Steamed Squabs Stuffed With Birds Nest Recipes

POTTED STUFFED SQUAB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Arrange bread in 1 layer in a shallow dish and pour milk over it. Soak bread, turning once, just until it has absorbed most of milk, about 2 minutes. Squeeze excess milk from each slice, then tear bread into bite-size pieces, dropping them into a bowl. Discard milk.
• Melt 1/2 stick butter and add to bread along with livers, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring to combine.
• Rinse squabs and pat dry. Chop off necks and wing tips and scatter in a large shallow baking pan. Divide stuffing among cavities of squabs, then close openings with wooden picks. Tie legs of each squab together with string and secure wings to sides with wooden picks.
• Stir together 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme and rub all over squabs.
• Arrange squabs in baking pan (with necks and wing tips), without crowding, then cut remaining stick butter into 8 pieces and put 2 pieces on top of each bird.
• Roast, basting with butter from pan every 8 to 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 160°F, about 1 hour.
• Transfer squabs to a platter and let stand, loosely covered with foil, while making sauce. Discard necks and wing tips and pour pan juices into fat separator. Let stand 1 minute to allow fat to separate from juices. Add water (1/2 cup) to pan and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small saucepan along with pan juices and 1/4 cup fat from separator and simmer, whisking, until emulsified, about 1 minute. Serve squabs with sauce on the side.

BIRD'S NEST BREAKFAST CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups.
• Mix hash brown potatoes, salt, black pepper, olive oil, and 2/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese in a bowl. Divide mixture between prepared muffin cups and use your fingers to shape potato mixture into nests with hollows in the middle.
• Bake in the preheated oven until hash browns are browned on the edges and cheese has melted, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove hash brown nests.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk eggs and water in a bowl until thoroughly combined; season with salt and black pepper. Pour equal amount of egg mixture into each nest; sprinkle with bacon crumbles and 1 teaspoon Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in the oven until eggs are set, 13 to 16 minutes. Let cool in pans and remove by sliding a knife between potato crust and muffin cup.

STEAMED SQUABS STUFFED WITH BIRD'S NEST

Steps:

• 1. Soak bird's nest. 2. Bone squabs, leaving their shape and skin intact (see HOW-TO, _Chicken: To bone). Rub birds, inside and out, with salt. 3. Stuff squabs with soaked bird's nest and sew up securely or skewer. Place in a heatproof bowl pour stock over. 4. Steam over low heat until squabs are tender (about 2 hours). See HOW-TO, _Steaming. 5. Mince smoked ham sprinkle over the top. Serve squabs in their steaming bowl with stock. VARIATIONS: * For the whole bird's nest, substitute 1/2 cup dried bird's-nest chips. Instead of boning squabs, score them along the backbone, but do not cut through bone. Steam birds cut-side up. Serve cut-side down.The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

STEAMED DEEP-FRIED SQUAB

Steps:

• 1. Soak dried tangerine peel. 2. Mince garlic, ginger root, scallions and soaked tangerine peel then combine with salt, cinnamon and star anise, mixing well. 3. Wipe squabs with a damp cloth. Coat with mixture. Then place in a heatproof bowl. 4. Steam 45 minutes (see HOW-TO, _Steaming). Remove squabs. Rinse off seasonings under cold running water. Dry well with paper toweling. 5. Rub skin lightly with soy sauce return to heatproof bowl and steam 10 minutes more. Remove and let cool. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. 6. Heat oil. Dredge squabs lightly in cornstarch then add, one at a time, and deep-fry, turning and basting, until golden. Drain on paper toweling. 7. With a cleaver, chop each in quarters garnish with lemon wedges and serve. NOTE: Use about 6 inches of oil to cover the squabs completely when deep-frying. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.