CookEat Recipe
Pigeon and Macaroni Timballo
A drum-shaped pie with a lightly sweet shortcrust shell enclosing macaroni, boned braised pigeon, giblets, prosciutto, truffle and balsamella.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 2 pigeons, about 400–500 g each, legally supplied for food and professionally cleaned and eviscerated, with their edible giblets reserved; 300 g macaroni; For the braise: 30 g prosciutto, 1 small onion, 1 small celery stalk, 1 small carrot and 30 g butter; About 400 ml poultry stock, added as needed for braising; Salt, black pepper and a small pinch of grated nutmeg; For the balsamella: 250 ml whole milk, 25 g butter and 5 g plain flour; For finishing the pasta: 60 g grated Parmesan, 20 g butter, 30 g thinly sliced prosciutto and 20 g thinly sliced edible truffle; For the shortcrust: 500 g plain flour, 220 g finely powdered white sugar, 180 g softened butter, 70 g fresh rendered lard, 2 whole eggs and 1 additional yolk; 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest for the shortcrust; 10 g butter for greasing the mould.
Step 2
Make the shortcrust first. Mix its 500 g flour and powdered sugar, then combine with the 180 g butter, lard, two whole eggs, extra yolk and lemon zest, initially using a blunt knife and then your fingertips. Handle only until it comes together; do not knead it like bread. Flatten, cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours. Keep raw egg dough cold and do not taste it.
Step 3
Finely chop the braising prosciutto, onion, celery and carrot. Put them with the 30 g braising butter and pigeons in a heavy pan; add the cleaned giblets, removing any tough gizzard lining. Season with salt and pepper and brown gently all around, about 12–15 minutes. Add stock gradually and braise covered at a gentle simmer until each whole bird reaches 82°C and the giblets are tender and at least 74°C, about 50–80 minutes. Remove any smaller organs when cooked; allow gizzards longer if still tough. Keep enough stock in the pan to leave a useful quantity of sauce.
Step 4
Lift out the pigeons and giblets and strain the braising liquid. When just cool enough to handle, bone the pigeons completely, discarding neck bones and all small bones and gristle; tear the meat into large pieces. Cut the cooked giblets into fairly large bite-sized pieces, removing any remaining tough gizzard tissue. Cover and keep hot while preparing the pasta, or cool promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate.
Step 5
Cook the macaroni in lightly salted boiling water for about half its packet cooking time. Drain and place in the strained pigeon sauce over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until it absorbs the sauce and is nearly tender; add a small amount of hot stock if needed. Make the balsamella by melting its 25 g butter with 5 g flour until just beginning to turn pale hazelnut, then gradually stirring in 250 ml milk and cooking gently for about 8–10 minutes to a light creamy sauce.
Step 6
Mix the pasta with the Parmesan, 20 g finishing butter, sliced prosciutto, nutmeg and truffle. Fold in the balsamella, boned pigeon and giblets. The mixture should be moist but not swimming in liquid. Spread it in shallow containers and cool promptly, refrigerating within 2 hours, until cool enough not to melt the pastry.
Step 7
Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a plain deep 22–24 cm ovenproof mould with the 10 g butter. Roll about two-thirds of the chilled pastry to roughly 4–5 mm and line the base and sides. Fill with the macaroni mixture, then roll the remaining pastry into a lid and seal it to the sides, making a small steam vent. Bake for about 55–70 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the centre reaches 74°C; cover loosely if browning too fast. Rest just 5–10 minutes so the shell holds, then turn out carefully while still hot and serve. These are ten small first-course portions.
Step 8
For the dried-mushroom alternative, omit the truffle and soak about 10 g dried edible mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, rinse off grit and chop. Simmer in a little of the pigeon stock for at least 15 minutes, then add with the other pasta seasonings. Extra chicken giblets are optional: cook about 100 g with the pigeon giblets, checking tenderness and 74°C, and add to the filling.
Step 9
For the pasticcio shape described in recipe 349, use the same cooked pigeon-and-macaroni filling, rather than adding that recipe’s separate meat ingredients. Mound it in a buttered shallow ovenproof dish, cover down to the rim with rolled shortcrust, and reinforce with two crossing pastry strips and a band around the edge. Trim and decorate with the remaining dough if desired, glaze with one extra egg yolk and make a small vent. Bake at 180°C until the crust is golden and the centre reaches 74°C, starting to check at 45 minutes. The exact time depends on the mound’s depth.
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