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Dirty pigeon breasts with peas and wild greens
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 4 pigeon breasts, skin on
- 350g frozen peas
- 2tbsp butter, plus extra, if needed
- 12 hogweed buds
- leaves from a few wild mint sprigs, coarsely chopped
- 12 vetch tops
- few three-cornered leek flowers
Method
Get a really good bed of charcoal on the go: cherry wood works very well with pigeon. When it is ready, fan off the ash, season the pigeon breasts with salt and put them directly on the red-hot embers, skin-side down. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, then wrap in foil and leave to rest next to the fire for 7-8 minutes.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the peas and cook, covered, over a medium-low heat for 2 minutes, then drain. While the peas are cooking, heat a frying pan and add the butter, then add the hogweed buds and cook for 1 minute. They will suck up the butter, so add a little more if necessary. Stir in the peas and mint and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
Unwrap the pigeon breasts and slice them in half through each breast at a slight angle. Serve with the peas, sprinkled with the vetch and three-cornered leek flowers.
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