Pigeon with star anise, endive and black truffle

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Famously plump and tender, the rich, gamey flavour of pigeon stands up well to the bold flavours of star anise and black truffle as Luigi Sartini demonstrates in this hearty main course. Resist the temptation to overcook the meat as it is at its juicy best when served pink.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pigeon

Star anise sauce

  • 2 tomatoes, ripe and chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 star anise
  • 50g of morels, washed and dried

Endive

  • 2 endive
  • 1 knob of butter
  • salt
  • black pepper

To serve

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
2
Clean the pigeons and remove the legs. Carefully remove the thigh bones and the breast fillets from the carcasses – ask your butcher to prepare the birds if necessary. Arrange the carcasses and thigh bones on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes until browned
3
Remove the roasted bones from the oven and place into a large casserole dish with the tomato, garlic, thyme and star anise. Season and cover with cold water, then bring up to the boil and simmer without a lid for 1 hour
  • 2 tomatoes, ripe and chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 star anise
  • salt
  • black pepper
4
Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Finely slice the morels and add to the pan with the stock, then heat gently until reduced to a sauce-like consistency. Remove from the heat and set aside, keeping warm until ready to serve
  • 50g of morels, washed and dried
5
Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add a dash of oil. Add the pigeon thighs to the pan and fry until the skin is golden and crisp
  • oil
6
Meanwhile, in a separate pan fry the breast fillets skin-side down for 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the breasts over and fry for a further 2 minutes on the other side until medium rare
7
Remove the thighs and breasts from their respective pans and cover with a little foil, leaving the meat to rest for 5 minutes before serving
8
Meanwhile, thinly slice the endive into julienne and sauté quickly in a pan with a knob of butter until well-coloured
  • 1 knob of butter
  • 2 endive
9
To serve, slice the pigeon breasts into even pieces and divide between the serving plates. Arrange the endive and thighs alongside the breast pieces and drizzle over the star anise sauce, garnishing with shavings of black truffle

As San Marino's most prominent chef, Luigi Sartini is bringing the tiny republic's local cuisine to the attention of Europe's culinary elite.

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