(serves four)

CHEF David Kennedy brings you a recipe for pigeon pie this week. Enjoy!

Ingredients

500g bought puff pastry

2 wood pigeon, breast only

200g pork mince

50g smoked bacon, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

Clove garlic, finely chopped

1tsp thyme leaves

Salt and pepper

1 beaten egg

1 parsnip

400ml full fat milk

Handful cabbage or spinach leaves

Method

Mix together the pork mince, bacon, shallots, thyme and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 3mm and cut out eight discs to the size of a small saucer or side plate.

Put a spoonful of the pork mixture on to four of the disks and lay over the pigeon breasts skin side up. Cover with another spoonful of the force meat.

Take the other four puff pastry discs and place one on top of each bottom to form a lid. Press down well around the edges. Brush with the beaten egg.

Cook in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for around 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the parsnip, roughly chop and place into a pan with the milk. Cook until soft. Liquidise the cooked parsnip and milk until smooth. Keep warm.

Plunge the cabbage leaves into boiling water for a few minutes and drain.

Place a spoonful of the parsnip puree and a few cabbage leaves on each plate and top off with an individual pigeon pie.