooked meat becomes deliciously tender and serves as the perfect accompaniment to the al dente pasta and assorted fruit and vegetable selections.

Coarsely diced loin of venison

Cook Time

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time: 2 hours

Ready in: 2 hours 30 min

Yields: 1 serving

Venison pasta sundry ingredients

Ingredients

• 6 ounces (150g) venison loin, diced to 1 inch (2.5cm) chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 pint (568ml) beef stock
• Nest of dried tagliatelle pasta (approximately 4 ounces/100g)
• 8 pitted black olives, halved down through core
• 4 sun dried tomato (jarred in olive oil) pieces, roughly chopped
• 2 medium chestnut mushrooms, wiped and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced or chopped
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley

Browning venison in olive oil

Method

Pour the olive oil in to a medium saucepan and gently heat. Season the venison with salt and pepper and add to the warmed oil. Turn the heat up and stir with a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes until the meat is browned all over.

Venison is simmered in beef stock

Pour the beef stock in to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer as gently as possible for up to 2 hours until just tender. Check it frequently for liquid level and add a little more if necessary.

When the venison is done, lift from the stock with a slotted spoon to a separate plate, cover and allow to rest. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add the tagliatelle. Cook on a medium simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until cooked.

Prepared olives, tomatoes and mushrooms

Prepare the olives, tomatoes and mushrooms while the pasta is cooking.

Olives, tomatoes and mushrooms are gently sauteed

Drain the tagliatelle through a colander at your sink. Pour a little olive oil into the emptied pot and gently heat before adding the mushrooms, tomatoes and olives. Saute for a minute or two over  a medium heat, just to warm though and slightly soften the mushrooms.

Tagliatelle and venison are added to sauteed vegetables

Add the tagliatelle and the venison to the pot and very carefully stir fold for a couple of minutes to evenly combine and coat in oil.

Parsley is added to venison tagliatelle

Add the parsley to the pot, give a final, careful stir fold and plate for service.

Wild Duck and Woodcock Breasts Platter

 

Wild duck and woodcock breasts with cheesy potatoes

Wild game of many different types are often incorporated together in pies - or perhaps terrines - but in this instance, I simply took two distinct types of game and cooked and served them in what I believed would be a complementary fashion. It was a couple of weeks ago now that I was fortunate enough to obtain some end of season wild duck and woodcocks and this is one of the dishes I came up with.

Cook Time

Prep time: 45 min (includes boiled potato cooling time)

Cook time: 45 min

Ready in: 1 hour 30 min

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized, baking type potato
• Salt
• 1 skinless wild duck breast
• 2 skinless woodcock breasts
• Black pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 4 Brussels sprouts
• 2 slices of Scottish cheddar cheese, approximately same size as potato slices
• 1 farm fresh duck egg (or chicken egg, as fresh as possible)
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• Pinch of dried dill to garnish poached egg
• 2 teaspoons onion chutney (or similar, as desired)

Method

Wash the potato but do not chop or peel. Add to a pot of cold water and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Wild goose breast is put on to fry

When the potato has been cooling for about 15 minutes, pour a little oil into a medium frying pan. Season the duck breast with salt and pepper and put it on to fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes each side. It is important to time this and not simply go by an approximation. This cooking time has been tried and tested many times and you do not want to overcook the meat as it will very quickly become tough and unpalatable.

Woodcock breast are added to frying pan with duck

When the duck breast is turned, season the woodcock breasts and add them to the pan to fry for 2.5 minutes each side.

Add the sprouts to a pot of boiling, salted water and simmer for 10 minutes.

Cut the potato in half lengthways. Trim a thin slice off the skin/curved edge of each potato half that it can lay flat in the frying pan.

Potato discs are fried in meat juices

Lift the breast and woodcock breasts to a holding plate and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Lay the potato halves in the still hot pan with the larger flat area sides down first. Fry on medium to high for 2.5 minutes each side.

Add a couple of inches (5cm) of cold water to a small saucepan with the white wine vinegar. Put on to a high heat until the water starts to simmer. Do not add salt to the water.

Cheese slices are laid on frying potato slices

When the potato slices are turned in the frying pan, lay a slice of cheese on top of each one, season with a little black pepper and complete cooking in this way.

Break the duck egg carefully into a glass or cup. Hold the glass just above the simmering water (don't let it touch the water!) and gently pour the duck egg into the water in one smooth, fluid movement. Adjust the heat to simmer as gently as possible for 3.5 minutes. 

Duck breast and cheesy slices are plated

Lift the rested duck breast to the centre of an oval plate as shown and lay a cheesy potato slice at each end.

Woodcock and sprouts are added to platter

Drain the sprouts at your sink through a colander. Lift the woodcock breasts to a chopping board and cut in half at a slight angle with a carving knife. Lay two halves as shown on each cheesy potato slice. Arrange the sprouts either side of the duck breast with a spoonful of chutney between the sprouts on each side.

Poached duck egg is plate on duck breast sillet

A slotted spoon should be used to lift the poached duck egg from the water. Allow it to drain on the spoon for a few seconds before carefully laying on top of the duck breast. Season with a little salt and garnish with a little dill.

Beautifully pink woodcock breast fillet

The woodcock breasts in particular should be pink in the middle and beautifully, melt in the mouth tender.

Spicy Pheasant Leg and Tomato Bridies

 

Pheasant and tomato bridie with simple salad

Bridies are a type of pasty, believed to have originated near the town of Forfar on the East Coast of Scotland. They are traditionally made with beef and onion but in modern times the fillings have evolved to vary considerably. In this instance, I slow cooked some pheasant legs for 10 hours, plucked off the meat and combined it with a spicy homemade tomato sauce before encasing the lot in puff pastry to delicious effect.

Cook Time

Prep time: 3 hours (including cooling times for pheasant legs and sauce, plus bridie resting time)

Cook time: 10 hours 30 min

Ready in: 13 hours 30 min

Yields: 4 bridies

Ingredients

• 6 whole, large, skinless pheasant legs
• Salt
• 14 ounce (400g) can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated or very finely chopped
• 1 red birds' eye chilli, topped and finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried coriander (cilantro)
• Black pepper
• 1 pound (450g) puff pastry
• Flour for dusting/rolling pastry
• 2 egg yolks, beaten

Method

Put the pheasant legs into your slow cooker, season with salt and pour over enough cold water to ensure they are comfortably covered. Cook on the low setting for 10 hours. I find it most convenient to do this overnight.

Remove the cooked pheasant legs from the slow cooker to a deep plate or bowl, cover and leave to rest and cool for at least 1 hour.

Assembled spicy tomato sauce ingredients

As soon as the pheasant legs are out of the slow cooker, start preparing the sauce. Pour the tomatoes into a saucepan and add the chilli, garlic and coriander. Season with salt and pepper and place on to a medium heat. Stir well until the mixture reaches a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened, stirring regularly. Turn off the heat, cover and leave to cool.

Pheasant leg meat plucked from the bones

When the pheasant legs are rested and cooled, pluck all the meat in smallish pieces from the bones. This is a bit of a time-consuming and laborious task in relation to the legs proper in particular due to the bone structure but it is essential to take your time and do it properly to avoid small bones being incorporated in your finished dish. Add all the meat to a large glass or stone bowl.

Spicy tomato sauce added to pheasant leg meat

It is very unlikely you will need to add all the prepared sauce so it is important to add it in stages. You want the sauce to coat the meat but you don't want an excess of sauce that could cause the pastry to become soggy during cooking and not rise properly. Start by adding a couple of tablespoons to the pheasant leg meat.

Spicy tomato sauce is stirred through pheasant leg meat

Stir the sauce carefully through the meat with a wooden spoon. Add more if necessary but remember to incorporate only enough to coat the meat. Any sauce leftover can be added to a suitable dish and refrigerated for up to 3 days to be used for an alternative purpose.

Plate is used as a template for cutting pastry

The pastry in this instance was in the form of two, half-pound (225g) blocks. These should be removed from the fridge around 20 minutes prior to use to allow the pastry to come up to room temperature and make it easier to roll.

Cut the first pastry block in half. Roll out the first piece of pastry on a floured surface to a square just large enough that you can use an 8" (20cm) diameter plate as a template to cut from it a circle.

Spicy meat is spooned on to pastry circle

Carefully spoon some of the meat and sauce on to one half of the pastry. You want just enough that the empty half of the pastry can be comfortably folded over the top and sealed. Leave a half-inch (1.25cm) or so border around the edge, which should be lightly glazed with a little of the beaten egg yolks, using a pastry brush.

Pastry is folded over filling to form bridie

Fold the empty half of the pastry circle over the filling as shown and lightly press down around the edge to seal.

Bridie is crimped around the rounded edge

I used the thumb and index finger of my right hand to crimp the pastry but you can use the handle end of a spoon or fork if you prefer. Assemble all the bridies in the same way before transferring to plates or trays and refrigerating for a minimum half hour. This allows the pastry to rest and helps prevent it tearing or bursting in the oven.

Glazed bridies are ready for the oven

Put your oven on to preheat to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Lay a sheet of non-stick, greaseproof baking paper on a large oven tray and arrange the bridies as shown, making sure there is sufficient space between them. Brush them all with beaten egg yolk and cut a steam vent in the centre with the point of a very sharp knife. Don't forget to cut the steam vents or your bridies may burst in the oven! Place the tray into the oven for 30/35 minutes or until the pastry is beautifully risen and golden.

Cooked bridies are removed from the oven and allowed to rest

When the bridies are ready, take the tray from the oven and sit it on a heatproof surface. Allow the bridies to rest for a minimum 20 minutes.

Halved pheasant leg and spicy tomato sauce bridie

The bridies can simply be enjoyed as they are, or perhaps served with a simple salad as in the photo at the top of this post.