SALMI OF SQUAB
4 servings
This rich ragu-like dish is much simpler than the traditional French salmi, which involves a gruesome tool called a duck press (used to extract the juices from the carcass for enriching the sauce). Other game birds can be substituted. If you aren’t saving the backbones for stock, they can be added to the pot with the squab to enrich the sauce, then removed before serving.
Remove the backbone and split in half at the breastbone:
- Two 1-pound squab
Season on both sides with:
- Salt and black pepper
Heat in a large skillet over medium-high heat:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Working in batches, add the squab skin side down and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Add to the skillet and cook, stirring, until they begin to brown, about 8 minutes:
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes. Add and cook, stirring to loosen the browned bits, until almost evaporated:
- 3 tablespoons Cognac or other brandy
Add and cook until reduced by half:
- 1 ½ cups dry red wine
- 1 ½ cups game, beef, or chicken stock or broth
Return the squab to the skillet and simmer gently, covered, until the meat begins to fall from the bone, 20 to 25 minutes, turning the birds halfway through cooking. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the birds to a plate to cool slightly. Pull off and discard the skin of the birds, then pull the meat from the bones and add it to the skillet. Stir in:
- (2 tablespoons butter)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Serve over:
- Creamy Polenta, cooked pasta, or thick pieces of toast