Best Potted Stuffed Squab Recipes

ROASTED SQUAB STUFFED WITH SHIITAKES AND PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Pre-heat an oven to 550 degrees (the highest it will go). Rub oil on the skin and season both the inside and outside with salt and pepper. In a hot skillet coat with the olive oil and sautee the shallots and shiitakes until soft, about 3 minutes. Season and set aside to cool. Mix with lemons, scallions, thyme and stuff the birds. Place birds on sheet tray and roast in the oven until crispy brown, about 8 to10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 and roast another 5 to10 minutes, depending on desired doneness, (I prefer medium rare, 7 minutes).
• Wine Recommendation: Olmos Reward, Frankland Estate, Aus

SQUID STUFFED SQUID

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and salt and sweat until the onions turn translucent, about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not brown. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl and set aside to cool.
• Clean the squid thoroughly and remove the heads from the tentacles and discard the heads. Turn the tubes inside out (since the outside skin tends to curl outward, it'll hold the stuffing better inside out), put into a bowl and set in the refrigerator until ready to use. Place the tentacles and the shrimp into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 6 to 8 times or until there are no large pieces visible. Do not process until smooth. Transfer to the mixing bowl along with the onions and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, tomato, lemon zest, ginger, parsley and pepper. Stir to combine well.
• Place the mixture into a resealable freezer bag and snip 1 corner. You may use a pastry bag with a tip just small enough to fit into the end of the tubes. Pipe the stuffing into the tubes, dividing the mixture evenly between them. Do not over-stuff.
• Place the tubes into an 8 by 11-inch glass baking dish and cover with the tomato sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

PAN FRIED SQUAB WITH APRICOT GLAZE AND CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash and dry the squab.
• In a medium size heavy skillet, over a medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper and crumble. Reserve the bacon grease. Add the onion to the skillet and saute 3 to 5 minutes, or until transparent. Add the celery and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the dried apricots and stock. Return the bacon to the skillet and add the parsley. Place the cornbread in a large bowl. Pour the entire contents of the skillet over the cornbread and toss well to coat. Season the squabs inside and out with salt and pepper and stuff with the cornbread stuffing. Truss the squabs. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the reserved bacon fat. Saute the squabs until brown on all sides, turning often. Transfer the squabs to a baking dish and place in the oven. Meanwhile, saute the shallots in the skillet, add the apricot brandy and reduce by half. Add the Habanero chile powder. Add the orange juice and cook until slightly thickened. Glaze the squab every 5 minutes as they finish roasting, for 15 minutes.
• Serve with steamed broad beans.

PAN SEARED SQUAB WITH RICE DRESSING AND PORT REDUCTION

Steps:

• Sauce: Reduce the port with the shallots and thyme sprigs until 1/4 cup remains. Add the poultry stock and reduce by 1/3. Strain and reserve. Before serving bring to a boil and reduce until thick and glossy, and the last minute mount in the foie gras into the boiling sauce and season.
• Rice: Sweat 1/2 cup onions in melted butter and add rice. Lightly toast rice coating evenly with butter and onions. Add hot stock and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the rice is tender. Cool on a lined sheet tray. Store until needed. Cut up hearts and gizzards into small pieces, trim off sinew. Place in small sauce pot, cover by 2 inches with cold water with a bay leaf and crushed garlic. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Clean the livers, free from veins and dry on paper towels. In a large saute pan add peanut oil when hot season livers with salt and cayenne and quickly sear them on both sides. Set them aside to cool. Add onions, celery and garlic to the pan. Using a wood spoon, scrape the fond off the pan as the vegetables cook. Season with salt and pepper. When vegetables are tender, deglaze with brandy, allow alcohol to burn off. Scape everything out of the pan and store with the livers. When all ingredients are cooled, hearts, gizzards, livers, and vegetables place them all in a food processor. Puree until smooth paste results. Store dirty rice base under refrigeration at all times. In a sauce pan place 4 tablespoons base with rice and 8 ounces of stock, heat through. Add green onions and chopped parsley.
• Pan seared squab: Remove each side of the squab in one piece. Snip the wing tips off. In a hot saute pan add 2 tablespoons olive oil when oil begins to ripple place squab, skin side down or 6 to 8 minutes or until skin is a nice even golden brown. Turn to sear on other side for 8 to ten minutes. If not cooked through place in oven to finish. Mound rice on preheated plates and lay squab decoratively. Drizzle with port reduction.

ROAST SQUABS WITH PORCINI AND COUNTRY BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Bring 2 cups water, garlic, and 1 teaspoon sea salt to a boil, then drain in a colander. Blanch garlic in same manner 2 more times.
• Cut bread into 1/4-inch-thick sticks and toast on a baking sheet in middle of oven until pale golden, about 6 minutes. Leave oven on.
• Peel stems of porcini with a sharp small knife just until white flesh is exposed, then quarter mushrooms lengthwise.
• Pat squabs dry and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Put a sprig of thyme in cavity of each squab and divide garlic confit among cavities. Tie legs of squabs together with kitchen string and fold wings back.
• Heat 2 tablespoons duck fat in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown squabs in 2 batches, turning, about 5 minutes, transferring to a plate and reserving skillet.
• Add 1 1/2 more tablespoons duck fat to skillet and sauté porcini in 2 batches over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes (add another 1 1/2 tablespoons duck fat to skillet for second batch). Stir in blanched garlic, toasted bread, and salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
• Put a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan on bottom rack of oven (to catch drips) and arrange squabs, breast sides up, in a small circle (without touching) on middle rack of oven directly above baking pan. Roast squabs, carefully basting once with remaining tablespoon duck fat, 15 minutes. Replace baking pan with skillet of bread salad, positioning it directly under birds. Roast squabs and bread salad until an instant-read thermometer inserted in fleshy part of a thigh (avoid bone) registers 155°F for medium meat and mushrooms in bread salad are tender, about 5 minutes. (If mushrooms are not tender, roast bread salad 5 to 8 minutes more.) Transfer squabs to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes, then halve lengthwise with poultry shears or a sharp knife.
• Toss bread salad with parsley and lemon juice and serve with squabs.