Roasted Pigeons with Bread Sauce
Plump country pigeons roost on local grain silos fattening themselves up on the wheat or corn that has spilled. My father is a crack shot and regularly shoots doubles at skeeting events. He occasionally does some practice shooting around the silos, bringing home a batch of fat little birds. In town look for pigeon in the market, not on statuary. Pigeons at the market are called squab. The biggest difference between the two is those squabs have never flown.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
To start the gravy, cut the onion in half and stick the cloves in it (so you can find them later and don’t bite down on one). Put the onion, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a saucepan together with the half-and-half and set the pan over medium heat. Season with salt and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and leave in a warm place for 2 hours or more for the half-and-half to infuse.
Step 2
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Step 3
Take each bird and cut the backbone out with shears or a chef’s knife. Open the birds wide by spreading them with your hands and cracking the ribs by forcefully pressing down on the birds. Carefully slip your fingers under the skin on the wishbone side of the breasts and smear 1 tablespoon of the butter (per bird) underneath. Liberally salt the birds all over.
Step 4
In a large ovenproof skillet set over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add 2 of the birds and sear on both sides until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and then brown the remaining 2 birds. Fit all the birds snugly breast side up in the skillet and transfer to the oven.
Step 5
Roast the birds for 15 minutes or until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced and the leg moves easily. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Season with pepper.
Step 6
While the birds are roasting, finish the sauce. Remove the onion, bay leaves, and peppercorns from the half-and-half. Set the pan over low heat, stir in the bread crumbs, and add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread crumbs have swelled and thickened the sauce, about 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
Step 7
When ready to serve, spoon some of the bread sauce onto each plate and set a roasted bird on each and spoon juices over each bird. Serve the remaining warm sauce alongside.
Notes
Step 8
It’s best to make your own bread crumbs for this sauce. Homemade crumbs will swell and absorb the infused half and half. Storebought crumbs will make the sauce a touch grainy.
Step 9
I like to serve these with sautéed spinach or chard. The spiced bread sauce mixes well with the greens.
