quail

This Italian blockbuster Sunday roast is a real celebration of a dish – five birds and one sausage wheel, all piled on to deliciously cheesy polenta. It’s certainly epic, but if you’re after a super-special showstopper, it’s guaranteed to please.

Arrosto misto

garlic

½ a bunch of fresh thyme (15 grams)

olive oil

x 1.8 kg whole free-range chicken

lemon

x 2 kg duck

cinnamon

½ a bunch of fresh sage (15 grams)

fennel

red onions

sturdy rosemary

pigeons

partridges

quails

sausages

bay leaves

plain flour

150 ml Chianti or other red wine

x plum tomatoes

chicken stock

½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15 grams)

250 g coarse polenta

unsalted butter

Parmesan cheese

Nicola Civetta's Quaglie Giardiniere (Quail Gardener's Style)

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil

carrot, chopped

peas

zucchini, chopped

mushrooms, chopped

shallots, minced

butter

dry red wine

beef broth

foie gras

Season the quail inside and out with salt and pepper and truss them.

In a large frying pan, lightly saute the birds in the oil until they are golden brown, turning them to be sure they are done on all sides. Remove and keep warm.

Add the carrots and peas and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and cook an additional five minutes.

In a separate pan saute the shallots in the butter. Add the wine and the beef broth and reduce to a cup. Add the vegetables and quail. Simmer 10 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the foie gras and mix well.

Bursting with fresh citrus flavours, this recipe will be a hit at your next dinner party.

Citrus-glazed quail

(about 1kg) quail, butterflied (ask your butcher to do this)

redcurrant jelly

(180 milliliters) port

oranges and 3 limes

(60 grams) ginger, finely grated

garlic cloves, crushed

(125 milliliters) extra virgin olive oil

baby fennel,

oranges, peeled, segmented

green cabbage, shredded

orange

tbs extra virgin olive oil

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Quail Roasted with Honey, Cumin and Orange Juice

quail,

Salt and pepper

orange juice

honey

cumin

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Rub the quail with half the olive oil, then sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Put them breast side up in a roasting pan just large enough to accommodate them. Combine remaining ingredients and brush about half of this mixture over the birds; put in oven.

After about 10 minutes of roasting, baste with remaining mixture, then continue to roast until done, about 10 minutes more. Serve birds hot, with pan juices, or warm or at room temperature.

The combination of smoky, barbecued quail and a fresh cucumber and fennel salad makes for a midweek meal that's hard to beat.

Barbecue quail with green chilli, lemon and fennel

tsp each cumin, coriander and fennel seeds, toasted

½ long green chilli, chopped

coriander

tsp ginger

Finely grated zest of ½ a lemon

Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced

baby fennel, thinly sliced

¼ cup each mint and coriander leaves

(140 grams) thick Greek-style yoghurt

½ long green chilli, thinly sliced, to serve

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In her final column for delicious., MasterChef winner Diana Chan looks ahead to balmy days and night with a mildly spiced quail and rice dish. "This final recipe is all about freshness. As we come into the warmer months, I thought it would be nice to incorporate some mild spices to the dish, and use grains and fresh herbs to ease into the salads and cold foods that come with summer. I chose quail because it’s not commonly used and is a great substitute for chicken, but feel free to swap it for spatchcock, duck legs or even lamb ribs" - Diana Chan.

Indian-spiced quail with saffron pilau

quails,

tbs ghee

onion, thinly sliced

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

cardamom pods, bruised

tsp cumin

tsp coriander

(200 grams) basmati rice

tbs sultanas

tsp saffron threads

Sunflower oil, to deep-fry

Coriander sprigs, to serve

cloves

tsp chilli powder

Persian quail, fig & pomegranate salad

shallot (25 grams), chopped finely

sumac

caster sugar

pomegranate molasses

(80 milliliters) extra virgin olive oil

jumbo quails, butterflied

lebanese bread (80 grams)

medium_piece radicchio (200 grams), outer leaves discarded

basil leaves

flat-leaf parsley

(50 grams) walnut halves, roasted

figs

feta,

pomegranate (225 grams), seeds removed

To make the dressing, combine shallot, sumac, cinnamon, sugar, pomegranate molasses and extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl; season.

Place quail in a glass or ceramic bowl with half the dressing; toss to coat well. Cover; refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat; cook quail, in batches, skin-side down, for 4 minutes or until golden.

Transfer quail, skin-side up, to an oven tray; roast 5 minutes or until breast meat is still slightly pink. Remove from heat; rest 10 minutes. Cut each quail in half along the breastbone, then in half again between legs and breasts to give four pieces.

Lightly brush bread on each side with remaining olive oil, place on an oven tray; bake 8 minutes or until crisp and golden. Cool, then break into large pieces.

Tear radicchio leaves into large pieces. Place radicchio in a large bowl with herbs, nuts, figs, feta, pomegranate seeds, remaining dressing and quail; toss gently to combine.

Pan-Cooked Quail, Vietnamese-Style

onion,

ginger

black pepper

lime juice or rice vinegar

nam pla or soy sauce

neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn

cilantro, mint

Lime wedges, optional

Cut along each side of breastbone of each bird, then straight down through where thigh meets body to get 2 semi-boneless halves from each bird. (Don't worry if skin holding thigh and drumstick together separates.) Combine other ingredients except oil, herb and lime wedges and marinate for at least an hour, or overnight in a refrigerator, if you have time.

Drain quail of marinade and strain and reserve marinade. Pat birds dry. If you have a skillet large enough to hold quail in one layer, put oil in it; if not, put 2 tablespoons of oil in each of two skillets. Turn heat to high and, when oil is hot, sauté quail, skin-side down, until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Turn and brown other side for 2 or 3 minutes, or until quail are cooked through. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

Lower heat and remove any excess fat from skillet (there may not be any). Add strained marinade, along with 1/4 cup water, and raise heat to high. Cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan, until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Spoon over quail and serve immediately, garnished, if you like, with herbs and lime.

This incredible Chinese-style feast certainly has the wow-factor. Try it at Christmas, or for Chinese New Year.
Equipment: For this recipe you will need 4 10cm/4in lengths of butchers' string.


Five-spice roasted quail with sweet-and-sour cranberry sauce

waxy potatoes

salt

peanut oil

freshly grated root ginger

black beans

¼ tsp dry-roasted chilli flakes

120 grams/4½oz oak-smoked bacon lardons

tbsp dark soy sauce

2-3 tbsp rapeseed oil

cranberries

grams/3½oz brown sugar

water

lemon, juice only

orange, juice only

star anise

tsp dry-roasted chilli flakes

tsp Chinese five-spice powder

tsp dried chilli flakes

½ tsp ground white pepper

root

spring onions, trimmed,

tbsp rapeseed oil

baby shallots, peeled, sliced

shaoxing rice wine

salt and black pepper

700 milliliters/1¼ pints chicken stock

300 grams/10½oz baby heritage carrots (less than 10cm/4in

320 grams/11¼oz cavolo nero, washed, sliced

sea salt flakes

This is a basic roast quail recipe that can serve as a stepping stone for other, fancier recipes. Once you know how to properly roast a quail, you can then play with glazes or marinades -- even though I am not normally a fan of marinades, they will work with quail because the birds are so small.

Roast Quail

(plucked quail)

Lard, (butter or olive oil)

Salt

celery

Black pepper

Lemon ((optional))

If you choose to brine your quail, boil the water or wine with the kosher salt and bay leaves, then turn off the heat and let cool. Submerge the quail in this brine for 2 to 6 hours.

Preheat your oven to 500°F, or if it doesn't get that hot, as hot as your oven will go. This will take a little while for most ovens, up to 30 minutes. While the oven is preheating, take the quail out of the fridge and pat them dry. Coat with lard, olive oil or butter (your quail will be browner with melted butter) and salt generously. Set aside at room temperature while the oven heats.

When the oven is hot, get a small roasting pan or cast-iron frying pan and set the quail in it. They will want to tip over, so steady them with cut pieces of the celery stick. Try to prevent the quail from touching each other to speed the cooking process.

Roast the quail in the oven for 12 to 18 minutes. The lower end of the spectrum will give you quail that are juicy, succulent and a little pink on the inside -- but pale. The higher end of the spectrum will give you a fully cooked, browner quail, but one that is at the edge of being dry. Your choice.

When you take the quail out of the oven, place on a cutting board and rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Use this time to make the wild game sauce of your choice, or just squirt lemon juice on the birds before serving.

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Arrosto misto

Nicola Civetta's Quaglie Giardinier...

Citrus-glazed quail

Quail Roasted with Honey, Cumin and...

Barbecue quail with green chilli, l...

Indian-spiced quail with saffron pi...

Persian quail, fig & pomegranate sa...

Pan-Cooked Quail, Vietnamese-Style

Roast Quail

Top 10 quail recipes from across the web

The most viewed quail recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Arrosto misto

Nicola Civetta's Quaglie Giardinier...

Citrus-glazed quail

Quail Roasted with Honey, Cumin and...

Barbecue quail with green chilli, l...

Indian-spiced quail with saffron pi...

Persian quail, fig & pomegranate sa...

Pan-Cooked Quail, Vietnamese-Style

Roast Quail

The most viewed quail recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine