Bstella With Squab Recipes

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.

SQUAB B'STILLA

Steps:

• Make filling:
• Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet over low heat and toast saffron 1 minute, then transfer to a small dish and crumble. Reserve skillet.
• Cut off wings from squabs with a sharp small knife and discard, then cut off legs with thighs. Using kitchen shears, cut out backbone and ribs and discard. Cut breasts in half lengthwise with shears. Pat legs and breast halves dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown squab in 2 batches, skin side down first, turning over once, about 6 minutes total per batch, transferring as browned to a platter.
• After second batch is browned, return all squab pieces to skillet along with onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, ginger, saffron, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, then sauté, stirring, 1 minute.
• Add Sherry and boil 30 seconds, scraping up any brown bits. Add broth and water and simmer, covered, turning squab over once or twice, until tender, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer squab with tongs to a platter and reserve cooking liquid in skillet. When squab is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and finely shred meat, then toss with 3 tablespoons cooking liquid and cover loosely with foil.
• Boil remaining cooking liquid in skillet (without straining) over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until sauce is very thick and reduced to about 1/2 cup, 12 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan. (Do not skim fat from sauce.)
• Whisk together eggs and 1/4 cup sauce in a bowl until combined, then whisk into remaining sauce in saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula, until eggs just set into very soft curds, 5 to 7 minutes. (Mixture will have the consistency of very soft oatmeal.) Immediately transfer egg mixture to a bowl and stir in parsley and cilantro. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
• Assemble and bake
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Heat vegetable oil in a 10-inch skillet over moderate heat until just hot, then fry almonds, stirring frequently, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain almonds and cool on a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Brush a 9-inch round cake pan with some of butter. Cover stack of phyllo with plastic wrap and a dampened kitchen towel. Keeping remaining phyllo covered, place 1 sheet on a work surface and brush with butter. Fold in half crosswise and butter again. Repeat with another sheet, buttering, folding, and buttering, then place over first sheet crosswise. Repeat with 2 more sheets, buttering, folding, and buttering, then placing each sheet on top of the previous one in a star pattern to form a round. (Sheets should not align.) Lift stacked phyllo and gently fit into bottom of cake pan and halfway up side.
• Sprinkle almonds over phyllo, then stir squab into egg mixture and spread evenly in phyllo shell.
• Put 1 of remaining sheets of phyllo on a work surface and brush with butter. Fold in half crosswise and butter again. Fold in half (to quarter) and brush with butter. Repeat with remaining sheet phyllo and lay over first sheet crosswise. Place over center of filling. Bring edges of phyllo from side of pan up over filling and quartered top sheets.
• Bake b'stilla until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then invert onto a platter and let stand 5 minutes.
• Sift confectioners sugar over top of b'stilla, then remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut into wedges.

SQUAB MARSALA

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil over high heat. Sprinkle the squab breasts and legs with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, place the squab skin-side down into the pan and sear until golden and crispy, about 6 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until the squab is medium rare, 1 minute longer. Transfer to a plate to rest.
• Degrease the pan, leaving a couple tablespoons of fat. Add the shallots to the drippings in the pan and sprinkle with salt, scraping up the drippings with a wooden spoon. Saute the shallots until they begin to soften, 1 minute, and then add the mushrooms and saute until they just start to soften up.
• Carefully pour in the cognac off the heat, and then return the pan to the heat until the alcohol has completely cooked off and the pan is almost dry. Pour in the marsala and ignite again, allowing the wine to cook until the flame dies down. Add the chicken stock and simmer to reduce the sauce slightly, about 3 minutes.
• Return the squab to the pan and simmer gently to heat through, 1 minute. Plate 1 leg and breast per plate. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the creme fraiche and butter, whisking until just incorporated. Stir in the parsley and sage. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and then pour the sauce around the squab.

MOROCCAN B'STELLA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in pan, then add onions, chicken pieces, parsley, cilantro, black pepper, saffron, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt.
• Stir well and add the 2 cups of water.
• Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from pan and set aside.
• Allow the sauce to cool slightly then add the beaten eggs to the sauce in the pan.
• Cook the eggs with the sauce stirring continually so eggs won't stick.
• When eggs are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and drain the eggs well in a colander.
• Set he eggs aside to cool.
• Open the phyllo and cover with a damp towel so it will not dry out.
• Take an 8-10 inch round baking pan/dish and cover generously with butter.
• Very gently, spread 5 sheets of phyllo dough alternately criss-cross over the pan, leaving some phyllo dough draped around the edges of the pan.
• Add another sheet of phyllo crunched in the middle of the pan.
• Mix together the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon & 1/2 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl.
• Pour some of the cinnamon sugar all around the phyllo.
• Then, add 1/2 of the roasted crushed almonds.
• Cover with 3 more layers of phyllo and pour on 1/2 of the eggs with half of the chicken.
• Cover again with 3 layers of phyllo and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar and almonds.
• Cover with 3 layers of phyllo and pour on the rest of the eggs and the chicken.
• Cover with 2 layers of crunched phyllo and close the draping edges very gently like a rose, without pushing, it needs to be very fluffy.
• Pour the melted butter over the phyllo and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
• Turn the pan upside down onto a large platter. Mix together remaining cinnamon and sugar.
• Garnish with powdered sugar and make a design with the mixture of cinnamon and sugar if desired.
• Serve hot.

RICE-STUFFED SQUAB

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Add the rice, mushrooms, raisins, 3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt and marjoram. Sprinkle cavities of squab lightly with remaining salt; stuff with rice mixture. , Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine oil and remaining orange juice concentrate; drizzle over squab. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 1 hour or until meat juices run clear and a thermometer inserted into the stuffing reads 165°, basting frequently.

SQUAB WITH PEARS

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven, and heat to 500 degrees. In a saucepan just large enough to hold pears in one layer, bring chicken stock, red wine and red wine vinegar to a boil. Add pears in one layer, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Take 2 pear halves, and cut into chunks. Keep remaining pears covered to keep warm. In a blender, puree chunks with poaching liquid.
• Bring 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil. Add bulgur, and return to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover pan, and cook 15 minutes.
• While bulgur is cooking and pears are poaching, rub each squab with pear brandy, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place squabs in a roasting pan, and roast for 16 to 17 minutes, or until juices run clear.
• Drain any remaining water from bulgur, fluff with fork, stir in butter, and allow it to melt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• When squabs are roasted, remove to a platter. If pears have cooled, reheat in microwave for 2 minutes. Place roasting pan on stove over medium heat. Pour in 1/3 cup water, and boil, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in pear puree and cardamom, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in scallions. Spoon some sauce over birds and bulgur, and pass the rest.