Pigeon with Peas

Name: Pigeon with Peas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 pigeons, cut in half (ask the butcher to do this); 1 soft lettuce, such as Batavia or butterhead (Webbs), finely sliced; 1 kg freshly shelled peas; 1 litre chicken stock; 70 g butter; 100 ml white wine; a bunch of mint, finely chopped; 10 g unrefined brown sugar; l00 g thick-cut bacon, cut into strips; 5 spring onions, finely sliced; freshly ground black pepper; sea salt; 1 bouquet garni; 8 shallots, finely diced

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
45 min

Appears in

The French Kitchen

By Joanne Harris and Fran Warde

Published 2002

About

Ideally, you should use 4–5 month old pigeons and freshly shelled, small peas for this traditional recipe, Pigeon aux Petits Pois. For the bouquet garni, tie together a bundle of fresh herbs. I use sprigs of parsley, thyme, sage and rosemary, 2 bay leaves and a 5cm piece of leek.

Ingredients

70 g butter
l00 g thick-cut bacon, cut into strips
8

Europe
France
Main course
Mediterranean
Gluten-free

Method

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the bacon and shallots and cook until just golden, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the pigeons and lightly brown all over on the outside. Add the white wine, stock, bouquet garni and seasoning, then return the cooked bacon and shallots and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the peas, sugar and lettuce, stir well and