Bruce Poole’s grilled pigeon with ricotta, broad bean and mint bruschetta
The breasts of smaller birds, such as pigeons, are perfect for grilling, as they are small enough to cook fairly quickly – ideal for barbecues, in fact. It is important also to make the distinction between wild wood pigeons and the more expensive reared, squab variety. There is no official shooting season for wood pigeons, although they are probably at their most plentiful towards the end of the feathered-game season straight after Christmas. However, they make particularly good eating in the spring and early summer, as their feed changes from the slightly bitter acorns and berries and so on, to the sweeter feed naturally provided by warmer months. Squab pigeons are reared purely for eating and as they do not fly and scrap in the wild, the meat will usually be slightly more tender. Whatever you do, do not overcook any pigeon, as the naturally lean meat is not forgiving if exposed to too much or too prolonged a period of heat.
Serves 4 as a generous starter
wood pigeons 4
fresh thyme 1 small bunch
garlic 1 clove, peeled and minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
lemon 1
broad beans 200g, preferably fresh but frozen aren’t at all bad for this dish
anchovy fillets 2
mint about 10 leaves
flat-leaf parsley about 12 leaves
banana shallot 1 large, or 2 smaller, finely chopped
sourdough bread 10cm x 6cm slices, or good-quality brown bread
ricotta about 1 tbsp, good-quality
Remove the breasts from each bird with the wing bones attached, reserving the legs and carcass for a game stock. Put the breasts in a shallow plastic container and scrunch up the fresh thyme over them, stalks and all. Add the garlic, season well with salt and pepper and add a small slug of olive oil and the grated zest of the lemon. With scrupulously clean hands, mix the whole lot up well. Cover with a lid, or clingfilm, and refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight.
Take the pigeon out of the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking to allow the meat to return to room temperature. Light the barbecue or heat a cast-iron griddle pan until very hot.
Boil the broad beans until tender – how long this takes will depend on the size of the beans. When cooked, refresh in some iced water. When thoroughly chilled, drain off the water and peel the grey skins to reveal the lovely, bright green inner bean. If the beans are beautifully fresh, young and tiny, there is no need to peel them, and even refreshing them in iced water might be considered heresy by some. Put the peeled beans in a bowl with a flattish base and mash them roughly with a fork. Finely chop the anchovy fillets and the herbs. Add to the beans with the chopped shallot, a trickle of olive oil and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Check the seasoning – the anchovies will probably have done the trick on the salinity front, but add a little more salt if required and some pepper.
Grill the pigeon breasts for just 2-3 minutes on each side – they should still be pink in the middle. Rest on a plate in a warm place with a little extra olive oil while you make the bruschetta. Brush the sourdough slices with olive oil and grill. Spread a little ricotta on each grilled piece of bread and pile up the broad-bean mixture on the cheese. Place a pigeon breast on top and serve with any oily, meaty juices from the resting plate. Some crumbled parmesan or pecorino wouldn’t go amiss either.
From Bruce’s Cookbook by Bruce Poole (Collins, £25)
Jeremy Lee’s poached chicken and spring vegetable stew
How many people this feeds depends on the size of the bird; any remaining stew can be eaten the next day.
Serves 4–5
For the poached chicken
chicken 1, of the happier varieties that roam free
onions 1, quartered
carrots 2, quartered
celery 2 stalks
garlic 1 clove
black peppercorns 12
bay leaves 2
thyme 1 small sprig
parsley 1 small sprig
white wine 75ml
sea salt and pepper
For the vegetable stew
artichokes 6 small
asparagus 3 bunches of the very best
little button onions 24, peeled and left whole
celery 1 head, cut into small pieces
olive oil 2 tbsp, plus extra to finish
fennel 1 bulb, cut into small pieces
fresh peas 300g (podded weight)
fresh young broad beans 300g (podded weight)
little gem lettuce 3 heads, sliced thinly
spring onions 2 bunches, sliced thinly
curly leaf parsley 1 small bunch, finely chopped
lemon zest and juice of 1
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Place the bird in a heavy bottomed pot along with the vegetables, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, parsley and white wine. Cover with water but only by a centimetre. Bring the pot slowly to the boil, and gently skim away any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and let the liquid simmer quietly for an hour or so. Remove the pot from the heat and let the bird cool in its own stock, adding a few pinches of salt and some pepper. When cooled, remove the bird and carefully remove all the skin followed by the flesh from the bones. Keep the meat in largeish pieces and place in a handsome dish to serve alongside the spring vegetable stew.
To make the stew, trim the outer leaves from the artichokes and cut away the tips of the remaining leaves. Peel the stalks and cut the artichokes into 4 pieces. Cut off and discard the hard part of the asparagus stalks.
Soften the onions and celery in olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Put the rest of the vegetables into the pan and cover with boiling water, simmer for 20 minutes over a moderate heat. Add the parsley and lemon zest after 15 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pick out your handsomest bowl and use it as a tureen. Drizzle the braised vegetables with the lemon juice and some more olive oil before serving with a ladle.
Jeremy Lee is head chef at Quo Vadis, London W1D; quovadissoho.co.uk
Rick Stein’s gözleme with feta and spinach
Is there a more popular street food in Turkey than gözleme? They are as irresistible as a freshly cooked rumali roti in India, which, like gözleme, is cooked on an iron dome. These wafer-thin flatbreads are achieved by rolling each one out on a floured surface as thinly as possible. A filling is added to half of the disc, it is folded to form a crescent, then baked on the hot, slightly domed iron surface, brushed with butter and folded into a fan shape. Eating one straightaway is heavenly.
Makes 4
For the flatbread dough
strong bread flour 500g, plus extra for dusting
fast-acting yeast 7g sachet
sugar a pinch
salt 10g
lukewarm water 275ml
olive oil 60ml, plus extra for greasing
For the gözleme
flatbread dough ⅔ quantity (see above)
olive oil for greasing and brushing
plain flour for dusting
butter to serve
For the filling
baby spinach 250g, washed
feta cheese 200g, crumbled
spring onions 4, finely sliced
chilli flakes ½ tsp
To make the flatbread dough, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the yeast, sugar and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the water and olive oil. Bring together into a rough dough. Knead on a floured work surface, or in a food mixer with a dough hook, for about 1 minutes until you have a soft, elastic dough. Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave to rise for 30-60 minutes until doubled in bulk.
To make the gözleme filling, chop the baby spinach and mix in a bowl with the feta, spring onions and chilli flakes.
When ready, punch the dough down and knead again until smooth, then divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each one out on a floured surface until you have a thin sheet just 2mm thick and about 25cm in diameter. Spread a quarter of the filling on to half of each sheet of dough, then fold over into a semi-circle. Brush one side of each gözleme with olive oil.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan or griddle. Cook each one for 2-3 minutes, then brush with olive oil, turn over and cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately, with butter melting over.
From Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul by Rick Stein (BBC Books, £25). Click here to buy a copy for £20
Blanche Vaughan’s vegetables ‘à la Grecque’ with chopped egg and herb sauce
Poaching vegetables ‘à la Grecque’ is a when a poaching liquor, made from wine, lemon, coriander seeds and other spices, is used to infuse the vegetables with a delicate and fragrant flavour. This is a lovely dish to make when spring produce arrives, especially asparagus and baby leeks, which taste particularly good with the egg sauce. For a more substantial meal, serve with poached chicken or some simply cooked fish. Or for an easy and refreshing summer lunch, cook in advance and serve cold – once prepared, it will keep happily for 24 hours in the fridge.
Serves 4
eggs 4
small capers 2 tbsp, rinsed
dijon mustard 1 tbsp
good red wine vinegar 1 tbsp
flat-leaf parsley 1 bunch (20g), finely chopped
basil 1 bunch (20g), finely chopped
extra-virgin olive oil 4-6 tbsp, plus extra to serve
baby leeks 8, well washed
carrots 3, peeled
celery sticks 4 (preferably the tender ones near the heart)
asparagus 1 small bunch
cauliflower ½
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the poaching liquor
lemon juice of ½
white wine 100ml
coriander seeds 1 tsp
peppercorns ½ tsp
bay leaf 1
thyme 1 sprig
fennel fronds a few, or use parsley stalks
To make the sauce, hard-boil the eggs for 12 minutes, then drain and run under cold water to cool before peeling. Roughly chop the capers and put them in a bowl with the mustard, vinegar, parsley, basil and oil. Grate or finely chop the eggs and add to the bowl, mixing well to make a sauce. Season to taste.
Prepare the vegetables so they are all roughly the same size: slice the leeks and carrots lengthways in half and the celery into similar lengths; break the cauliflower into florets.
Put all the ingredients for the poaching liquor into a large pan and add a litre of water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil then add the leeks. After a minute add the other vegetables and gently simmer for 3 minutes, or until the vegetables feel tender but still have a little bite. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving dish. Pour over a spoonful of the poaching liquid, season and dress with a little olive oil.
Add another spoonful of the poaching liquid to the egg sauce and stir to loosen it slightly. Serve the warm vegetables with the sauce spooned over the top.
From Egg by Blanche Vaughan (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £22). Click here to buy a copy for £15
Simon Hopkinson and Matthew Harris’s asparagus with morels and poached eggs
By May the English asparagus season is getting into full swing and so are fresh morels from France. These two ingredients served together and topped with a poached egg could easily make a one-course lunch or a comforting late supper dish.
Serves 4
fresh morels 200g, or more if you have lots!
unsalted butter 50g
garlic 1 clove, finely chopped
Madeira 50ml
strong jellied chicken stock 200ml
asparagus spears 20
white wine vinegar a splash
eggs 4 large
chives 1 bunch, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
You will need a large pan of boiling salted water for the asparagus; put it on to boil.
Take particular care about the cleaning the morels as they are very delicate and halve any large ones. In a large frying pan, melt 25g of the butter and sauté the morels, seasoned with a little salt and pepper. After 2 minutes, add the garlic to the mushrooms. Stir around and then add the Madeira. Let this bubble and reduce by half before adding the chicken stock. Bring it to the boil and take away from the heat.
Cook the asparagus: 4-5 minutes for medium-large asparagus is plenty.
Meanwhile, put a wide shallow pan of water with a splash of white wine vinegar on to boil for the poached eggs. Adjust the heat so the liquid is simmering. Crack each egg in turn into a saucer then carefully slip the egg into the water to poach, taking care to leave the yolks runny; 2 minutes will suffice. Scoop out with a slotted spoon onto a wodge of kitchen paper to drain.
To serve, return the mushroom sauce to the heat and bring to the boil. Now whisk in the remaining butter and add the chopped chives. Divide the asparagus among warm plates, with the tips all at the same end. On top place a poached egg and then spoon the morel sauce over. Serve with plenty of crusty bread.
From The Bibendum Cookbook by Terence Conran, Simon Hopkinson and Matthew Harris
