Rossini Pigeon

Piccione alla Rossini

“Tornarei piò indré”, you will never turn back, said Vittorio Cerea to his son Enrico; It was the 30th of August in late summer 2005 and with great sentimental sacrifice Vittorio had transported his historic restaurant from via Roma in Bergamo to the nearby and more convenient Brusaporto. He died in October, but his wife Bruna and his five children still feel his presence among the tables where in 2010 they won their third Michelin star after the first in '76 and the second in '96.

Great Italian stories, great family stories: one has the ability to stay together and build. With his mother Bruna, who always keeps an eye on things, Enrico 'Chicco' leads the now famous kitchen with Bobo, his younger brother. I thank him for the friendliness he has had for me and our wines since the beginning of my enological adventure. Francesco takes care of the wine list and looks after the now legendary catering activity opened decades ago by Vittorio, overcoming the resistance of critics. Rossella masterfully takes care of the dining room and Barbara stays back in Bergamo Alta in the historic Cavour 1880 café and pastry shop. With this story it is easy to understand my pride in pairing our wines with the three-starred recipes of Chicco and his family. "

Bruno Vespa

the recipe

Ingredients for 4 persons

2 pigeons
Butter
Sage
4 50 gram
slices of foie gras
4 30 gram slices of pan brioche
120g of potato puree
28g of white truffle

For the sauce 

Butter
200g of scallion
2 pigeons carcasses, browned in the oven
1l of Marsala
1 handful of cherry tomatoes
Sage
1 lt veal stock

Preparation

1. Clean the pigeons thoroughly, and then remove the heads and wings. Gut the bird and brown them superficially, eliminating all traces of feathers. Remove the breasts and thighs, keeping the remaining carcasses aside (they will be used to prepare the base of the glazing sauce).

2. Bone the pigeon's thighs, removing the talons and roll the meat in cooking safe cling wrap giving them as rounded a shape as possible. Cook them sous-vide at 65 ° C for 6 hours. Fold the breasts into triangles and vacuum cook them individually with a knob of butter and 1 sage leaf, then pre-cook them in a steam oven at 62 ° C for 6 minutes.

3. For the sauce, sauté the julienned shallot in a pan with a knob of butter until it is a nice golden color.

4. Add the pigeon carcasses, previously toasted in the oven, and brown them over low heat for 5 minutes. At this point, add the Marsala wine and evaporate all the alcohol. Add the cherry tomatoes, a few sage leaves and the veal stock. Let it reduce until the sauce is shiny and of the right consistency. Strain with chinois strainer and set aside.

5. Cook breasts and thighs in a pan, browning them on both sides and dabbing them with bubbly butter and sage. Cook the foie gras slices in a hot pan. Toast the brioche. Arrange a strip of puree, flavored with grated truffle, on the plate; place the toasted bread on the plate and arrange the breast cut in half and the thigh on top together with a slice of foie gras. Drizzle over the sauce and sprinkle the plate with slices of truffle.