Pigeon With Prunes & Honey
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 25 g fresh root ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 8 wood pigeon breasts
- pinch saffron threads
- 175 g ready-to-eat pitted prunes
- 300 ml water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 25 g butter
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon icing sugar for dusting
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
- Heat the oil in the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the garlic, ginger and cinnamon sticks and cook for 3 minutes to let the flavours mingle.
- Add the pigeon breasts and quickly sear them on all sides, then transfer to a chopping board and cut them into thick strips.
- Cover and set aside.
- Stir the saffron and prunes into the tagine or saucepan and pour in the measurement water.
- Add the honey and butter.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for 15–20 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Return the pigeon strips to the tagine or saucepan and cook gently for 4–5 minutes to heat through.
- Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon and serve with chunks of crusty bread, if liked.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
For chicken livers with prunes & honey,
replace the pigeon breasts with 225 g trimmed chicken livers. Sear the chicken livers in the oil with the garlic and ginger as for Pigeon with prunes & honey, omitting the cinnamon sticks, then transfer the chicken livers to a plate and set aside. Proceed with the recipe as for Pigeon with prunes & honey, returning the chicken livers to the tagine or saucepan for the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Omit the ground cinnamon and icing sugar and garnish with a bunch of finely chopped flat leaf parsley.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
