Pigeon Noodle Soup

Never-mind, I killed them, plucked ‘em, an packaged the birds. Now it was time to eat. I’ve heard that pigeons can live over twenty years. So you never know how old and tough your specimen might be. Soup would be the solution. Simmering the tough little birds would tenderize and also allow me to pick every bit of meat once it starts falling off the bone.

Having never eaten pigeon before, I was surprised how dark the meat was. The breasts were a dark burgundy. Really lovely stuff.

If you’re like me and have never made a steady diet of pigeon. You might be saying, really? Garbage birds? Well, I shot these around a farm I hunt on and they literally feast on grain 12 months out of the year. In fact it would be safe to assume they eat better than most beef cows. As the adage goes, “you are what you eat.” These birds are good clean food.

This made some of the richest broths I’ve had. The meat was very flavorful and tender. In the soup, it had an almost beefy quality to it. Weird, I know.

For the soup, of course chicken and a bunch of other critters could be substituted. But I encourage you, next time you’re out bird hunting and a few pigeons fly by, whack a couple and make this soup. You won’t be disappointed.

Oh ya, be sure to pluck. Pigeons pluck real easy. I skinned one and plucked one, and the plucked bird was certainly superior.

Pigeon noodle soup
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 pigeons (salt and set aside
Bacon fat
Olive oil
Salt
2 onions
1 fennel bulb (important – don’t skip this)
1/2 Tbs. cumin
1/2 Tbs. fennel seed
2 bay leaves
Italian seasoning
White wine
1 pint stock (optional)
Carrots
Celery

To make broth:
Place a couple nobs of bacon fat in your pot along with a little olive oil.
Place your salted pigeons in the pot to brown, rotating as needed.
Once brown, remove the pigeons
Add 1 chopped onion to soften
Then 1 bulb of chopped fennel
And several cloves garlic
2 bay leaves

After the onions have softened, deglaze pot with about 1 cup white wine (I used apple)

Then add 1 pint stock (I used lamb, but any chicken or wild game stock is fine)
2 pints water
Add:
Freshly ground
Black pepper
Cumin
Fennel seed
A few shakes of Italian seasoning

Simmer for about 4 hours

Take the pigeons from the pot and pick all the meat from the bone

Pour the broth through a strainer and discard everything but the broth. All of the flavor has been leeched from the onion, garlic and fennel so out it goes.

To make soup:
Time to start over again. Heat a couple tablespoon or so of olive oil in your soup pot. Meanwhile chop up another onion to your liking. Place in pot to soften. Chop up a few carrots and some celery and toss in the pot. Add a pinch of salt. Before the onions have browned add another bit of wine and allow to reduce for a minute or so.

Add your broth

Allow to simmer for an hour, adjust seasoning to taste and add some water as needed or wanted.
Place your pigeon meat in the soup and simmer for 1/2 to 1 hour more

To make the noodles:

Ingredients:
Two eggs (beaten)
2 Tbs cream
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
Directions:

Mix together with enough flour that the dough is easy to handle.
Put on heavily floured board and kneed a few times.
Then roll out about 1/8″ thickness, keeping enough flour on top and bottom so dough doesn’t stick.
Cut the noodles I inch wide by 3-4 inches long
Let dry for several hours.
Add to soup and cook on low 20 minutes.