Fränkisches Dovecote

Ingredients

• 3 old-fashioned whole-wheat rolls
• 300 ml milk (1.5% fat)
• 4 doves (with stomach, heart and liver)
• 1 onion
• 4 tbsp parsley
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 20 g butter
• 2 Eggs
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tsp organic lemon zest
• 30 g clarified butter
• 200 ml poultry broth

Instructions

1. 1.

   Finely chop the rolls and soak them in lukewarm milk. Wash the doves, pat dry, and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Process the entrails through a meat grinder or blitz-hacker.

2. 2.

   Peel the onion and dice finely. Wash parsley and rosemary, shake off excess water, remove leaves from stems and chop finely. Heat butter in a pan and sauté the onion. Squeeze out the soaked rolls and add them with the ground entrails, then remove from heat. Stir in herbs and let cool slightly. Mix in eggs and season with salt, pepper and grated lemon zest.

3. 3.

   Distribute the stuffing among the four doves and sew the openings shut with kitchen twine.

4. 4.

   Place clarified butter in a roasting pan and lay the doves breast-side down into the pan. Roast in a preheated oven at 220 °C (fan 200 °C; gas: level 3‑4) until the back is lightly browned, about 25 minutes.

5. 5.

   Turn the doves over and add a little broth to the side if needed.

6. 6.

   During roasting baste frequently with the cooking liquid. Roast for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes.

7. 7.

   After cooking remove the doves from the pan, take out the twine and halve them, keeping warm. Add some broth and loosen the fond. Season with salt and pepper.

8. 8.

   Serve the doves on hot plates and pour the roasting sauce over them.