Pigeon Sauce

A ragù from the most authentic Tuscan tradition

Pigeon sauce is one of those dishes that tells the story of Tuscan peasant cooking in its most authentic form: simple ingredients, slow cooking, and a deep flavour that is hard to forget. Perfect for dressing pappardelle or fresh egg pasta, this ragù transforms a wild ingredient into something extraordinarily rich and comforting.

Ingredients

• Pigeons
• Garlic
• Sage
• Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

Place the pigeons, cut into 4 pieces, in a pan and cook over low heat with garlic, sage, water, olive oil, salt and pepper. Once the pigeons are well cooked, bone them and chop the meat finely.

Separately, finely chop the onion, parsley and celery, then sauté in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil.

Once the mixture is golden, add the pigeon meat and let it absorb the flavours. Add a splash of wine and, once it has evaporated, stir in two peeled tomatoes.

When the sauce is nearly ready, heat some olive oil in a small pan with rosemary and garlic. Strain the infused oil and pour it into the sauce, mixing it well together with the pigeon meat.

Remove from heat and toss with pasta.