A culinary Italian staple whose tenderness and juiciness melds effortlessly with an elegant Russian River Pinot Noir from Siduri.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless squab
- ½ teaspoon rough cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 6 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Using a sharp knife, trim off the wings, and then separate the breasts. If using whole squab, remove the breasts from the squab by cutting on either side of the breast plate and along the carcass so that the breast meat separates from the carcass with the wing still intact. Cut the legs from the carcass. You can also ask your butcher to remove the breasts, airline style, and separate the legs; this is much easier. If you purchased whole squab and have the carcass and wings left, you can place them in an ovenproof pan and roast them until they are golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Then add them to the risotto stock for added flavor.
- To confit the legs, melt the fat and oil in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 280°F. Sprinkle the legs with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook slowly until the legs have rendered off any fat and the meat is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and let them sit in the warm fat. Once cold, they can be stored in the fat for up to two weeks.
- In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and the lemon zest. Trim any excess skin from the breast but keep enough so that the breast will be covered with the skin to protect the meat. Sprinkle with the seasoning mix and let sit for 15 minutes to allow the salt to be absorbed into the meat.
- To cook the breasts, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the squab breasts, skin side down; add the butter, thyme, rosemary and garlic. Set another pan or weight on top of the squab in the skillet and cook until golden brown and cooked rare to medium-rare, about 5 minutes. Periodically, baste the squab as you cook. Add the confit legs to the pan to crisp and brown them. Turn the breasts and cook them on the other side to give them a kiss of the heat. While you cook, keep the heat at medium to allow the skin to get crispy and a golden color without drying the delicate meat and changing the unique texture.
- Also, by cooking the squab breast slowly, you’ll have time to stir the risotto! Let rest for 5 minutes before serving with the risotto and garnish with shredded radicchio, basil, and a grating of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
To Confit the Squab Legs
Ingredients
- 2 cups duck fat (If you don’t have duck fat, use 1 cup canola and 1 cup olive oil)
- ½ cup canola oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken stock over low heat.
- In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and salt and cook, covered, stirring frequently, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat every grain with butter, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat and gradually pour in ½ cup of the wine, stirring, until the wine has been absorbed by the rice. Repeat with another ½ cup wine. When the wine has been absorbed, add the hot stock, one ladle at a time, stirring until most of it has been absorbed before adding the next ladle of stock. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and stir. When all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is almost cooked, gradually add the remaining wine, salt and pepper, stirring. The rice will have taken on the color of the wine. Add the radicchio and créme fraiche and stir until it has melted into the risotto.
For the Risotto
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped red onion
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- Kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cups Carnaroli rice
- ½ (750 ml) bottle Amarone della Valpolicella or Valpolicella
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups hot chicken stock
- 2 cups diced radicchio, soaked in salted ice water
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon créme fraîche
- Thinly sliced basil leaves, for garnish
- Thinly sliced radicchio, for garnish
When asked to do a recipe for Jacques Pépin Foundation, I was of course thrilled and honored! As I racked my brain thinking about what to make, I recalled a fond memory of cooking for Jacques at Bizou in San Francisco. I had recently returned to the Bay Area after cooking at the River Cafe in London and was trying out some of the dishes I had learned there. This is my twist on a Risotto Amarone della Valpolicella with Roasted Squab. I confit the squab legs to give the dish a crispy texture and add radicchio to cut through the richness of the risotto. Jacques came back to the kitchen to tell me how much he loved the risotto and that he, Jacques Pépin, had never had a confit squab leg before! As you can imagine, I was blown away!