Thursday, June 12, 2008

Woodpigeon Casserole

Woodpigeon Casserole
serves 4

Ingredients
2 pig’s trotters
25g/1oz butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 woodpigeon
12 pickling onions
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stick, diced
100g/4oz streaky back bacon, cut into strips
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
11/2 tablespoons plain flour
16 prunes, pitted
2 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
300ml/10fl oz red wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Put the trotters in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface.Reserve the liquid and trotters.
• Melt the butter and oil in a flameproof casserole dish. Quickly brown the pigeons, then remove and reserve. Add the onions, carrot, celery and bacon to the pan with the cinnamon, bay leaf and thyme. Stir to coat with the fat, then reduce the heat, cover and sweat gently for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and stir.
• Return the pigeons to the pan, together with the trotters, prunes, parsley,wine and 600ml/1pt of the reserved cooking liquid. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently, turning the pigeons occasionally, for 45–60 minutes, until tender. Serve hot.

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