Pigeon English Style (Piccion Paio)

Ingredients

• 1 young but large pigeon
• 100 g lean milk-fed veal or a chicken breast
• 40 g fat-and-lean prosciutto
• 30 g salted tongue
• 40 g butter
• 1/2 glass good degreased broth
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 150 g flour (for the pastry crust)
• 50 g butter (for the pastry)
• 1 tsp grape spirit (for the pastry)
• 1 tsp sugar (for the pastry)
• 1 wedge lemon juice (for the pastry)
• 1 egg yolk (for the pastry)
• salt

Instructions

1. Joint the pigeon (discard head and feet); cut veal or chicken breast into beaten cutlets; cut prosciutto and tongue into finger-wide strips; quarter, then eighth, the hard-boiled egg.
2. In an oval heatproof dish, layer half the pigeon and veal, then prosciutto and tongue, bits of butter and egg wedges; season lightly with salt, pepper and spices, and repeat to make a mound.
3. Pour the cold broth over the top.
4. Make a pastry from 150 g flour, 50 g butter, a teaspoon each of grape spirit and sugar, a little lemon juice, an egg yolk and salt; work it well, rest, and roll out coin-thick.
5. Cover the dish, decorate with trimmings, glaze with yolk, bake in a Dutch oven, and serve hot.
6. For a more national character, first half-cook the meats in butter with seasoning before layering; giblets, sweetbreads and truffles may be added.