Elderberry, Pigeon and Snail Bruschetta

Name: Elderberry, Pigeon and Snail Bruschetta
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: extra virgin olive oil; 1 small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped; 2 slices stale country-style bread or ciabatta; 2 slices stale country-style bread or ciabatta; 1 garlic clove, peeled; 1 shallot, peeled and diced; 6 snails, pre-prepared (fresh, canned or frozen); a few shelled cobnuts (or hazelnuts); a few shelled cobnuts (or hazelnuts); 1 heaped tbsp fresh elderberries; 50 g butter; 1 sprig of fresh thyme; 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed; 1 wood pigeon or farmed squab, rinsed; salt and pepper; salt and pepper; 1 splash of ruby port; 1 wood pigeon or farmed squab, rinsed

Preparation info

Serves
2

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Cooks Country

By Matt Tebbutt

Published 2008

About

I get very overexcited about this kind of earthy, gutsy food. It’s simply the best the season has to offer, put together in a sympathetic way.

Ingredients

1 wood pigeon or farmed squab, rinsed
salt and pepper
1 splash of ruby port

Europe
United Kingdom
Main course
October
September
Autumn

Method

Preheat the grill or char-grill, and Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

Spatchcock the bird by removing the backbone and flattening it out (your butcher should do this for you). Season and char-grill for 3–4 minutes on both sides to colour and start the cooking. Put in