Ingredients

6 young pigeons
2 oz tritto (see recipe below)
2 oz pine nuts
4 tbsp olive oil
juice and rind of 1 lemon
2/3 cup marsala wine

Method

  1. Remove the breasts from the pigeons. Keeping the blade very close to the high-ridged breast bone, a swift stroke of the knife from back to front will have the breast hanging on by the skin only. Cut through the skin.
  2. Brown the tritto in a very large pan. Roughly chop the carcasses. As the tritto browns, add them, cover with water and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer.
  3. In a frying pan (skillet) containing no oil, toast the pine nuts until they begin to brown. Remove them from the heat immediately - they will continue to cook a little of their own accord.
  4. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and drop in each pigeon breast. Cook for no more than 10 seconds on each side. The breasts will puff up. Remove the skin then slice each breast through across the horizontal - i.e. flat - plane. Seal the raw sides of each breast for a further 2-3 seconds in the hot oil.
  5. Pour away most of the oil and return the pan to a high heat. Add the lemon juice, rind and the marsala and reduce until you have a thick syrup, about 5 minutes.
  6. Stir in 2/3 cup of the pigeon broth made from the carcasses and reduce again.
  7. Toss the breasts into the sauce and re-heat for half a minute. Remove the breasts from the pan, pour the sauce over them, and sprinkle the browned pine nuts on top.

Makes 4 servings.

Tritto

Ingredients

1 medium onion
1 carrot
1 glove garlic
1/2 stick celery
1 bay leaf
1 sprig rosemary
6 fresh sage leaves
enough olive oil to cover when the ingredients are packed

Method

  1. Very finely dice all the ingredients into 1/8-inch dices with a food grinder or food processor. Sift the pieces together so they are thoroughly mixed.
  2. Cover with olive oil. THe tritto should be packed quite tightly. Do not use for at least 12 hours.

Source: The Complete Italian Cookbook

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