'Trigabolo 1994' – pigeon breast salad with crispy vegetables, candied orange and balsamic vinegar

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This pigeon recipe from Igles Corelli is inspired by its first incarnation, served by the chef at the Trigabolo restaurant which closed its doors to diners in 1994. The gamey flavour of the pigeon breast is balanced by crisp vegetables and sweet balsamic vinegar – look for tradizionale or DOC (denominazione di origine controllata –controlled designation of origin) on the label for an authentic Italian flavour.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pigeon breasts

Crispy vegetables

To garnish

Equipment

  • Parisian scoop / melon baller

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
2
Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Coat the pigeon breasts with a few drops of oil and season with salt and pepper then place in the hot pan. Fry for 2 minutes on each side
3
Remove from the pan and transfer to a baking tray, placing in the oven to finish cooking for 6–7 minutes
4
Meanwhile, use a melon baller to scoop small spheres from the potato and carrot. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cook the potato for 4 minutes then drain
5
In a separate pan, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the carrot over a low heat for a few minutes to soften, then season with salt
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
6
Remove the cooked pigeon breasts from the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes – the meat should be golden brown on the outside and pink in the middle
7
When ready to serve, brush each plate with a teaspoon of the balsamic vinegar. Divide the cooked potato and carrot spheres between the plates and scatter over the courgette ribbons, pepper and spring onions
  • 4 tsp balsamic vinegar, preferably from Modena, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 courgette, peeled into fine ribbons
  • 1 red pepper, cut into julienne
  • 2 spring onions, cut into julienne
8
Rub the chard leaves with a little olive oil and salt and scatter over the vegetables. Slice the pigeon breasts and arrange over the salad, adding the edible flowers and strips of candied peel to garnish. Finish with a drizzle of oil and balsamic vinegar to serve
First published in 2016

Being at the forefront of the Italian nouvelle cuisine movement when he was younger helped form Igles Corelli's playful, creative cooking style.

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