Warm Pigeon Breast with Cracked Wheat Salad

This is a warm salad I remember from way back when I did my Leith's course 10 years ago. It was one of the demonstrations during the course and actually it's a very simple and yet very tasty dish to make. I made a double batch of the bulgar wheat salad and had the second half without the pigeon later in the week and it is a fab salad on it's own.

Warm Pigeon Breast with Cracked Wheat Salad (from Leiths Cookery Bible)
(Serves 4)

2 tbsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tbsp light soy sauce
8 pigeon breasts, skinned
310g bulgar wheat
2 tbsp oil
1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2.5cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
110g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
100g parma ham, sliced
140g plum jam
5 spring onions, sliced
55g sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
salt and pepper
lemon juice
30g pinenuts, toasted
1/2 cucumber, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp snipped chives

Mix together the five spice and soy sauce and coat the pigeon breasts on both sides. Put into a shallow dish, cover and leave to marinate for at least 30 mins or overnight in the fridge.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the bulgar wheat according to the packet instructions. Drain thoroughly.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan, add the chilli, ginger, mushrooms and parma ham and stir-fry over a high heat for 2-3 mins. Add the jam, spring onions and sun-dried tomatoes and bring to the boil. Add the bulgar wheat and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Heat thoroughly and stir in the pine nuts and cucumber. Keep warm.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the pigeon breasts and fry for 3 mins. Turn and cook for a further 2 mins until browned but pink inside.

Divide the bulgar wheat between 4 plates and top with the pigeon breasts. Sprinle with chives.