Fennel-Orange Vegetable with Pigeon

Ingredients

• 4 pigeon breasts (≈120 g)
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 2 tbsp plant oil
• 2 large, untreated oranges
• 20 g butter
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 bulbs fennel
• 40 ml Pernod
• 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 2 tbsp toasted almond slivers

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 100°C with fan and top heat.

2. 2.

   Rinse the pigeon breasts, pat dry, season with salt and pepper. In a hot pan brown them in 1 tbsp oil all around. Place on parchment-lined baking tray. Wash oranges hot, pat dry. Grate zest of one orange and melt butter and honey together in a pot. Brush this over the skin of the pigeons, season again, and bake for about 15 minutes.

3. 3.

   Meanwhile wash, trim and slice fennel into strips. Set aside the greens for garnish. Sauté fennel briefly in remaining oil. Zest the second orange, peel both oranges thoroughly. Cut out the flesh and squeeze juice from the remainder. Deglaze fennel with Pernod and orange juice. Season with salt and pepper, steam gently for 2-3 minutes. Dice orange fillets, mix with zest into fennel. Adjust seasoning. Plate the fennel mixture. Slice pigeon into pieces and arrange on top. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, fennel greens and almond slivers before serving.