Title: Casseroled Dove Breasts and Wild Rice
Categories: Game Poultry Mushroom
Yield: 1 Servings

10		Dove breasts
		Juice from 1/2 lemon
		Salt
		Pepper
1		Rib celery
1/2	lb	Mushrooms (that's one half
		Pound)
4		Scallions (green onions)
3	tb	Butter
1/4	ts	Tarragon
1/2	c	White wine
1 1/2	c	Chicken stock (that's one
		And one half cups)
2/3	c	Wild rice (that's two thirds
		Cup)

I tried a new dove recipe this past weekend and thought I would pass it along. This has to be one of the best recipes for doves I have ever used.

Rinse the wild rice, drain, and set aside. Skin the dove breasts, wipe with lemon juice, and salt and pepper the breasts. Chop the mushrooms, scallions and celery. Sautee them in the butter lightly (3-5 minutes). Put the wild rice in the bottom of a casserole dish. Arrange the dove breasts on top of the wild rice. Pour celery, mushroom, and scallion mixture over doves. Add rest of ingredients (tarragon, white wine, and chicken stock). Place the dish, covered, in a 325 degree preheated oven and let cook for one and one half to one and three quarter hours (90 - 105 minutes).

This recipe keeps the dove breasts moist and tender!!!

Keith

This sounds like a good recipe. However, if you really want to go all out, here are few suggested changes:

Pluck and draw the dove and use the back, leg and thigh too. In a roasting pan, baste the little babies with chicken or duck fat (butter will do in a pinch but be liberal with the fat so the birds remain moist). pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees and roast them. Baste every 20 minutes and check to see if they're done everytime you go to baste (you can tell by proding at the breast meat with a fork. If it pulls away from the sternum fairly easily then it is done. It's best to undercook slightly at this point because you will be cooking them again with the rice). Now take and pull the meat from the birds and set aside. Take the remaining bones and put into a stock pot and cover with cold water until about two inches above the bones. Add a quartered onion to the pot along with a bulb of garlic (around 8 cloves - cut in half and use germ too). Add a carrot (broken into two or three pieces). Bring the stock to a boil and reduce heat to low and let slowly simmer for two hours minimum (I'd suggest 4 hours). Add water if it drops below the bones. Substitute dove stock for the chicken stock below.

Now take the pan drippings from the roaster and pour into a skillet (add duck/chicken fat or butter until you have about 3 or 4 tablespoons of fat (total) in the skillet. Saute chopped veggies in this mixture. Add wild rice to the skillet and coat well with the fat (stir for about 3 minutes). Now add the dove stock (see amount below) directly to the skillet and bring to a simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Now add to the casserole dish along with the meat, wine (see amount below) and tarragon (personally, I'd use sage here but it's because I hate tarragon). The cooking times listed below will need to change for this recipe as well. Cover dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

I hope my modifications don't offend you Keith. Your recipe really is one of the better ones I've seen on this group.

Ken Ihrer -- The Cajun Game Chef

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