Pickled Pigeon

[wokkywokky]

Hi guys, thought I would share with you my pickled pigeon recipe. This is a great way to preserve birds and makes for a delicious light meal.

 

Firstly you need to shoot some pigeons :-)

 

 

Next pluck the feathers, cut off the head, legs and wings

 

 

 

Next you need to gut the birds and remove all the internals. Give them a good wash under cold water and ensure they are spotlessly clean internally. The lungs are tricky to clean out as the stick to the rib cage. a small knife and even a toothbrush come in handy.

 

 

Boil enough water to cover the birds in a large pot. Add some salt. The birds need at least an hour to boil

 

 

Remove from water once cooked and allow to fully cool

 

 

Place the birds into a large airtight pickling jar

 

 

Add red wine vinegar to cover the birds.

 

 

 

Add a layer of olive oil on top to prevent any air from tainting the meat, plus this helps to add flavour and tenderise the meat.

 

 

Stick on label so you know when it was pickled and when it can be eaten.

 

 

Leave to pickle for at least 4 weeks. Turn the jar over daily to mix the olive oil on to the birds.

 

The best way to serve this is with eggs. Remove the skin off the birds and shred the meat. It should literally fall off the bone. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the meat for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and crack in a couple of eggs. Fry the entire lot and serve. Delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fatcatsplat]

Never crossed my mind - I'll give this one a go - Ta!

[Old farrier]

Hi

Very nice write up thanks for posting 😊

 

Would it work for partridges

 

Actually don't know why I asked as I can't even cook toast

 

But anyway brilliant piece of information and good description pictures

Thanks again for your effort

 

All the best

Of

[wokkywokky]

I guess it could work for partridge but I have never tried that.

 

With partridge or pheasant I clean the bird same as above making sure it is spotlessly clean inside and out. Boil the bird for 45mins but do not tip the water away. Use the water/stock to boil up your favourite pasta such as a penne or chifferi.

 

The bird goes in the oven with some vegetable or sunflower oil on top. Baste the bird regularly to get its skin crispy and stop it from drying out.

 

Serve the pasta straight from the water on to the plate. A bit of the stock adds to the flavour. Carve the meat and place on top of pasta. If you want to add a bit more flavour try some grated parmesan and a sprinkle of dried mint. A simple yet great dish.

[Old farrier]

Thanks

For the recipe for pasta pheasant

Much appreciated

 

Actually I'm going to start my own thread don't wish to clutter yours up

 

All the best

Of

[Guest cookoff013]

thats what pigeonwatch is all about.

 

cheers.

[Me matt]

could this be done with just the breast meat?

[DrBlox]

I've seen an Italian "pickle" rabbit in a similar way: boil the rabbit (dressed) and "pickle" in the same manner as the OP but use just olive oil.

[wokkywokky]

could this be done with just the breast meat?

I guess it could be done with just the breast. My dad prefers to take off legs and wings with the bone and fry it with the eggs. That way he can eat it off the bone to add to the experience.

Edited July 20, 2017 by wokkywokky

[welshgun]

Interesting will have to give this a go thanks.

[Gameking]

Rick Stein illustrated a similar thing with Partridge in Spain. Not currently available on BBC iPlayer but here is a link which gives the details .

http://overthegate.myfreeforum.org/archive/preserved-partridges__o_t__t_24393.html