Woodcock

Ingredients

• 2 woodcock
• 1 onion – diced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
• 2 diced red peppers
• 2 handfuls of diced celery
• sprigs of thyme and rosemary
• 1 tin of tomato passata
• splash of white wine
• dash of chilli sauce
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 anchovies
• flour
• salt
• water
• olive oil

Method

1. Sear the woodcock in a hot oiled dutch oven base until browned evenly
2. Remove from the pan and add a little more olive oil (3 to 3 tbs) then add a diced onion, three peeled and bashed garlic cloves, two diced red peppers and a couple of handfuls of diced celery
3. Add a bouquet of thyme and rosemary
4. Pour in a tin of tomato passata, a splash of white wine and a dash of chilli sauce
5. Back to the woodcock – place half a lemon up the vent and pin the beak back through the thighs
6. Place the birds into the pan on top of the mix with an anchovy across each breast
7. Make a salt paste with a handful of salt, then add flour and water to form a dough (make enough to rim the dutch oven with a salt paste dough seal to form a gasket between the base and lid) firmly glue the lid on
8. Bake for 20 mins in a high oven