Pan-fried Pigeon, Jerusalem Artichoke, Caramelised Apple

At this time of year, the forest floor is littered with nuts and festooned with berries waiting to be pecked and guzzled by the resident woodlanders. With it’s tender, earthy quality, wood pigeon encapsulates the taste of the forest floor and is, dare I say it, something worth cooing over.

If you fancy a change from chicken, the recipe below is a great alternative. The pigeon goes well with the nuttiness of the jerusalem artichoke puree, the sweetness of caramelised apple and the earthiness of pickled beetroot. Cook one pigeon breast for a starter or a couple with some seasonal veg for a decent main.

Pan-fried Wood Pigeon with Jerusalem Artichoke Puree,
Caramlised Apple & Pickled Beetroot

4 pigeon breasts (8 if you’re serving it as a main course)
400g jerusalem artichoke
100g butter
100ml whole milk
1 lemon, juiced
1 apple (granny smiths for me)
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 beetroot
100ml red wine or balsamic  vinegar
a few allspice berries
a few peppercorns
watercress

1. First, make your pickled beetroot. It’s a bit labour-intensive for only one meal and a single beetroot, so I would recommend making a whole jar of these and saving the rest for later. remove the leaves of your beet and boil, skin on, until tender. Meanwhile heat the vinegar with the peppercorns and allspice. Peel the beetroot, slice and leave to soak in the spiced vinegar for at least an hour.
2. For the puree, peel the jerusalem artichokes and place in a bowl of water with the juice of a lemon added. Leave for ten minutes or so, then take them out and dice them into small chunks.
Heat the butter in a pan until foaming and a deeper shade of yellow, add the artichokes and cook until tender. Pour over the milk and cover, cooking until soft. Finally, liquidize into a puree.
3. Season the pigeon breasts and sear in a hot pan with a little oil. About 2-3 minutes on each side should do. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes.
4. While the pigeon rests, slice the apple into eight pieces and caramelise with a little butter and brown sugar in the same pan as you cooked the pigeon.
5. To serve, add a tbsp or two of the jerusalem artichoke puree to the plate, slice the breast in half and place on the puree. Add the apple and a fine dice of pickled beetroot. A few sprigs of watercress give a fresh and peppery punch.
6. If you like, you can make a sauce by using a little port or madeira to deglaze the pan and adding a little butter or a vinaigrette using some extra virgin olive oil and the vinegar used to pickle the beetroot.

The Perfect Autumn Cookie: Cobnut, Chocolate & Spelt

I’ll admit, they’re not an ingredient I often use- not due to their seasonality, but rather the fact that they’re difficult for me to get my hands on.

Britain has a great larder, one we often ignore in favour of the more familiar ingredients from far beyond our humble shores: take miso or galangal for example- I would expect to find them in my local supermarket, but  not bone marrow or brill; parmesan, of course, but crowdie, unlikely; kaffir lime leaves, yes, never sorrel or chervil or lovage. Cobnuts also fit this category neatly. But if you’re very lucky, you might just stumble across a handful before the season ends.

If you’ve never tried one, they are to a large extent, a hazelnut and their flavour is quite similar, but they’re a tad sweeter and roasted, they’re a sensation. Of course, you can use hazelnut in the recipe below and you’ll create just as satisfying a biscuit, but it’s worth seeking out a cobnut or two, especially if you’ve never done so before.

Cobnut Cookies*

150g plain flour
50g spelt flour
100g salted butter
50g caster sugar
50g light brown muscovado sugar
1 medium-sized egg
50g cobnuts, roasted and chopped
50g milk chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mace
a pinch of salt

1. First, cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, then beat in the egg.
2. Sieve the flours, salt and bicarb into the mixture and combine.
3. Stir in the chopped cobnuts, chocolate, mace and cinnamon until distributed fairly evenly.
4. place a teaspoon of the mixture onto a lined baking tray and bake in the oven at 180°C (a little less for fan assisted ovens) for 10-12 minutes. Remove them from the baking tray(s) when firm enough to do so and cool thoroughly on a rack.
5. It isn’t necessary to serve them with a pot of Earl Grey, but I recommend it.

* A friend suggested the name ‘cobnobs’. If you’re British, that probably seems like a fine name for a biscuit. If you’re not, it may sound rude.