Pigeon stuffed with rice

 Pigeon stuffed with rice

Ingredients

• 4 pigeon. 
• 1 lemon juice.
• 3 tablespoons oil or butter. Salt and black pepper.
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon. 
• 1 teaspoon mixed spices. 
• A pinch of ground cardamom. 
• 2 onions, finely chopped.
• 2 cups freekeh.
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint.
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley.
• 4 cups chicken broth.
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or any kind of nuts (optional).
•  Abundant oil for frying (optional).

How to prepare a pigeon

1. Preheat the oven to a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Clean the pigeon thoroughly, soak it with salt and flour for several minutes to ensure cleanliness; and then wash it thoroughly.
3. Season the pigeon inside and out with lemon juice, salt and pepper, set aside.
4. Soak the freekeh for 30 minutes and then drain it well. 
5. Heat the oil or butter in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the onion and fry until tender and transparent. 
6. Add freekeh, mint, parsley, salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom and pine nuts to the onion, stir well and then remove the filling from the heat.
7. Stuff each pigeon with about 1/4 cup of freekeh, put the rest of the freekeh aside (don't overfill the pigeon).
8. Close the pigeon with a thread and a needle, clean it of rice from the outside.
9. Put the pigeons in a tray with the pigeon breast up, pour two cups of chicken broth over it and cover tightly with foil.
10. Put the tray in the oven, leave for an hour and a half. Heat the remaining chicken broth, and in a suitable saucepan add the broth and the remaining freekeh and put it on medium heat. After the broth boils, turn down the fire, cover the saucepan and leave for 20 minutes.
11. Roast the pigeons on the grill or fry them in a heavy frying oil.
12. Serve the stuffed pigeon, placing a layer of freekeh in a serving dish, and on top put the roasted pigeon and decorate the dish with nuts.