In Cairo a few years ago, I was invited to dinner by a woman who was living alone in the family villa after her parents had died. While she spent a month in hospital with her sick mother, squatters had built dwellings in the large garden. By now it was a few years since they had settled in, and she couldn’t get them out because of delays in the legal process. But I think she was lonely and had got used to them and was not trying too hard. The squatters had built a clay oven, and a dovecote where they kept pigeons; and chickens were running around. They grew all kinds of vegetables and herbs and gave her some of the produce. She watched their daily antics, noting that, while they quarreled all the time, the pigeons were loving and faithful towards each other. While her cook was preparing stuffed pigeons and minty broad beans with artichoke hearts for us, we watched the squatters cook their pigeons on the grill together with slices of eggplant and onion. Her recipe is one of my favorites. You will need the coarse bulgur, available from Greek and Middle Eastern stores. For a large and varied meal, you can serve half a bird per person. There is a large amount of stuffing because people like to have more on the side. Stuffed pigeon is one of the delicacies of Egypt, which you serve, as they say, “if you really want to show somebody you love them.” The stuffing is most commonly rice or ferik (young green wheat), but bulgur is an easier and delicious alternative.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1 large onion

　　Juice of 1 lemon

　　6 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil

　　Salt and pepper

　　1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

　　1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

　　3/4 teaspoon allspice

　　6 baby Mediterranean pigeons, squabs, or small poussins

　　

For the Stuffing

4 1/2 cups chicken stock (page 143) (or you may use 2 chicken bouillon cubes)

　　1 pound coarse-ground bulgur (cracked wheat)

　　Salt and pepper

　　1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

　　2/3 cup pine nuts

　　5 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

　　3/4 cup black or golden raisins, soaked in water for 15 minutes

　　

Step 1

For the marinade, put the onion, cut in pieces, the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, and allspice in a blender or food processor and liquidize. Marinate the birds in this mixture for 1/2 hour.

　　

Step 2

For the stuffing, bring the stock to the boil in a pan, then add the bulgur, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Stir and cook, covered, over very low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the grain is tender.

　　

Step 3

Fry the pine nuts in 1 tablespoon of the butter or oil, stirring and turning them, until lightly browned. Add the pine nuts, the drained raisins, and the remaining butter or oil to the cracked wheat in the pan, and mix well.

　　

Step 4

Spoon some of the stuffing into each of the birds so that the cavity is only three-quarters full, leaving room for the bulgur to expand. Secure the openings with toothpicks. Spread each bird with some of the marinade mixture and arrange in a baking dish, breast side down. Roast in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes, then turn over and roast for 20 minutes more, or until they are golden brown and the juices no longer run pink when you cut in the thick part of a thigh.

　　

Step 5

At the same time, reheat the remaining bulgur stuffing in a baking dish in the oven, covered with foil, for 15–20 minutes.

　　

Variation

Step 6

For a Turkish stuffing, have 1 fried chopped onion and 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts instead of raisins and pine nuts, and flavor the bulgur with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon allspice.

　　The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Copyright © 2000Knopf