Smothered Doves
Braise and whisk your way to this elevated, Cajun-inspired dove dish
Inspired by the Cajun dish étouffée (which in French translates to “smothered” or “suffocated”), think of this meal as something to look forward to after a day of less-than-stellar dove shooting. Perhaps the birds weren’t flying; perhaps your barrel was bent. Either way, you still deserve to sit down and enjoy a killer meal with a friend or loved one.
This recipe employs two of my favorite techniques in game bird cooking: braising and the art of whisking up a good pan gravy. The braising part is straightforward—use a high-walled pan to sear whole breasts and legs (with the feet attached) in fat until they’re nice and brown. Then, cover them with two cups of water and add aromatics. In this case, I used onion halves, two garlic cloves, a bay leaf, and a few whole peppercorns. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. The doves will be ready after 1 to 1.5 hours. Set the meat aside, and once cool enough to handle, shred the breast meat. Strain the stock and reserve the liquid for your gravy.
The best tip I can give you for making pan gravy is mise en place. In other words, get your shit together before you start. All ingredients should be measured and prepped in their own containers. The goal is to eliminate any reason you might need to walk away from the stove. Why, you ask? Because for 10 to 15 minutes—steps 4 through 9 of this recipe—you will be whisking. If you’re not confident in your ability to add ingredients one-handed, make sure you have a reliable sous-chef on standby.
Smothered Doves
Ingredients
- 2 doves braised, breast and tenderloins shredded, legs/feet kept whole and reserved for plating
- 3 tbsp butter divided
- ½ yellow onion diced small
- 1 rib celery diced small
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced small
- 2 cloves garlic crushed and diced
- 1½ tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 ripe tomatoes pureed
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups stock use the braising liquid from the doves + additional stock
- 1½ cups Carolina Gold rice cooked
- 1 bunch scallion tops sliced for garnish
Instructions
To braise the doves
- Use a high-walled pan to sear whole breasts and legs (with the feet attached) in fat until they’re nice and brown. Then, cover them with two cups of water and add aromatics. In this case, I used onion halves, two garlic cloves, a bay leaf, and a few whole peppercorns.
- Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. After 1 to 1.5 hours, the doves will be ready.
- Set the meat aside, and once cool enough to handle, shred the breast meat. Strain the stock and reserve the liquid for your gravy.
For the gravy
- In a large pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat and sweat the onions, bell peppers, and celery until translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sweat for another 2 minutes.
- Remove the vegetables from the pan.
- Add the remaining butter and simmer until the butter stops bubbling or is clarified.
- Add the flour and whisk constantly until a blond/light brown roux is achieved.
- Add the tomato puree and caramelize.
- Add the sweated vegetables and then whisk in the dry white wine.
- Whisk in the stock, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved (use at least 1 ½ cups).
- Add in the shredded dove meat and stir to combine. Simmer for 10 more minutes.
To serve
- Tightly pack rice into a small ramekin and drop the molded rice in the center of a shallow bowl, arrange the reserved dove legs atop the molded rice, ladle the pan sauce over top of the rice and around the base, garnish generously with green onions, add a few shakes of tabasco, and enjoy!
Nutrition
