I decided to use wood pigeon for my samosas because it’s a dark meat and very lean so it was ideal to use in crispy filo pastry as the pastry wouldn’t go soggy. I shot the pigeon with my dad on a cold night’s roost shooting in Leicestershire. Therefore, my pigeon was a locally sourced ingredient.
Ingredients
3 pigeon breasts
2tbsp tikka paste
1 large onion
1 large carrot
2tsp fresh mint
100g frozen peas
270g filo pastry sheets (6 sheets)
Leaf salad
Honey
Mustard
Olive oil
Homemade mango chutney:
⅓ finely-diced mango
½ finely-diced red onion
1tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove
½ tbsp ginger
Salt and pepper
Instructions
In a large, wide pan, heat 1tsp oil. Season the pigeon and fry until browned all over. Add the tikka paste and fry for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the grated onion and carrot and another 1tsp oil. Fry for another 2 minutes until vegetables are soft. Tip into a large bowl and mix with the frozen peas. Leave to cool.
Spread out a sheet of filo pastry, short end facing you. Brush with oil all over. Fold each long edge into the centre by 5cm, so you have a long, narrow piece of filo. Put about 130g of the fried on left corner of the pastry and fold the pastry over to make a triangle. Continue folding down the length of the pastry to make a samosa. Brush with more oil. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment.
For the chutney, combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan set over a medium to low heat and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Cook the samosas on the baking tray in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the samosas over halfway through.
Combine honey and mustard to make dressing, pour over leaf salad and toss until salad is evenly covered in the dressing.
Once samosas are golden and piping hot, drain on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve with salad and the homemade chutney.
Inspiration
I decided to use wood pigeon for my samosas because it’s a dark meat and very lean so it was ideal to use in crispy filo pastry as the pastry wouldn’t go soggy. I shot the pigeon with my dad on a cold night’s roost shooting in Leicestershire. Therefore, my pigeon was a locally sourced ingredient. I adapted the recipe for a lamb tikka samosa dish, but I think my version is healthier because pigeon is a lot leaner and I used light filo pastry which was baked, not fried, which reduced the fat content in my dish.
