Smothered Doves
An elevated, Cajun-inspired dove dish
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
Calories: 604kcalCarbohydrates: 95gProtein: 10gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 1108mgPotassium: 662mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 4006IUVitamin C: 97mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 2mg
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