- 4
Ingredients
- 4 SERVINGS
- Warm Salad of Wood Pigeon with Crispy Parsnips and Lentils
- 4 Wild Scottish Wood Pigeons, skinned and boned
- • 2 ounces Puy lentils, soaked overnight
- • 5-6 ounces parsnip
- • Sunflower oil for deep frying, plus 1 tablespoon for cooking wood pigeon
- • Sea salt
- • Freshly ground black pepper
- • 5-6 ounces mixed salad leaves
- • 3 tablespoon of vinegarette
Preparation
Step 1
1. Preheat overn to 425 degrees. Drain the lentils and put them in a saucepan with just enough water to cover and cook them very slowly for eight to ten minutes until tender. Drain the lentils again and put them in a bowl. Keep them warm until required.
2. Thinly slice parsnip lengthways using a potato peeler. Heat the oil until a bread cube turns golden in 20 seconds and rises to the surface. Deep-fry the thin parsnip slices until golden. Drain and leave them on a sheet of kitchen paper until required.
3. Season the skinned pigeon breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan until it’s hot. Drop in a tablespoon of sunflower oil and pan-fry the pigeon breasts for approximately two minutes each side. Allow them to rest in the pan in a warm place for at least 10 minutes. In a large bowl, toss the salad leaves with the vinaigrette and the lentils. Slice the pigeon breasts thinly - about a dozen slices per breast (these should still be very pink inside) - and add them to the bowl of leaves. Carefully toss together with your hands and divide between four plates. Top each mound of leaves with a handful of fried parsnip shreds. Serve immediately before it all goes soggy!