Pheasant with grapes is a simple recipe to cook this bird that can sometimes be a little dry. With this recipe it is very juicy. The key is to marinate it for 3 days in an airtight bag used to preserve food.

The first thing to do is to clean the pheasant, remove the guts and feathers. To remove the feathers you pour boiling water over the bird to make it easier to pluck.

What ingredients does the pheasant marinade have?

The ingredients are wine, cognac(80grames) white grapes(150 grames), aromatic herbs such as laurel(1 leave), and thyme. Also about 20 balls of black pepper. Once all the ingredients are mixed, they are crushed with a blender to release all the aromas. Then pour it over the bag and introduce the already cleaned pheasant. Close the bag and leave it in the fridge for 3 days.

Cooked in the oven

Before putting the bird in the oven, clean it well with cold water. Very important, salt and pepper is added and the skin is browned in a casserole with a little oil to seal the meat. In this way we guarantee that the meat does not lose its juices. Put it in the oven at 160 degrees celsius for 45 minutes. When the pheasant is cooked it is cut in 4 pieces. The two breasts and the two thighs. They are left ready to be plated with the sauce.

The pheasant sauce

In the casserole where we have gilded the skin of the pheasant, we add the chopped vegetables. 2 leek, 2 carrot, 1 onion, 2 tomatoes and 200 grams of grapes… add 1 spoonfuls of oil and cook slowly. When the vegetables are very poached, flambé 80 ml of cognac and then pour it over the vegetables. When the mixture is well cooked it is filtered to obtain a liquid sauce.

To the liquid sauce, add 50 grames of white grapes split in half without the seeds and leave them cooking in the sauce for 10 minutes over a low heat. Depending on the quantity of liquid that we obtain, we can add some more cognac and, or white wine.

Tiling

Place thigh and breast,  crown with 3 grapes and pour the sauce. Finally add a sprig of thyme.

This recipe of roasted pigeon is from one of the best cheffs in San Sebastian, Juan Mari Arzak. If you like this kind of food don´t forget to taste it next time you come back.

Ingredients for 4 people

4 pigeons, 4 tablespoons of sunflower oil, salt, and white pepper.

For the Porto and liquorice sauce
The carcasses of the pigeon and the legs, 1 onion, 2 leeks, 1 spoonful of chopped thyme, 1 spoonful of chopped parsley, 1 dl of red port, 1 dl of red wine, 1 stick of liquorice, half a liter of water, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, salt and pepper

In addition

2 william pears and some sprigs of fresh thyme.

Elaboration

For the roasted pigeon

Salt and pepper the pigeons inside and out. Remove the carcasses of the pigeons by removing the breasts. Sauté the breasts and legs with sunflower oil in a casserole and then bake them at 220 degrees for 5 or 6 minutes. Then, take them out and let them rest for a few minutes.

For the Porto and liquorice sauce

Brown the carcasses in the oil. Once browned, add the chopped vegetables and herbs. Sauté and add port and red wine as well as the liquorice stick. Then add water and let it reduce to half its volume. Strain it and put it on the fire again until it reduces by half again. Finally, add salt and pepper and strain without crushing.

Presentation

Heat the pigeon breasts for a few moments (au gratin in the oven). Chop the pears and brown them in a pan with butter. Place the breasts alternating with the previously browned pears.Pour the sauce over them and decorate with thyme sprigs.

This is the way i do it at home with the wings and the legs.

roasted pigeon

Wood pigeon or wild dove introduction.

In these latitudes autumn is a special season for diffrent rasons. At this time the trees lose their leaves and the days become shorter. It is the time to enjoy nature, and hunting is a very popular activity in the Basque Country.

The wild pigeon hunting (“paloma torcáz” or “paloma bravía” in spanish) is already like a tradition and since ancient times the pigeons completes its migration in autumn. From the north of Europe to the south where they have a better climate. When they arrive in the Basque Country they have to cross the Pyrenees and their passage is concentrated in some specific points. Through the coast, Fuenterrabia and Irún. Through the mountains, from Urrugne to Sara, Etxalar and Roncesvalles. Where they pass depends on meteorological factors such as wind. With very strong southern winds they are concentrated on the coast. On the contrary with the north winds they cross the mountain areas.

Basque hunter with pigeons

The pigeon in the Basque cuisine

The wild pigeon is very appreciated in the Basque gastronomy because it is a very wild animal which feeds mainly on acorns and corn. This makes its meat have a very special texture and taste. It reminds me a lot of the Spanish Iberian ham. It may be because they share the diet of acorns.

They can be cooked in many ways. The most traditional are in their sauce or grilled capucin style. The one I personally like the most is the French Basque style. La Palombe au capucin. It is split into two parts, baked or put on the grill to seal the skin. Once sealed, we proceed to the special part. It is spilled over burning iberian pork fat that finishes cooking the meat. The result is a meat that is well done on the outside but raw and bleeding on the inside. I have to confess that this is one of my best gastronomic discoveries. Every year I have to eat the pigeon like this, even if it is only once a year.

I will share with you this video where you can see the way they cook them at the French Basque. It is very spectacuar.