IF you have been awakened early in the morning by the coo-cooing of pigeons, you may not feel kindly disposed towards this plump and ponderous wild bird. It seems unfortunate that pigeons are regarded as a pest by farmers and gardeners as they have hearty appetites and love to eat green crops, berries, buds and seeds. Pigeons also reproduce on a prolific scale and for hundreds of years, they provided a plentiful source of inexpensive, iron-rich protein, which was tasty, earthy and easy to cook. Their last period of popularity in the domestic kitchen was probably during the Second World War when, like rabbit, they were valued as free food, as all red meat was strictly rationed and in short supply.

Today, pigeon is mostly eaten in restaurants and has become regarded as a more exotic ingredient. Chefs love the dark, fine-grained meat. Unlike seasonal game birds, it is inexpensive and available all-year-round as the basis for a delicious starter dish.

In Scotland, dovecots are known as doocots and there are many of them scattered around the country. I was intrigued by them as a child though the thought of eating a pigeon did not appeal. The most recognisable are usually constructed like a large, stone, circular beehive, tapering to a domed roof with a round hole in the top. Others can be rectangular with a sloping roof, or quirky constructions built into a high garden wall, or within the eaves of an outhouse, such as an old byre or stable block. Some are partially ruined, but many seem to have survived the centuries in their entirety. It is possible to look inside one of these and see the rows of small roosting platforms built into the walls, providing an encouraging nesting area for the birds to settle and breed. Obviously this made the young birds easily accessible, ready for a small spit, the pot or a pie.

Pigeon marries extremely well with fresh fruits in season, especially sharp, summer berries such as raspberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants. In the olden days, small wild raspberries and blaeberries were a natural source of flavouring for game dishes, and in the autumn, this extended to rowans, brambles, elderberries, and crab apples. Skirlie is one of my all-time favourite accompaniments for game and it is delicious used as a stuffing for birds, including roast chicken.

The first attempt I made at introducing pigeon to my menu at The Three Chimneys was somewhat unsophisticated and I blush in memory of my amateur attempts to recreate a dish I had read about in a historic Scottish cookery book. This made reference to skirlie being used to stuff game birds, but also to a recipe which placed a spoonful of soft butter mixed with wild berries into the cavity of grouse, before roasting. Combining the two ideas, I made skirlie with butter and added crushed raspberries to the mixture. I placed this inside the pigeon and roasted it whole. The residual pan juices were delicious and I served them, unadulterated, with a whole bird. I hasten to add that I altered this style of presentation after a regular, local customer politely told me it was “delicious, but rather difficult to eat”. I had also noted the horrified expression on the face of my waitress in those early years. She had gingerly picked up the plate and holding it at arm’s length, transported it off to the dining room with an audible sob of disgust, saying: “Ugh … it’s like serving a hoodie craw!”

Breast of pigeon with raspberry skirlie and bitter chocolate sauce

(Serves 4)

You will need four whole pigeons, oven-ready. Ask the butcher to remove the breasts from each bird and cut up the carcasses into smaller pieces if you prefer not to.

To make the stock

Carcasses from four pigeons

1 carrot

1 stick celery

1 medium onion

1 large sprig fresh parsley with stalk

1 large sprig fresh thyme (plus another to garnish)

2 fresh bay leaves

Good pinch of sea salt crystals

8 whole black peppercorns

Stalks from mushrooms prepared for sauce (below)

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 tbsp wildflower/heather honey

150ml red wine

Method

1. Break up the carcasses and place in a roasting tin in a hot oven (Gas 7) and roast until sizzling hot, looking charred but not burnt. (Around 30 minutes.)

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables, roughly chopped, the parsley and thyme, broken into pieces, stalks included, the bay leaves and mushroom stalks. Stir and cook gently until softened.

3. Remove pigeon carcasses from the oven and add to the vegetables. Pour the honey into the roasting tin, allow to melt while stirring into the meaty residue in the base of the tin.

4. Add the wine and bring to simmering point on the hotplate, stirring all the time. Pour this over the vegetables and carcasses in the saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover the contents, bring to the boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cover with a lid and continue cooking for at least one hour.

5. Strain the stock into a bowl through a colander. Allow to drain for five to 10 minutes.

6. Discard vegetables and carcasses. Strain the juices a second time, using a fine sieve. Pour into a measuring jug. You are aiming to have at least one pint of stock to make the sauce.

To make the sauce

50g unsalted butter

2 large banana shallots, peeled and chopped finely

8 brown mushrooms, washed, stalks removed (add to pigeon stock) and finely chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

8 fresh raspberries

1 pint pigeon stock

1 square bitter dark chocolate (75-80%)

Method

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add shallots and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Stir, reduce heat and cook until soft and beginning to dry out. Add the raspberries and crush into the cooked vegetables. Add the strained stock and bring to the boil. Simmer until reduced by half.

2. Strain off the stock into a bowl, squeezing the juices from the vegetables with the back of a wooden spoon. Strain a second time through a very fine sieve into a measuring jug. You are aiming to have ½ pint liquid for the sauce.

3. Just before serving, return to the heat and whisk the chocolate into the mixture, maintaining a medium/high heat. Allow the sauce to bubble for a few minutes as it reduces and thickens a little. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To make the Skirlie

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped very finely

110g unsalted butter

110g medium oatmeal

2oz fresh raspberries (plus a few more for the garnish)

Method

1. Heat the butter until hot and foamy. Add the onions and cook until soft and just beginning to colour. Add the oatmeal and stir well to combine. Add the raspberries, crushing into the mixture. Allow to cool a little.

2. Lightly shape the mixture into patties approximately 6cm in diameter x 1cm deep. Shape the patties on a board, without adding flour, and lift with a palette knife onto a lightly greased baking sheet. They will seem a little fragile and sticky, but will dry in the oven.

3. Bake in a moderate oven for no more than 20 minutes, when the cakes will be turning brown at the edges. Remove tray from oven and keep warm. Alternatively, return to oven for 2-3 minutes to warm through as the pigeon is resting before it is cut.

To cook the pigeon

Allow 2 breasts per person as a main course.

1. Season the pigeon breast with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat two tablespoons of rapeseed oil in a frying pan and sear the breasts for no more than two minutes on one side and turn over for another one minute at most. Press the meat into the hot oil when you first place it in the pan.

2. Cook the breasts in batches of no more than four at a time and repeat with the remaining four. Remove to an oven tray and pour over any residual hot oil from the pan. Place in a warm place, or the oven at a very low temperature, to rest for up to five minutes.

3. Slice the pigeon and serve on top of the warm skirlie cake as illustrated. Place whole raspberries in the hot sauce for a few seconds and decorate the plate with two or three. Pour a spoonful of sauce over the pigeon and sprinkle with a few thyme leaves. Serve with summer peas or beans.

Shirley Spear is owner of The Three chimneys and The House Over-By on the Isle Of Skye www.threechimneys.co.uk