Pigeon and Vernaccia di Cannara

Filling for the Pigeons:

• Start by using a double-bottomed stainless steel pan to melt the pork lard and extra virgin olive oil, then brown the giblets at a high temperature. Once browned, add the vegetables cut into Mirepoix and sauté them, then add the Taggiasca olives, capers, and anchovies.
• Proceed by deglazing with Vernaccia di Cannara wine. Once the alcohol has evaporated, add 25g of grape pomace, chicken broth, and the herb bundle. Let it cook on low heat, covered, for about 1 h, then continue cooking until the desired consistency is reached.
• Let the mixture cool down and chop it finely with a knife. Add the raw meat of the legs (previously deboned and without skin), also chopped finely, and the remaining 25g of seedless grape pomace.
• Adjust with salt and pepper. The final result should have a fine, moist consistency.
• Continue the recipe by stuffing the pigeon breasts that were removed from the carcass. Take each breast and create a pocket at the top, making sure not to break the pointed end. Try to make as much space as possible inside to fit more filling. Use a piping bag to stuff the breasts, aiming for each breast to weigh at least 60g. Once stuffed, cook the breasts at a low temperature (48°C) for 1 h.

Pigeon Jus:

• Start by using a small rondeaux pan. Heat the olive oil to a high temperature and add the pigeon carcasses, broken into large pieces. Brown them well, then add the irregularly cut vegetables.
• Once the bottom of the pan begins to caramelize, add the tomatoes (cut into quarters) and let them soften. Then, deglaze with Vernaccia or a generic red wine. Once the alcohol evaporates, deglaze three times with ice to concentrate the flavors. Afterward, add the chicken broth and all the aromatic herbs. Continue cooking on low heat, covered, for at least 8 hours.
• Once you notice that the liquid is reducing, remove from heat and let it rest for 1 hour. Then pass everything through a coarse sieve and strain three times with sieves of different sizes.
• Once ready, add 300g of previously reduced Vernaccia di Cannara, bringing it to a consistency that will coat the back of a spoon.

For the Carrots and Plating:

• Using an extractor, juice four carrots and place the juice in a vacuum-seal cooking bag along with the baby carrots. Season with salt and steam at 95°C for 15’.
• For the final preparation, brown the pigeon breasts in a cast-iron pan with extra virgin olive oil. Once done, wrap each breast in two vine leaves and tie them with kitchen twine.
• Finish cooking on the barbecue to slightly char the vine leaves. Using a probe thermometer, ensure the internal temperature of the breast does not exceed 48°C. Once this temperature is reached, plate the breast, remove the vine leaf wrapper with scissors, and place the breast on the plate. Pour the pigeon jus refined with Vernaccia di Cannara over the top, add the confit baby carrots beside it, and finish with some wild herbs on top of the carrot.