Roast Quail Stuffed With Pancetta Lacinato Kale And Sage Recipes

STUFFED QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Toast for 5 to 8 minutes, until crisp. Transfer to a large bowl.
• In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the butter until it's melted and foamy. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, sage and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Add the toasted bread and toss to combine. If you need more liquid for the bread, add more chicken stock 1/4 cup at a time. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Once the stuffing is cool, wear kitchen rubber gloves to stuff the cavity of the quails with about 1 cup of stuffing per quail. Place the remaining stuffing on the bottom of a roasting pan or large cast-iron skillet. Season the quail with salt and pepper and rest on top of the stuffing. Roast the quail for 15 to 20 minutes or until juices run clear when you pierce the skin. Serve right away.

PAN-ROASTED QUAIL WITH PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Using a wire whisk, combine the marinade ingredients in a stainless steel bowl. Add the quail and rub thoroughly with the marinade, inside and out. (Don't be afraid to use your hands.) Cover the bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
• The Port Sauce accompaniment may be made while the quail is marinating. Combine the bones, vegetables, and seasonings in a roasting pan and roast in a 375°F oven for 2 hours, turning occasionally, until everything is well browned.
• Transfer the bones and vegetables to a heavy-bottomed stockpot and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, add the beef and veal stock or beef broth, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook 1 1/2 hours. Strain this rich stock into another saucepan, add the cup of port, and simmer again to reduce liquid to 1 1/2 cups. At this point the sauce may be cooled and refrigerated for up to two days. Rewarm the sauce during the quail's preparation and add the final enrichment of port and butter just prior to serving. This will both enhance the final flavor and give the sauce a silken sheen.
• To cook the quail, preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a castiron or other heavy-bottomed, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Drain the quail of excess marinade and pan roast, uncovered, until mahogany in color (about 3 minutes on each side). Place the ovenproof skillet and quail in the oven for 9 minutes. Serve immediately with the port sauce.

GRILLED QUAIL WRAPPED IN PANCETTA WITH SAGE AND HONEY

Steps:

• To make the stuffing, warm the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook to render the fat but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, sage, rosemary, and thyme; season with the salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is tender and translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the onion and garlic from browning. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. Transfer the stuffing to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours to chill.
• To prepare the quail, rinse and pat dry with paper towels, checking for any remaining bones or feathers. Combine the onion, thyme, vinegar, honey, and pepper in a bowl or nonreactive baking dish large enough to hold all the quail. Place the quail in the marinade and turn to coat them on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place the quail in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Remove the quail from the marinade, pat dry with paper towels, and lay them on a baking sheet. One at a time, lay a quail on your work surface, open up the legs, and spoon 2 tablespoons of stuffing inside the cavity. Cross the legs to close in the stuffing. Slide the skewer through the bottom leg and then through the top leg and rotate the skewer so it's perpendicular to the legs. Return the quail to the baking sheet and repeat, stuffing the remaining birds in the same way. Unravel the pancetta if it's from a round slice and stack two slices of pancetta on your work surface. Lay the quail on top of the pancetta and wrap it around the quail, moving along the body of the quail to cover as much as possible. Return the quail to the baking sheet and repeat, wrapping the remaining quail in the remaining pancetta. (You can prepare the dish to this point up to a day in advance. Wrap the baking sheet tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to grill. Season with salt and pepper on both sides before grilling.)
• To fry the sage leaves, pour enough olive oil into a small skillet or saucepan to fill it 1 inch deep and line a small plate with paper towels. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until a pinch of salt sizzles when dropped into it. Add the sage leaves and fry for about 30 seconds, until crisp but not browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sage from the oil, transfer to the paper towels to drain, and season with salt. Strain the sage-infused oil through a fine-mesh strainer and reserve it to fry sage another time or to drizzle over grilled meats or vegetables. (The sage can be fried up to several hours in advance. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature.)
• To prepare the radicchio, combine the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the radicchio leaves and soak in the marinade while you grill the quail or for up to 24 hours.
• Prepare a hot fire in a gas or charcoal grill or preheat a grill pan or heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Brush the grill grates or grill pan with olive oil.
• Place the quail breast side down on the grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until it is browned and the pancetta is crisp. Turn the quail, taking care to keep the pancetta intact, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on the other side. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, turning them often to prevent the outsides from burning, until they are cooked to medium. To check for doneness, squeeze the quail at the thickest point; if the flesh feels firm, it is done. If the quail appear to be searing too quickly, move them to a cooler part of the grill or lower the heat on the grill pan so they can cook through before the outsides burn. Remove the quail to a plate to rest for about 5 minutes before serving. While the quail are resting, grill the radicchio for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, turning occasionally, until it is browned in places but not crisp.
• To serve, remove the skewers and discard. Drape two radicchio leaves in the center of each plate, overlapping them. Lay one quail on each serving of radicchio and rest the other in another direction on top of the first. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of honey over and around each serving. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the balsamico and 1 teaspoon of the finishing-quality olive oil, and scatter the fried sage leaves over each plate.
• suggested wine pairing
• Amarone Della Valpolicella (Veneto)

ROAST QUAIL STUFFED WITH PANCETTA, LACINATO KALE, AND SAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and add the pancetta. Cook until some of the fat renders, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic and sauté until tender but not colored, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the kale and sauté until just wilted, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and cook down until the liquid nearly evaporates and the mixture is thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Place the mixture in a large bowl with the bread cubes and toss to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the sage and additional olive oil if necessary to moisten. Allow the mixture to cool before stuffing the birds.
• Season each quail on both sides with salt and pepper. Pack the quail as tightly as possible, using about 1 cup of stuffing per bird. Tuck the wings under the bird behind the back. Bend one drumstick across the cavity opening, keeping the stuffing in place. Secure by tucking the tip under the skin. Cross the other drumstick over it so that the quail looks like it's doing yoga.
• Tear off about 5 inches of foil. Fold the long end up about 1 inch, crease, then keep folding and creasing until you have a reinforced band 1 inch tall and as long as your box of foil. Wrap the band around the quail to secure, twisting the ends. Trim off extra foil with scissors. Make 3 more bands the same way and repeat with the remaining birds.
• Divide the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil between two 10-inch ovenproof sauté pans, and warm over high heat. Brown the quail on each side, about 1 minute each, including the foil-wrapped sides. Once you turn the quail to brown the top, top each with 1 teaspoon butter and put the pans in the oven. After 5 minutes, turn each quail so that the top of the bird is up. Roast for 5 minutes longer, or until a metal skewer inserted into the middle of the stuffing feels warm against your lip.
• Once the quail are done, transfer to a board and remove the foil. Return to the pan to crisp the skin and brown the sides that were under the foil strips. Serve.