“‘My uncle hasn’t eaten his pigeon pie.’ Holding the chalice one-handed, Joff jammed his other into Tyrion’s pie. ‘It’s ill luck not to eat the pie…” (Storm of Swords)
Pigeon Pie
Thoughts:
This makes for a rich, hearty meat pie. Pigeon meat is dark like duck, although not nearly so fatty. The silky texture of the meat is the real show stopper, wonderfully soft and tender, complimenting the light flaky pastry crust. Although I used the suggested spices from a medieval pigeon pie recipe, I made mine much the same as a chicken pot pie, so it oozes with vegetables and a creamy sauce. Because of the richness of the pigeon, a small slice will satisfy, and it’s best paired with additional sides. All in all, a delicious dish, and a wonderful new addition to any feast table, especially for a wedding! ;)
This recipe went into the cookbook, but shortly after making it, I found another amazing medieval recipe for pigeon pie, with artichoke hearts, and bacon. Check out that recipe here.
Where did you get the pigeons?
Not the OP, obviously, but if you live near any ethnic markets that cater to Chinese people, you’d be able to pick up pigeons (or squab, even) there. Otherwise, you can drive to the park with a big net… ;)
… I’ve never seen pigeons at my local Chinese markets. Black chicken, yes, but no pigeons.
In all seriousness, how safe is it to eat city pigeons? It seems… unsafe.
City pigeons, yes, but those sold for food are usually farm-raised. I haven’t checked the Chinese markets here in London but I did find a nearby butcher that sources game meat from around the country.
I guess it really depends on what’s available where you live. You can buy live pigeons, chickens and turtles at a store down in Chinatown here.
As for raw pigeons, Arya eats them raw all the time. She hasn’t died yet! :P
Also in seriousness, there’s a study here about the safety of pigeon meat (it’s pretty long/wordy and also a pdf):
http://ps.fass.org/cgi/reprint/80/1/66
Although it’s for farmed pigeons, pigeon meat actually has a lot fewer pathogens in it than chicken or turkey. You can even safely eat farmed pigeon medium-rare unlike other poultry. Pigeons are very clean animals; I don’t really get why people think of them as dirty birds.
That’s what I figured :) I’m sure somewhere in Boston sells pigeon, but neither of the Asian markets near me (Super 88 and… uh, this place in Chinatown. Can’t recall the name) seem to :
Look for it under “quail”, too. Most ethnic supermarkets tend not to differentiate between the two.
If you can’t get pigeon, what would you suggest as a substitute? Duck, perhaps?
This sounds lovely! I can’t wait to see the second recipe, too! :)
Use squab or game hen if you can’t get pigeon.
How about dove? Would that be a similar substitute? I don’t know that pigeon is available here. Game hen can be gotten, frozen, from the local stores, but I can’t speak for how great it would be, all things considered.
Ill have to try this if I get any more doves this season…
Still don’t get it, shouldn’t the pigeons be alive?
But if they’re do you only eat the crust or what?
Squab is pigeon, or occasionally dove, and is nothing like quail. If your poultry farmer or butcher is selling pigeon as “quail”, find a new butcher!
When making pigeon pie, it’s extremely important to make sure all the bits and chunks are small enough not to present a choking hazard….
hairnets must NOT be worn.
Sounds fantastic! For those asking questions about pigeon – you don’t eat town pigeon, you eat wood pigeon. One of them eats cigarette butts and Kentucky Fried bones, while the other eats seeds and worms ;-)
You serve this with a good red Dornish wine, right?