Tried this recipe over the weekend. I had about 16 whole skin-on doves leftover from last year that needed eaten. So I invited some friends over and we cooked them this way.
This is actually a Jessie Griffiths recipe out of his book Afield that I recently bought, and was also featured in Texas Monthly awhile back.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/food/dove/
Hot Fried Birds (serves 4)
12 whole doves, plucked and gutted
1 cup buttermilk
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
oil or lard, for frying
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons honey
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons hot sauce
4 thinly sliced jalapeƱos
1/4 cup fresh herb leaves, such as parsley or marjoram
Halve the birds by cutting down one side of the breastbone and through the ribs with a sharp, heavy knife. Repeat on the opposite side, effectively removing the breastbone. Soak the halves in buttermilk for 4 to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Remove the birds from the buttermilk, season well with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour. Shake off the excess flour and refrigerate them for at least half an hour.
Heat 4 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a fryer or large pot.
Melt the butter, then combine it with the honey, garlic, and hot sauce in a large bowl.
Fry the birds in batches until golden brown and crisp, 3 or 4 minutes. Drain well on paper towels.
Toss the fried birds with the melted-butter mixture, add the jalapeƱos and herbs, and transfer to a plate. Serve immediately.
The only thing I did differently from the recipe, is that I actually sauted the jalapenos and minced garlic in butter and browned them a bit. I think that probably improved the flavor. Once all mixed, it really is the perfect level of spice, not too hot at all. I used chalula for the hot sauce.
A couple notes:
-The recipe in his book says that the wing and leg bones will soften and can be eaten whole. That is the way I ate them, but be careful because it's not that easy to do. I was pretty much the only one that ate the bones, everyone else just picked the meat the best they could.
-The flavor was outstanding! It's really something similar to a jalapeno garlic wing sauce. That's essentially what these ares: hot wings with dove instead of chicken. Everyone agreed that it would've been much easier to eat without the bones. You do get a little bit more meat eating them this way, but it's also more difficult. So maybe next time I will just breast them out. I had never done a recipe with whole dove, and I just wanted to try something unique.
- I had also saved all the hearts and gizzards from those doves too. I fried them up last. They were some quite tasty little morsels!
- Between me and the wife, 2 buddies and their wives and kids, I figured I would not have enough to go around (And I new the kids would be picky), so I also cooked bite size pieces of deer steak (from top round) the cooked them the exact same way as the dove. They were excellent as well, and none were left over. I did end up with about 8 dove halves left that have been my lunch the last 2 days.
This is actually a Jessie Griffiths recipe out of his book Afield that I recently bought, and was also featured in Texas Monthly awhile back.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/food/dove/
Hot Fried Birds (serves 4)
12 whole doves, plucked and gutted
1 cup buttermilk
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
oil or lard, for frying
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons honey
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons hot sauce
4 thinly sliced jalapeƱos
1/4 cup fresh herb leaves, such as parsley or marjoram
Halve the birds by cutting down one side of the breastbone and through the ribs with a sharp, heavy knife. Repeat on the opposite side, effectively removing the breastbone. Soak the halves in buttermilk for 4 to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Remove the birds from the buttermilk, season well with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour. Shake off the excess flour and refrigerate them for at least half an hour.
Heat 4 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a fryer or large pot.
Melt the butter, then combine it with the honey, garlic, and hot sauce in a large bowl.
Fry the birds in batches until golden brown and crisp, 3 or 4 minutes. Drain well on paper towels.
Toss the fried birds with the melted-butter mixture, add the jalapeƱos and herbs, and transfer to a plate. Serve immediately.
The only thing I did differently from the recipe, is that I actually sauted the jalapenos and minced garlic in butter and browned them a bit. I think that probably improved the flavor. Once all mixed, it really is the perfect level of spice, not too hot at all. I used chalula for the hot sauce.
A couple notes:
-The recipe in his book says that the wing and leg bones will soften and can be eaten whole. That is the way I ate them, but be careful because it's not that easy to do. I was pretty much the only one that ate the bones, everyone else just picked the meat the best they could.
-The flavor was outstanding! It's really something similar to a jalapeno garlic wing sauce. That's essentially what these ares: hot wings with dove instead of chicken. Everyone agreed that it would've been much easier to eat without the bones. You do get a little bit more meat eating them this way, but it's also more difficult. So maybe next time I will just breast them out. I had never done a recipe with whole dove, and I just wanted to try something unique.
- I had also saved all the hearts and gizzards from those doves too. I fried them up last. They were some quite tasty little morsels!
- Between me and the wife, 2 buddies and their wives and kids, I figured I would not have enough to go around (And I new the kids would be picky), so I also cooked bite size pieces of deer steak (from top round) the cooked them the exact same way as the dove. They were excellent as well, and none were left over. I did end up with about 8 dove halves left that have been my lunch the last 2 days.
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