A Taste of Africa/Dorinda Hafner 2002

Nesting Pigeons
Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Calories Saturated Fat Fat Sodium Carbohydrates Protein Cholesterol
4-6


INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced salt
6-8 squabs, ready for roasting SALAD NEST: 1 head green leaf or romaine lettuce 1 cucumber, sliced
1/4 pound (125g) snow peas 1 cup sunflower sprouts 1 cup afalfa sprouts
2 firm, ripe tomatoes, sliced into rounds GARLIC SAUCE: 4 cloves garlic, diced 2 eggs
1 teaspoon mustard 1-3/4 cups vegetable oil juice of 1 lemon
1 loaf herb bread, warmed



1 Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C.
2 To prepare the squabs, mix the oil with the garlic and salt (for seasoning), and rub over the squabs, inside and out. Arrange the squabs in a large baking dish and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are cooked, brown, and crispy skinned. Remove from the oven, drain on a wire rack, and set aside.
3 To prepare the salad nest, wash the lettuce and separate the leaves. Arrange the cooked birds among the lettuce, add the cucumber slices, snow peas, and sunflower sprouts, trying to camouflage the bodies of the birds so their legs stick out. Sprinkle with the alfalfa sprouts, and give the nest a red border by arranging the slices of tomato around the edge of the serving dish.
4 To prepare the sauce, put the garlic and eggs in a blender, and blend well on a medium high speed for about 30 seconds. Lower the setting slightly, add the mustard, and blend again. With the machine running, dribble the oil gently and evenly into the sauce until the mixture is thick and creamy. Blend in the lemon juice. Pour the garlic sauce into a small bowl. (Leftover sauce is a good accompaniment to other poultry, meat, or seafood.)
5 Serve the nesting pigeons hot or cold with the garlic sauce and warm herb bread.

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