Matty Cremona's rural pigeon recipes

• By Matty Cremona

Pigeons are cheap and easy to keep if you have the space: all they require is a bowl of corn and some water. Keep them caged rather than flying free, or you’ll be spending most of your time cleaning up their mess, which is damaging to stonework. Traditionally, pigeons were the ideal source of protein because they need so little care and they breed prolifically, so food was ever at the ready on the rooftop or in the garden.

• If you don’t keep pigeons at home, and don’t know anyone who does, you will need to order your birds at a reputable butcher’s shop. Don’t be tempted to seize them from the wild. Though it’s perfectly legal and the Valletta and Floriana local councils will thank you for ridding them of a few, wild pigeons are tougher than those kept in captivity because all that flying gives them stronger muscles and harder flesh.
• Try cooking pigeons whole and slowly in a casserole dish, in a mixture of red wine, red currant jelly and a good quantity of fresh mushrooms. It’s a good and hearty meal for the cooler weather.

For more pigeon dishes read The forgotten bird.