Squab with Grilled Red Onion and Sweet Cherries
While the squab is resting, fry up the livers in a little butter in a small pan and season with salt. Mash them with a fork and flavor with a little gold rum to taste. Spread on grilled bread as a snack while you wait, or serve it alongside the squab.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 2
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Wash, dry, and trim the squabs. Remove the backbone from each with a large knife or poultry scissors. Lay the birds on a cutting board, breast side up. Crack the breastbone with one firm push of the palm of your hand to flatten out the bird. Rub the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the oil all over the birds and season liberally with salt and pepper. Marinate for an hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. If you refrigerate overnight, allow the birds to come to room temperature before cooking.
Step 2
Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill.
Step 3
Slice the onion into 1/2-inch-thick wedges, and keeping them as intact as possible, coat with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. When the grill is very hot, but the flame has died down and the coals are completely covered with ash, grill the onion slices on both sides until they have grill marks and are tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 4
Brush the bread slices with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until marked.
Step 5
Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt with the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and the vinegar in a medium bowl, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the cherries and allow them to marinate at room temperature. After the onions have cooled a little, add them to the cherries along with the parsley. Toss, and adjust the seasoning.
Step 6
Push most of the coals to one side of the grill. Lay the marinated squabs, breast side up, on the half of the grill without the coals, arranging them so that they are as flat as possible. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes. Brush with the melted butter, then flip, and baste the grilled side with a little butter as well. Grill for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the legs are cooked through and the breast is about medium-rare. Be careful to avoid flare-ups and rotate the squabs (and if using a round kettle-style cooker, the grill itself) as necessary. Transfer the squabs to a warm platter and let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Arrange the cherry salad, grilled bread, and grilled squabs on plates.
