Recipe of the week: Squab, spelt, wild strawberries

Serves four

For the black sesame sauce 50g black sesame seeds
100ml extra virgin olive oil
15ml soy sauce, low sodium
10ml balsamic vinegar

For the spelt risotto 200g spelt
100g Parmesan
100g butter
Vegetable stock
Salt

For the squab 2 squab
1 squab carcass
10g shallot
1 sprig of thyme
Extra virgin olive oil

For the strawberry coulis 200g wild strawberries
0.5g agar-agar

To garnish 6 wild strawberries
20 slices of radicchio
Yarrow leaves
Fleur de sel

For the black sesame sauce

Crush the sesame seeds with the side of a knife and toast in a hot sauté pan. Add the olive oil, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Set aside at room temperature.

For the spelt risotto

Blanch the spelt in salted hot water for 12 minutes. Drain. Transfer to a saucepan and add the butter and grated Parmesan cheese and stir. Add a little vegetable stock if it appears dry. It should have a risotto consistency. Season with salt.

For the squab

Pass the squabs over a flame. Open the birds and discard the innards (but save the giblets), then truss them. Set aside.

Cut the carcass into pieces and roast in a 160°C oven for a few minutes until golden. Ciseler (finely mince) the shallot, add to the dish in the oven and, when golden, add water to cover the bones. Allow the liquid to reduce to one-quarter of its original volume.

Stir the giblets in a saucepan, add the above stock, cook a few minutes more and strain. Return the strained stock to the saucepan and simmer until it thickens. Set aside.

Cook the squab in an ovenproof pot with the olive oil and and thyme for 10-15 minutes in a 160°C oven. Remove and allow to rest on a rack a few minutes. Cut up the squabs, remove and plate the breasts.

Add the legs, leaving the meat on only the upper parts with the bone clean.

For the strawberry coulis

Process the 200g of wild strawberries in a juicer. Strain, transfer to a saucepan, add 0.5g of agar-agar and heat until it comes to a boil. Allow to cook for one or two minutes more, remove from the heat and allow it to gel, then transfer to a blender. Transfer the coulis to a squeeze bottle and refrigerate.

Plating

Plate the risotto, sesame sauce, squab and, for each plate, arrange three halved strawberries and five slices of radicchio.

Dot the strawberry coulis and smaller pieces of squab around the plate. Add seven yarrow leaves, fleur de sel and finish with squab sauce.

Book review: Mirazur by Mauro Colagreco >>