R E C I P E S

Pigeonneaux aux Olives (Squabs with Olives)

By Edward Behr

The flavor of this dish, associated with the South of France, depends heavily on the olives, so be sure to taste before you buy. For green olives, you can substitute black, though not a dry and withered kind. Rather than aiming at well-done meat, as you would with most braises, cook squabs to only about medium so they aren’t dry. The same method is often applied to duck, which can stand being more fully cooked.

 

about ¾ cup (150 gr) pitted green olives

4 squabs, weighing about 1 pound (450 gr) each

3 ounces (85 gr) fresh pork belly or fatback, without rind

2 cups (450 ml) rich veal or game-bird stock or, in a pinch, poultry stock

about 3/8 teaspoon mixed dried herbs, mostly thyme, without stems and finely crumbled

salt and black pepper

 

Pit the olives, unless they are very small, and, unless they are both very small and delicate, blanch them for several minutes in boiling water. Drain and set aside. Remove the birds’ wingtips and, if present, the feet. Cut the pork belly into ¼-inch (5-mm) cubes, and brown them over medium heat, without letting the fat smoke, in a heavy pot just large enough to hold all the squabs comfortably in a single layer. When the fat is rendered, discard the crisp pieces (or eat them with a little salt). Add the squabs, and brown them, turning so as to color all sides, about 15 minutes in all; set them aside. Add the stock and stir up the brown material from the bottom of the pot. Add the herbs and return the squabs to the pot. Cover and cook over very low heat, so the liquid barely yet steadily bubbles, turning the squabs once, until they are done to medium (check the inside of a thigh with a knife), about 15 minutes. Remove them to a hot platter.

Carefully skim the fat from the braising liquid with the sharp edge of a large spoon. Pass the liquid through a fine strainer, and return it to the pot. Over low to medium heat, set the pot to one side of the burner and, over at least 15 minutes, let a skin form and remove it; skim the fat again. Boil to reduce the liquid by one-third. Reduce the heat, add the olives, and simmer for a few more minutes. Taste and season, if needed, with salt, and grind in pepper. Remove the olives with a slotted spoon and place them around the squabs; moisten them with several spoonfuls of the sauce and pass the rest in a heated sauceboat. Serves 4.

From The Art of Eating Cookbook

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