Tea Smoked Squab Recipes

Steps:

• Rinse and dry the squabs thoroughly.
• Place the salt, peppercorns, star anise and cinnamon sticks in a dry skillet and toast by shaking over medium heat until the mixture begins to smoke and the salt begins to turn brown. Allow to cool. Discard the star anise and cinnamon and rub salt and peppercorns over the squabs, inside and out. Cover the squabs loosely and set in a cool place or in the refrigerator for eight hours or overnight.
• Place the squabs, breast side down, on a heat-proof plate. Place in a steamer or a covered wok fitted with a rack and steam 30 minutes. Allow squabs to cool, then rub with soy sauce.
• Cover the bottom of a wok with aluminum foil. Place the rice, brown sugar and tea in it. Place a rack in the wok and arrange the squabs breast side up on the rack. Line the cover of the wok with foil, cover the wok and seal the edge of the cover with dampened paper towels to keep the smoke from escaping.
• Turn the heat to medium high and when you smell smoke leave the heat on for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and keep the birds in the covered wok for 45 minutes.
• In a large wok or deep fryer heat the oil, add the squabs one at a time and deep fry them for five minutes to crisp the skin. Pat dry with paper towels. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the squab with salt and black pepper and place in the pan, breast-side down. Add the butter and cook the squab until the skin is golden brown. Flip the squab, and continue to cook until medium rare. Transfer to a plate and let rest.
• Drain off any excess oil from the pan, and then heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the carrots, celery and onions until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Increase the heat to high, and then pour in the port and red wine and cook until reduced by three-quarters, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half, then stir in the creme fraiche. Strain the sauce into a bowl, and then heat gently in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once bubbling, remove from the heat and add the parsley, thyme and piquillo peppers. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Steps:

• Place the pork in a 2-quart saucepan, add the water, ginger, green onions, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the liquid is simmering, cover the pot, and simmer until the pork is almost cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain the pork and set aside.
• Line the inside of a wok and the inside of its lid with aluminum foil. Make the smoking mixture: Stir the tea leaves, rice, sugar, and star anise together in the lined wok, then spread evenly over the bottom. Set a round rack over the smoking mixture, about 3 inches above the mixture, and set the pork on the center of the rack.
• Place the wok, uncovered, over high heat. When the rice mixture begins to smoke, cover the wok, reduce the heat to medium, and smoke until the pork turns a rich, deep brown, about 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes before removing the lid.
• Let the pork cool briefly, then cut into1/8-inch-thick slices. (Discard the smoking mixture and foil.) Clean the wok and heat it over high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat the sides. Add the garlic, ginger and chile and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pork, cabbage, carrot, and bamboo shoots and stir-fry until the cabbage is wilted, about 1 minute.
• Add the chicken stock, soy sauce and chile garlic sauce and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering, cover the wok, and simmer until the carrot is tender, about 3 minutes.
• Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Stir in the sesame oil, scoop onto a warm serving platter and serve hot.

Steps:

• FOR SQUAB: Heat saute pan until almost smoking, and add duck fat. Season squab breast and legs. Saute skin side down until crispy. Flip over and cook until breast are medium rare and leg cooked through. FOR QUINCE: Place quince and peelings in a saucepan and add rosemary, ginger, quince berry tea, vanilla bean and other ingredients. Cook until tender and slice quince into medallions. FOR CONSOMME: Mix tea with squab consomme and soy. Bring to boil. Let steep for 2 minutes. Strain through a fine strainer. Add brunoise vegetables and chives. Reserve warm. FOR GARNISHES: Heat butter in saute pan, add lambs quarters and season with salt and pepper. Add baby carrots and vegetable stock. Cook to glacee. TO SERVE: In a large serving bowl, place lamb quarters and carrots. Top with quince and top with squab. Spoon consomme around. Garnish with chervil.;

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.