The wandering whole pigeon

Chef

Preparation	7 h
Difficulty	Hard
Game	Partridge
Calories	700 - 800
Activity	M 75’ , F 103’
People	4
Wine pairing	Torgiano rosso riserva DOCG

Ingredients

N 2 whole pigeons
G 100 mirin vinegar
G 100 tosazu vinegar
G 100 kurozu vinegar
G 30 dextrose
G 30 chestnut honey
G 200 leek
G 200 aged pork lard
G 10 orange zest
G 10 cinnamon powder
G 2 clove powder
G 10 minced garlic
G 10 wild thyme
For the sauce:
Livers, hearts, and gizzards from the 2 whole pigeons
N 2 whole thrushes
G 100 onion
G 100 carrot
G 100 celery
G 30 red wine vinegar
G 30 aged lard
G 20 tomato paste
L 1 chicken stock
Bay leaves and rosemary to taste

Kcal 827 *

*For every medium-low speed running activity (8Km/h), the AVERAGE calorie consumption is of approximately 8Kcal x Kg x height, considering an average female weight of 60 Kg and an average male weight of 80 Kg.

Preparation

Clean the whole pigeons, removing the internal organs, which should be carefully separated and washed to eliminate any blood residues. Set these aside for the game sauce. Gently lift the skin by inserting air between the skin and meat with a small pump through the neck to separate it delicately. Then, immerse the pigeons in boiling salted water to close the pores and tighten the skin, preparing it for the next glazing steps.
While the meat dries, finely mince the garlic, lard, and spices, then insert this mixture under the pigeons’ skin. Fill the cavity with leek, fresh thyme, and orange zest, then sew up the cavity and neck to prevent any filling from spilling out during cooking.
Prepare the glaze by emulsifying the three vinegars with dextrose and honey. Hang the pigeons in an aging cabinet for 3 days, brushing with the glaze every 6 h.
Prepare the ingredients for the sauce base by cleaning and dicing the vegetables into a mirepoix. Cut the lard into coarse pieces, leaving the thrushes and innards whole. In a stainless steel pot, heat a little oil with the lard, add the thrushes and innards, and brown over high heat. Once golden, add the vegetables and cook over medium heat for 15’.
Add the tomato paste, herbs, and deglaze with vinegar. Cover with chicken broth and cook over medium heat for about 1 h. Pass everything through a food mill, season with salt, and set the sauce aside to accompany the dish.
After the 3 days of glazing, cook the pigeons in a fan oven at 180°C until they reach an internal temperature of 45°C for a rare doneness. Carve each pigeon into breast, thigh, and wing portions for each guest, and serve with the game sauce, hot.

The wandering whole pigeon

Ingredients

Preparation

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