How about those doves? If the 2025 mourning dove season treated you well and you have a pile of birds in the freezer, wondering what to cook, you are not alone. Dove meat is too good to waste on the same old recipes, and sometimes all it takes is a little inspiration to turn a successful hunt into a great meal. Start your new year right!
Like with this, for example:
Dove Empanadas
INGREDIENTS
- 1⁄2 pound of ground dove breasts
- 1⁄2 pound fatty ground pork
- 2 packages of Goya Empanada Dough (20 discs) Make sure you thaw it overnight before preparing meal
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tbs. sweet paprika
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. dried oregano
- 4 cloves garlic, minced Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt, plus extra Freshly cracked black pepper
- 3⁄4 cup low-sodium chicken/game stock
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 5 Spanish Queen green olives, rinsed and coarsely chopped
HEAT DOVE & PORK Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground dove and pork to the skillet, allow the bottom to form a crust before stirring and continue to cook. Transfer meat to plate or bowl with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Lower heat to medium.
SAUTÉ BELL PEPPER & ONION In the same pan, add an additional tablespoon of oil, onion, bell pepper and a pinch of salt. Sauté until softened, but do not brown.
ADD CUMIN & OTHER SPICES Stir in cumin, paprika, oregano and garlic for 30 seconds.
ADD BACK MEAT & ADD STOCK Next, return ground meat to the skillet and season with about 1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Add chicken stock and simmer until mixture is no longer watery, but still moist, stirring occasionally. Take off heat.
OLIVES & COOL MIXTURE Stir in coarsely chopped olives (about 1⁄4 cup) and raisins. Allow mixture to cool before filling empanadas. Mixture could be made a couple days in advance.
FILL EMPANADAS Add the remaining butter to the hot pan and baste the fish. Increase amount of butter as desired.
BRUSH, FOLD & CRIMP Brush the edge with water and fold over to form half circles. Crimp with a fork.
FRY & SERVE Heat frying oil to 325-350° Fahrenheit. Fry empanadas in batches until golden on both sides and drain. Keep warm in an oven and serve hot.
Feature photo: YouTube screenshot
