Ingredients

4 squab pigeons

zest of 1 orange

1 tbsp black peppercorns, cracked

4 star anise, crushed

50 ml brandy

120g coarse salt

3kg duck fat

2 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

12 cloves garlic, in their skin

2 pig’s trotter, split

200ml madeira

1lt chicken stock

2 aubergines

2 red peppers

2 heads sweetcorn, in the husks

80g foie gras

100ml chicken stock

Sherry vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Braise the pig’s trotters in the madeira and chicken stock until tender, approx. 5-6 hours. Once cooked, remove from the liquid and allow to cool. Once the meat has cooled enough to handle, pick the meat and skin from the bones and roughly chop. Season to taste then press into a container and allow to set
2. Meanwhile, spatchcock the pigeons then remove the legs and the wings at the 1st joint (you can ask your butcher to do this for you). Reserve the liver and heart until later. Mix together the spices, salt and brandy and rub over the pigeon legs, breast and wings. Marinade for 3 hours, then wash off the salt and dry the birds. Refrigerate the breasts until needed
3. Melt the duck fat, add the thyme, bay and garlic cloves along with the pigeon legs and wings. Cook over a gentle heat until the garlic is soft, approx. 20-30 mins. Remove the garlic once cooked and continue to cook gently until the wings and legs are tender, approx. 2-3 hours. Once the legs and wings are cooked, remove them from the fat and reserve.
4. Char the aubergines over an open flame or in a very hot pan or oven until blackened and cooked through. Place in a bowl, cover with cling film and allow to cool.
5. Char the skin of the peppers the same way as the aubergines then cover with cling film in a bowl to soften
6. Once cooled, remove the flesh from the aubergines, taking care to remove the burnt skin. Roughly chop and drain off any excess liquid
7. Peel the skin from the peppers and remove the seeds. Dice the flesh into 2cm pieces and mix with the aubergines
8. Dice the set pig’s trotters into 1cm pieces and mix through the aubergine and pepper mix. Dress with sherry vinegar, salt, pepper and plenty of olive oil, then leave to marinade until needed
9. Cook the sweetcorn in boiling salted water for 8 mins, then allow to cool in the water. Once cool, remove the husks and cut the kernels from the cob. Scrape the cob with the back of a knife to remove the last bits of the kernels. Reserve until needed
10. Cook the pigeon breast, on the bone, gently in the reserved duck fat until the core temperature reaches 52 degrees, 15-20 mins approx. Remove from the fat and allow to rest for a minimum of 10 mins. Reserve the resting juices
11. Dice the foie gras and cook in a warm pan until the fat begins to melt, then add the chicken stock and the corn and gently warm it all together. Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper
12. In a hot frying pan, colour the skin of the pigeon breasts, legs and wings to golden brown. Remove from the pan and cook the pigeon liver and heart in the same pan
13. Remove the pigeon breasts from the bone and serve all the meat, along with the sweetcorn and the aubergine, pepper and trotter mix. Spoon the resting juices from the pigeon over the meat to finish the dish