Pies & oven dishes / RICETTI
Maltese pigeon pie
Farmed food pigeon, peas and hard-boiled egg under a pastry lid.
◷ 145 min / 6 servings
Method
- Brown pigeon in oil in a pot. Set aside and soften the vegetables in the same pot for 8 minutes.
- Stir flour into vegetables, then gradually add stock and bay. Return meat and simmer covered for 60–90 minutes until tender; add water if dry.
- Remove bay. When meat is cool enough to handle, remove every bone and return it to the gravy with peas. Season and cool.
- Put in a 26 cm pie dish and add sliced boiled eggs. Cover with pastry, seal the rim and cut a steam vent. Brush with egg.
- Bake at 200°C, or 180°C fan, for 30–35 minutes until pastry is golden and filling piping hot.
✳ From the kitchen
Use pigeons sold for food. A home version of the traditional pie documented by Pippa Mattei.
Tradition reference
Pippa Mattei · Traditional Maltese pigeon pie, Gourmet Today, 2015 ↗Reference for the dish tradition. This recipe is an original home-kitchen adaptation; family versions vary. Not professionally kitchen-tested.