Celeriac is not necessarily everyone’s first choice as a root vegetable. Large and sometimes awkward to cook, people shy from buying and using. This is why spiralising vegetables is a fun and easy way to enjoy various veggies.

Pigeon, celeriac spaghetti and parsley condiment

Ingredients

Pigeon, celeriac spaghetti and parsley condiment:

  • 2 wild pigeon breast
  • ½ a celeriac
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp roasted hazelnuts
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • A pinch of freshly ground coffee
  • Salt and pepper

To prepare the parsley condiment:

  • 1 bunch of flat parsley (keeps a few leaves for decoration)
  • 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice
  • 4 Tbsp. of olive oil
  • 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
  • 1 cube of ice
  • A pinch of salt

Method:

  1. To prepare the parsley condiment; place all the ingredients together in a powerful blender. Blitz until all components are properly combined. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
  2. Make sure the pigeon breasts are nice and clean before seasoning with salt and pepper.
  3. Then bring a small frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil to a medium heat. Place the breasts skin side down and sear for approximately 2 minutes. Then add the butter to the pan and baste the pigeon breasts. Flip over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the pan once the skin is crisp and golden brown; then leave the pigeon to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
  4. Peel the celeriac and cut one large thick slice out of the centre of the vegetable. This large slice will be easy to spiralise into long spaghettis. Cut up the remaining pieces of celeriac into bite size chunks.
  5. Bring a medium sized saucepan filled with salted water to the boil and place the chunks of celeriac inside. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until tender. Then strain off and place on kitchen paper to dry.
  6. Place a frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil over a medium to high heat. Once the pan is hot place the chunks of celeriac inside.
  7. Roast each side of the vegetable for 2 to 3 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Use this same pan to lightly sear off the spiralised celeriac. Only a few seconds are needed in the frying pan to soften the vegetable strips.
  8. Then season with salt, pepper and coffee before plating up.

Matching Wines

Pigeon is a delicate game that needs the right sort of wine to accompany it. Louis Jadot, Les Pierres Rouges 2013, Bourgogne Pinot Noir is the perfect Pinot Noir to complement this dish at a very sensible price. With a pronounced taste of red fruit this young burgundian wine is ideal for pairing with pigeon.

For a wine with a little more depth I encourage you to try the Château Pavillon Figeac 2006, St-Émilion Grand Cru. A refined, yet approachable claret with great texture and length. With hints of plum, dates and forest floor there couldn’t be a better match.

For a special occasion, I suggest a personal favourite of mine: the Maison Chapoutier, Les Bécasses 2012, from the Côte-Rotie area. This generous Syrah from the Rhône region is full of subtle spices and black olive aromas.

Wines to drink with pigeon, celeriac spaghetti and parsley condiment by Michel Roux Jr.

Louis Jadot, Les Pierres Rouges, Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2013: A deep red wine unctuous in dark fruits that sit beautifully on the palate. Slightly floral on the nose, this well-rounded wine is the perfect partner to the rich, gamey pigeon and earthy celeriac.

RRP: £11.99 Majestic

Château Pavillon Figeac, St-Émilion Grand Cru 2006: The wonderful woody aromas and deep fruit notes makes this wine fabulous to drink alongside the rich flavours of this dish. It is a luxurious red with a lovely blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and is at its very best this year.

RRP: £22 from Majestic Wines (2007 vintage)

Maison Chapoutier, Les Bécasses, Côte-Rotie 2012: A real triumph of red, this wine is rich and full bodied. Floral notes that blend beautifully with sweet fruit and hot black pepper. Slightly higher in price, but absolutely worth it as it works so elegantly well with this pigeon dish. The most impressive of the bunch, the Les Bécasses 2012 offers a gorgeous perfume of violets, spring flowers, mineral, black olive, pepper and sweet raspberry-styled fruit. Not losing a beat on the palate, with medium-bodied richness, a seamless texture and finely polished tannin, this beauty will have at least a decade of longevity.

RRP: £39.95 Berry Bros & Rudd

Michel Roux Jr
Michel Roux Jr
Columnist
Michel Roux Jr was born in 1960 in Pembury, Kent, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family. His earliest food memories are the smells of the Fairlawne kitchen – pastry, sugar caramelizing and stews – where he played under the table while his father and mother Monique prepared the meals. After deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, he left school at 16 for the first of several challenging apprenticeships at Maître Patissier, Hellegouarche in Paris from 1976 to 1979. He was then Commis de Cuisine at Alain Chapel’s signature restaurant at Mionay near Lyon, Michel’s biggest influence. His military service was spent in the kitchens at the Elysée Palace at the time of Presidents Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand. He also spent time at Boucherie Lamartine and Charcuterie Mothu in Paris, and the Gavers Restaurant in London. After a stint at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong he returned to London and worked at La Tante Claire before joining the family business. He took over running Le Gavroche in 1991, gradually changing the style of cooking to his own – classic French with a lighter, modern twist. Michel opened Roux at Parliament Square in May 2010 with Restaurant Associates, part of the Compass Group UK and Ireland. And in November 2010, he opened Roux at The Landau at London’s prestigious luxury hotel, The Langham. Michel was a judge and presenter on the BBC’s popular prime time show, MasterChef: The Professionals, and presented all series of ‘Great British Food Revival.’  Michel fronted BBC2’s ‘Food and Drink,’ in 2014 and presented a documentary on Escoffier, whose revolutionary approach to fine cuisine has inspired Michel and many others. In the same year, Michel went on a journey to create the perfect chocolate for the Le Gavroche Kitchen.  Filmed by the BBC, in Paris he discovered chocolatiers, Cacao Barry and their Or Noir Lab. In 2013, Michel launched his most recent cookbook, ‘The French Kitchen’.  Focusing on traditional French home cooking, this is the fifth solo cookery book from Michel. He is involved with the Roux Experience courses at the ‘Cactus Kitchens’ cookery school, with the Executive producer of Saturday Kitchen, Amanda Ross. Cactus Kitchens offers people the opportunity to learn to cook within small intimate groups from some of the UK’s finest chefs, on site above the Saturday Kitchen studios. Michel has fronted a brand new four-part Channel 4 series, ‘The Diner’, exploring the hurdles faced by people with disabilities and mental health issues when finding employment. Michel also recently presented a new program on his first ever project with the Disney Channel.  ‘First Class Chefs’ which launched in June 2015, is a show where kids aged 9-11 compete to showcase their restaurant skills.