Hugh Mullan's signature dish from Heat 2 of MasterChef 2014
Ingredients
- for tortelli of braised wood pigeon with pan roasted breast:
- 3 whole wild pigeons or (squab pigeons)
- 2 chicken breasts
- 500 ml double cream
- 1 l dark chicken stock
- 200 g bunch of thyme
- 1 carrot, 2 sticks of celery, 2 large shallots (banana)
- 500 g ‘oo’ pasta flour
- fine semolina to dust work surface
- 6 medium organic eggs
- 200 ml olive oil
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- for roasted garlic puree:
- 3 large bulbs of garlic
- 200 ml olive oil
- 250 ml double cream
- 50 g unsalted butter
- for parsley oil:
- 500 g fresh bunch of parsley
- 200 ml olive oil for pan fried girolle and cep mushrooms:
- 100 g cep mushroom
- 100 g girolle mushroom
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 50 ml olive oil
- for pickled shimeji mushrooms:
- 100 g shimeji mushrooms
- 250 ml dry white wine
- 50 ml white wine vinegar
- 50 g light brown sugar
- black peppercorns, fennel seeds
- 1 shallot
- 1 garlic clove
- for braised purple chicory and shallot:
- 3 red chicory hearts
- 3 large shallots (banana)
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 50 g caster sugar
- for madeira sauce:
- 500 ml madiera wine
- 1 carrot, 2 sticks of celery, 2 large shallots (banana)
- 50 ml sherry vinegar for toasted hazelnuts:
- 100 g shelled/blanched hazelnuts for chopped chives:
- 200 g fresh chive stalks
Method
- For Tortelli of braised wood pigeon with pan roasted breast:
- Heat some oil in the pressure cooker and cook the carrot, celery, thyme and shallots for a few minutes
- Debone the pigeon legs and place in the pressure cooker and place in the cooker to brown for a couple of minutes then add the stock
- Close the lid and cook for 20 minutes, remove the legs and shred the meat finely and reserve the cooking stock for the sauce
- For the pasta, blitz the eggs and flour and a little oil in the food processor until incorporated then place in the mixer to knead the dough for 3-4 minutes, remove cover with cling film and rest
- Blitz the chicken breast in the food processor with salt and add cold cream and mix, then incorporate the shredded leg meat and keep chilled
- Roll pasta dough to the finest setting and cut equal sized squares, fill with leg meat mixture, fold to seal and shape into tortelli, set aside until ready to cook
- Cook the tortelli in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes and serve.
- For the pigeon breast, heat the oil in the pan and colour both breasts of the ‘crown‘ for 2 minutes and roast in the oven for 6 minutes. Remove and rest until ready to serve
- Carve the breasts off the crown to serve For roasted garlic puree:
- Wrap the bulbs in tin foil and coat in olive oil and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes
- Remove and allow to cool then squeeze the puree out of each bulb into the pan of cold cream
- Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat and blend to a smooth consistency adding butter if necessary
- Keep warm until ready to serve For Parsley oil:
- Blanch the parsley for 30 seconds and refresh in iced water
- Squeeze out all the water and blitz in the food processor for a a minute, then slowly add the oil
- Allow to infuse for a while, then passthrough a fine sieve with pressing against the puree store until ready to serve For Pan fried Girolle and Cep mushrooms:
- Trim the giroles and slice the ceps lengthways
- Cook the ceps in oil for a few minutes on each side to crisp, adding the girolles and butter then cooking for a further few minutes until ready to serve For Pickled Shimeji mushrooms:
- Cook the garlic, shallot in a pan for a few minutes
- Add the white wine and boil for 2 minutes
- Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 5 minutes then take off the heat
- Place mushrooms in the pickling liquor until ready to serve
- For Braised Purple chicory and shallot:
- Cut the chicory and shallots lengthways and cook in oil in the pan for 5 minutes to caramelise
- Add the butter and some water and continue to cook until ready
- To finish, sprinkle the cut side with some sugar and blowtorch for a few seconds For Madeira Sauce:
- Sweat the vegetables off in the pan for 5 minutes until soft
- Add the madiera and sherry vinegar and reduce by 2/3
- Add the reserved cooking stock from the pigeon legs and reduce to sauce consistency, keep warm For Toasted hazelnuts:
- Roast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, allow to cool and roughly chop For Chopped chives:
- Finely chop the chives just before service
