Michelle's FreeFrom Pigeons with Puy lentils and orange
Corn, dairy, egg, gluten, nightshade, nut, soya and wheat free

Pigeons are tasty but can be very tough. The long slow cooking of this dish should ensure that they melt in your mouth!

4 tbsp olive oil
20 shallots, peeled
20 button mushrooms, wiped and halved if large
2 medium oranges
1 medium swede (rutabaga), peeled and coarsely grated
300g / 11oz Puy lentils
6 pigeons
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large sprigs fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
6–8 bay leaves
4 large sprigs parsley
400ml / 14fl oz medium or sweet Madeira
750ml / 25fl oz gluten and wheat free chicken or vegetable stock

Heat the oil in a heavy casserole dish – a Le Creuset is ideal – and add the shallots and mushrooms. Fry briskly for a couple of minutes till lightly browned.
Meanwhile, grate the peel finely from the oranges and squeeze out the juice.
Add the orange peel and juice to the pot along with the grated swede and the lentils. Mix well.
Sit the pigeons on the top of this mixture and sprinkle over a little salt and plenty of freshly grated black pepper.
Tuck the herbs around the pigeons and then pour over the Madeira and the stock.
Bring slowly to the boil then cover and reduce to a very gentle simmer.
Simmer gently for 21/2 –3 hours.
Carefully remove the pigeons from the pot with a  wooden spoon – they should be ready to disintegrate. Remove the breasts from each and discard the carcase.
Season the vegetables and juices to taste then return the breast to the pot and reheat to serve.
Serve with green vegetables or a salad.

Serves 6 – per portion
Calories 555 Kcals
44g Protein
17g Fat (1.5g Sat fat, 5.5g mono, 6g poly)
41g Carbohydrate of which 17g Sugar
8.5g Fibre, 190g Sodium, 0.48g salt
151mg Calcium

Good Source: Vitamin B1, B12, B6, zinc, folate, Iron.

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