My local wood

[philmcd831 4]

Was up for around two hours today and didn't have very much luck,on the walk over to the wood I seen around 8 woodies lifting they had been down feeding,when I got to we're they had been the only thing I could see that they were feeding on would have been clover but there didn't seem to be much of it anyway

There wasn't as many woodies as usual coming in and landing in the trees maybe they have found somewhere else to feed but I was say against a tree when 2 came in and landed right above my head flapping about with bits of twigs falling and landing on my head lol after about 10 mins of this 1 bird fly onto the tree beside me so with one arm and only a small bit of my cross hairs vizable thump down he came

Plucked and gutted ready to cook but I found this inside can anyone tell me is it an egg????

[milegajo 595]

Yup, that looks like an egg just before the shell forms. Sometimes, with chickens, there can be four at differing stages of development lined up in the ovium I think its called. Nice shooting!

Edited May 14, 2012 by milegajo

[philmcd831 4]

As they say ya learn something everyday cheers mate

[ftm 3,357]

its an egg even tho it looks like an onion lol

[Mawders 595]

Nice, would love a few woodies right now, really wanna try them!

[stealthy1 3,964]

Did it have a yolk in it

[philmcd831 4]

Is it true that for every woodie shot at this time of the year your cutting the numbers by 3 ???

[AR177 588]

looks like it choked down a pickle onion!

[philmcd831 4]

Does this count as 2 birds with 1 pellet lol

[Robbie uk 24]

Can you do another photo when the bird comes out of the oven ? Very tasty !!!! lol

[philmcd831 4]

Any suggestions on how to cook I was just gonna put butter on it and stick it in the oven for 20 mins at about 180

[stealthy1 3,964]

Just de-breast it, fry it in butter until golden brown on either side (dont like my meat red) and add salt and pepper, eat it on its own, or bung it on some fresh crusty bread with some lettuce as a sarnie

[secretagentmole 1,701]

Ahem....

 

Pigeon Pie.

 

Ingredients

 

8 oz of shortcrust pastry

Two plump pigeons

¼ lb bacon

¼ lb mushrooms

1 onion

½ pint stock

1 oz butter

salt and pepper

Tablespoon of flour

A pinch of gravy salt

 

Method

 

Place the pigeons in a pan, cover with a pint of water, season with salt and pepper and simmer for an hour and a half. Save water. Remove meat from skin and carcasses. Place meat in pie dish.

 

Slice onion and mushrooms, cut up bacon and fry them together in the butter.

Add them to the pigeon in the pie dish.

 

If you are using meat of the pigeon only, use ½ a pint of the water that the pigeons were cooked in to make the stock by adding a chicken stock cube, then thicken with tablespoon of flour, add a pinch gravy salt, to colour and pour over the pigeons.

 

(If you have cooked the pigeons complete with bones, simply miss out the stock cube, strain, and use ½ a pint of the liquid as your stock).

 

Add stock to the pigeons. Cover with pastry, pop a couple of slits in the top, brush with egg mixed with milk and bake the pie for thirty minutes at, gas 6, 400°F, 200°C. or until crust is brown.

 

That recipe will feed 42 (very very well), so halve the quantities not the cooking time....

 

 

 

 

Roasted pigeon with potato cakes and wild mushrooms

 

Ingredients

For the pigeon

• 4 pigeon breasts
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
  
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  

For the potato cakes

• 2 baking potatoes, boiled for 8-10 minutes in their skins, drained
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  
• 1 tbsp fresh cranberries, blanched
  
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  

For the wild mushrooms

• 50g/1¾ oz butter
  
• 200g/7oz horse, chestnut or shiitake mushrooms, cut in half
  
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  
• 200ml/7fl oz ready-made light gravy
  
• ½ lemon, juice only
  

Preparation method

1. For the pigeon, season the pigeon breasts well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
   
2. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the pigeon breasts and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown on both sides and completely cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
   
3. For the potato cakes, peel the par-boiled potatoes, then grate them into a bowl. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
   
4. Add the thyme and cranberries and mix together using your hands until well combined.
   
5. Divide the potato mixture in two and shape each portion into a thin patty 10cm/4in in diameter.
   
6. Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the potato cakes and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden-brown on both sides.
   
7. For the wild mushrooms, in a separate frying pan, heat the butter over a medium heat, add the mushrooms and the thyme and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.
   
8. Add a spoonful of the light gravy and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the mushrooms have cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat, add the lemon juice and stir well.
   
9. To serve, place one of the potato cakes into the centre of each of two serving plates. Place two of the pigeon breasts on top of each potato cake. Spoon over the wild mushrooms. Drizzle the remaining gravy around the edge of the plate.
   

Once again, feed 2, so halve the quantities not the cooking time!

 

Enjoy!

Edited May 15, 2012 by secretagentmole

[philmcd831 4]

Mole you sure as hell know your stuff cheers for all the help and info

[secretagentmole 1,701]

I have tried both of those recipes, when flavouring the water for simmering the pigeon, put 3 peppercorns in (I have adjusted the quantity), and a bayleaf!

 

If trying the potato cake recipe, make sure the fat is very hot when frying the potato cake!