Quail With Fregola And Olives Recipes

ROSEMARY ROASTED QUAIL

Steps:

• Combine the marinade ingredients and set aside.
• Squeeze the juice from 2 of the orange sections over 1 of the quails, then rub the bird all over with the squeezed sections. Stuff the cavity with half of a rosemary sprig, an eighth of the minced garlic and a section of the squeezed orange. Secure the legs of the quail to the body by running a toothpick through a leg just above the thigh and passing it through the cavity of the bird and into the other leg. Repeat with the remaining birds.
• Place the quails in a nonreactive bowl and cover them with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove quails from the marinade, reserving the excess, and place them in a roasting pan. Brush the quails with the olive oil and place them in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, stopping to baste them with the reserved marinade after about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the roasted quails to a platter, remove toothpicks and garnish with chopped rosemary. Serve immediately.

GRILLED QUAIL, TUSCAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Start wood or charcoal fire or preheat gas grill or broiler.
• Cut along each side of the 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 with all other ingredients in bowl or heavy plastic bag and stir or shake to coat. If time allows, marinate for an hour or so.
• Grill quail, turning as needed, until browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

QUAIL WITH FREGOLA AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Rinse the quails, pat them dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat one tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Brown as many quails, skin side down, as will fit in one layer. Remove seared birds to a platter and repeat with the rest. Mix the tapenade with the remaining olive oil and spread on the uncooked side of each quail.
• Heat the stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Meanwhile, turn the heat in the sauté pan to low, add the fennel, onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Stir in the tomato paste, rosemary and olives. Stir in the fregola. Begin adding warm stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring while it is absorbed, as if making risotto. After 20 to 25 minutes, the fregola should be al dente. Add any quail juices from the platter and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spoon the fregola into a large baking dish. On top of it, arrange the quails, skin side up, slightly overlapping. Bake 20 minutes.