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Smoked wood pigeon with a broad bean, tomato and watercress salad

Peter Gordon from Market Kitchen
The intense flavours of Peter Gordon’s smoked wood pigeon balance the fresh, clean notes of broad beans, watercress and mint

Smoked wood pigeon with a broad bean, tomato and watercress salad

Method

1. Mix half of the brown sugar with a tablespoon of the olive oil, the chopped herbs and sea salt in a bowl, then rub the mixture all over the pigeon breasts. Leave to marinate in a covered bowl for an hour in the fridge.

2. Line a large wok with a double layer of foil and sprinkle over the wood chips, rice and remaining sugar. Cover with a lid and place over a medium heat until smoking (make sure the kitchen is well ventilated, as this can generate a lot of smoke). Add the pigeon breasts and smoke for 10-15 minutes, or until just cooked.

3. Place the lemon juice into a saucepan and bring to the boil with a pinch of sugar and a tablespoon of the olive oil, then take off the heat and mix in the carrot slices. Lay the tomatoes in the bottom of a dish and spoon the carrots and the juice over and leave to marinate for ten minutes.

4. Season the pigeon breasts with salt and pepper, add the two tablespoons of olive oil to a hot pan and add the breasts, skin-side down and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown and cooked to your liking.

5. Cook the broad beans in boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes, or until tender, then drain.

6. Mash the garlic, a pinch of salt and the mint leaves and the remaining olive oil together in a pestle and mortar to a rough paste.

7. To serve, divide the tomato and carrots between two serving plates, pile on the watercress and broad beans, then slice the pigeon breasts and sit them on top. Mix some of the lemon sauce into the mint and oil mixture, then drizzle over the breasts and serve.

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Serves: 4

Prep: 20 min, plus 1 hour 10 minutes marinating
Cook: 30 min

Ingredients
2 tbsp brown sugar
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chopped mixed herbs, thyme, oregano and rosemary
pinch coarse sea salt
4 wood pigeon, breasts
1 large handful oak or hickory wood chips
1 large handful dry rice
100ml lemon juice
pinch Sugar
1 Carrots, peeled then sliced thinly diagonally
3 Tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 large handfuls podded Broad beans
1 clove Garlic
handful fresh Mint, leaves only
1 handful Watercress