Medieval Pigeon Pie

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 10 pigeons, breasts
• 1 onion
• 1 celery rib
• 1 leek
• 1 carrot
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces chicken livers
• 7 ounces pancetta lardons
• 7 ounces button mushrooms
• 7 ounces shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups game stock or 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 10 sage leaves
• 1 pinch thyme
• 1 lb shortcrust pastry

Recipe

• 1 cut the pigeon breasts into small pieces. finely dice the onion, celery, leek and carrot.
• 2 heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat and fry the pigeon, chicken livers and pancetta in olive oil until lightly browned. put into a pie dish.
• 3 add a further tablespoon of the oil to the frying pan and fry the onion, celery, leek and carrot until golden, and then add this to the pie dish.
• 4 fry the button mushrooms and shallots in the remaining oil and add to the pie dish.
• 5 spoon tomato paste into the pan and cook for 1 minute. deglaze the pan with the stock. add the peppercorns, rosemary, sage and thyme to the stock, and bring to the boil.
• 6 set the oven to 375°f pour the stock over the meat in the pie dish.
• 7 roll the pastry out to cover the pie and bake for 45 minutes. serve immediately.