Uzbekistani Quail Grilled In Grape Leaves Recipes

GRILLED QUAIL WITH SOUTH CAROLINA BARBECUE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce first. Heat the butter over medium heat, then add the onion and sauté until it turns translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add everything else, stir well and simmer slowly for 20 minutes or more. You can buzz it in a blender for a smooth sauce.
• To flatten the quail, use kitchen shears to remove the backbones of the birds by cutting along either side. Put the quail breast side up on a cutting board and press to flatten. If you want to be fancy, carefully snip out the ribs and the curved saber bones near the wishbone. Salt the quail and toss them in the vegetable oil.
• Get your grill hot and lay your quail breast side up. Grill over high heat with the grill lid down for 5 minutes. As it cooks, paint the breast side with the sauce. Turn the quail over and paint the cooked side with sauce. Grill the breast side with the grill cover up for 2 minutes, then turn over again and paint with the sauce one more time. Cover the grill and cook another 2 to 4 minutes. Take off the grill and paint with sauce one more time.

QUAIL AND GRAPES

Steps:

• Rinse quail and pat dry. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Put a small amount of grated garlic in each bird's cavity, as well as the chopped rosemary and thyme. Drizzle birds with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and let marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour. (You may refrigerate for several hours or overnight; bring to room temperature before roasting.)
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place onions in a small ovenproof skillet or pie pan, and season with salt and pepper. Toss with balsamic vinegar and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to coat. Bake until slightly softened and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Spread remaining rosemary and thyme sprigs on a baking sheet or in a low-sided roasting pan. Lay quail on top of herbs, breast-side down. Roast for about 15 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned.
• Turn birds breast-side up and surround with roasted onions and grape clusters. Continue roasting for 10 minutes more. If necessary, put birds under the broiler to crisp the skin. Let rest 10 minutes and serve.

UZBEKISTANI QUAIL GRILLED IN GRAPE LEAVES

Steps:

• 1. Rinse the grape leaves under cold running water, then let soak in a bowl of cold water to cover for 1 hour, changing the water several times.2. Preheat a charcoal grill to medium-high.3. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body cavities of the quail, rinse the quail inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Leave the quail whole. Place a little spice paste in the cavity of each bird rub the remaining spice paste on the skin.4. Drain the grape leaves and blot dry. Wrap each quail in 5 grape leaves and tie securely with kitchen string.5. Nestle the wrapped quail in the ashes. Roast until the birds are cooked, 15 to 20 minutes, turning the quail from time to time with tongs. To test for doneness, insert the tip of a metal skewer or sharp knife into the thickest part of a thigh. It should come out very hot to the touch.6. Serve the quail in the leaves, but since they've been in the ashes, the leaves will be inedible, so should be removed before the quail are eaten.Serves 4

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.

GRILLED QUAIL WRAPPED IN GRAPE LEAVES ON WHITE BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the oil, onion, soy sauce, bay leaves and peppercorns together in a nonreactive dish just large enough to hold the quails in one layer. Add the quails, turning to coat them with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate them for eight hours, or overnight. Baste once during this time.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the beans, cook them until just tender, about 35 to 45 minutes, then drain. While the beans are still warm, add the red onion, tomato, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac if used, salt and mint leaves.
• While the beans are cooking, eat a charcoal grill or a broiler. Remove the quails from the marinade. Spread the grape leaves out flat. Place a half quail on the lower edge of each leaf. Roll up the bird in the leaf, turning in the sides as you roll. Run a skewer through the roll crosswise and add a piece of red pepper. Repeat with three more rolls and pieces of pepper per skewer.
• Once the salad has been made and the charcoal is hot, place the skewers on the grill and cook the quails for five minutes, then turn them over and cook the second side for five minutes more. Serve the quail rolls on top of the bean salad.

ROASTED QUAIL WITH RED GRAPES AND PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Clarify butter:
• In a heavy saucepan melt butter over low heat. Remove pan from heat and let butter stand 3 minutes. Skim froth and strain butter through a sieve lined with a double thickness of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth into a bowl, leaving milky solids in bottom of pan. Pour clarified butter into a jar or crock and chill, covered. Butter keeps, covered and chilled, indefinitely. When clarified, butter loses about one fourth its original volume.
• Roast quail:
• Preheat oven to 475°F.
• In a small saucepan boil vinegar, honey, and thyme sprigs over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour glaze through a fine sieve into a small bowl, discarding thyme, and reserve. In another small bowl stir together 2 tablespoons reserved glaze and 2 tablespoons clarified butter.
• In a saucepan of boiling salted water blanch onions 3 minutes. Drain onions and peel.
• Heat a flameproof roasting pan, 15 by 10 by 2 inches, in oven 10 minutes. In heated pan toss onions with remaining tablespoon clarified butter, chopped thyme, and salt and pepper to taste and roast in upper third of oven, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• While onions are roasting, prepare quail. Rinse quail and pat dry. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Brush quail inside and out with about one third glaze-butter mixture and tie legs together with kitchen string.
• Add grapes to pan and toss with onions. Arrange quail, breast sides down, over onions and grapes and roast 15 minutes. Turn quail over and baste with about half of remaining glaze-butter mixture. Roast quail, basting with remaining glaze-butter mixture, 10 minutes more, or until juices run clear when fleshy part of a thigh is pierced.
• Discard string from quail and transfer to a platter. Arrange grapes and onions around quail using a slotted spoon and keep warm.
• To pan add reserved glaze and on stovetop boil over high heat 5 minutes, or until thickened and reduced to about 1/2 cup. Season sauce with salt and pepper and drizzle over quail.
• Garnish quail with thyme and serve with baked wild rice amandine.

GRILLED QUAIL WITH PORCINI SAUCE

Steps:

• Wipe the quails dry with paper towels. Cut them down the back and spread them out flat.
• Combine two cloves garlic, the rosemary, one-quarter cup olive oil and the lemon juice in a large bowl. Marinate the three quails at room temperature for two hours, turning from time to time.
• Meanwhile soak the porcini in the hot water for 30 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold running water. Squeeze dry and set aside. Strain the soaking liquid through coffee filter paper, cheesecloth or paper towels and set aside.
• Heat the remaining olive oil and the butter in a large skillet. Add the remaining garlic, the porcini and the prosciutto and saute until the garlic just begins to turn golden. Add the mushroom soaking liquid and cook, stirring from time to time, until the soaking liquid has almost entirely evaporated (about 15 minutes). Meanwhile, preheat grill or coals.
• Add the fresh mushrooms to the skillet and cook another five to seven minutes. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper and keep warm.
• Grill the quail, cooking the skin side first and turning once or twice for 10 minutes, or until the birds are cooked. Baste with their marinade as you cook and be careful not to overcook them or the meat will be dry.
• Serve the quail on individual serving plates and spoon the mushroom sauce around them.