Wood Pigeon Saltimbocca - Oliver Gladwin, creative chef at Gladwin Brothers’ Enterprises
After some March culinary inspiration? A recipe to suit the season, but perhaps simple and sourced locally? Look no further.
Oliver Gladwin - the Leiths-trained, River Cottage-accomplished, Sussex born and bred, creative chef famed for injecting London with countryside flavour - has the answer.
Alongside his two brothers, Oliver is co-founder of the award-winning, family-run, Gladwin Brother restaurants (The Shed in Notting Hill, Rabbit in Chelsea and Nutbourne in Battersea). Their mission? To bring farm to fork in a most delectable and sustainable way. Although Londoners can revel in their incredible, edible creations (mostly sourced from youngest brother Gregory's farm in Sussex), we at Wingfield Digby thought some may prefer to stretch their cooking muscles in the comfort of their own kitchen.
Oliver agrees! He recommends Wood Pigeon Saltimbocca for March, "This is a centuries-old Italian recipe, but with a twist ideal for British countrymen faced with pesky pigeons. We shoot our own pigeons in Sussex (to stop them stealing grapes in the vineyard), cure our own ham and grow our own sage. I thoroughly recommend you using your own produce too - but if tricky, your local farmer's market (or supermarket) should be able to help!"
Wood Pigeon Saltimbocca
Serves 2 as a starter or 6 as a sharing plate
2 wood pigeon breasts
2 sage leaves
2 thin slices of lemon
2 long slices of cured ham (such as Cumbrian or Parma)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
40g unsalted butter
A handful of mixed salad leaves
20ml red wine
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- Place pigeon breasts on a chopping board and lay a sage leaf and a slice of lemon on top of each.
- Wrap a slice of ham around each pigeon breast to form a parcel; season all over with salt and pepper.
- Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a moderate heat, melt the butter and fry the pigeon breasts for 2–3 minutes on each side.
- Meanwhile, scatter some colourful salad leaves over a large platter ready for serving.
- Transfer the breasts to a carving board, slice each one into three and arrange on the bed of salad leaves.
- Return the frying pan to a high heat and add the red wine and balsamic vinegar. Let it sizzle for a moment, then pour over the pigeon and serve.
Voila!
For the culinary-averse, Oliver will be serving the above as a Mother's Day Special on Sunday 26th March at
Rabbit, 172 King’s Road, Cheslea SW3 4UP; rabbit-restaurant.com
The Shed, 122 Palace Gardens Terrace, Notting Hill W8 4RT; theshed-restaurant.com
Nutbourne, 35-37 Parkgate Rd, Battersea SW11 4NP; nutbourne-restaurant.com
Follow on:
Instagram: @nutbourne_resto @rabbit_resto @theshed_resto
Twitter: @NutbourneSW11 @RabbitResto @TheShed_resto
Facebook: @NutbourneBattersea @RabbitResto @The-Shed