Best 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.

QUAIL STUFFED WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a large container, mix together the pineapple juice, orange juice, and honey. Marinate the quail in this mixture overnight, refrigerated.
• Stuff each marinated quail with a small rolled ball of the hot sausage. Dust each quail lightly with Everglades Seasoning, then wrap each quail with a strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Smoke the quail over indirect heat for 2 to 3 hours.

SAUSAGE STUFFED QUAIL

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan lightly with olive oil. Toss in the fennel, onions and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and bring the pan to a medium-high heat. Cook the onions and fennel until they are soft and wilted but don't have any color, 7 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and let them cool.
• In a bowl, combine the sausage, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, egg, parsley and cooked onions and fennel. Mix well to combine.
• Divide the stuffing among the 4 quail. Press each quail to lightly flatten and evenly disperse the stuffing. Wrap each quail with a bacon slice and secure the bacon with a toothpick. Tie the quail's legs together with butcher's twine (otherwise they will look like road kill).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring the pan to a medium-high heat. Sprinkle the quail with salt and add it to the pan. Brown them really well on each side, 3 to 4 minutes. When the quail are brown on both sides, transfer the quail to a baking sheet and put them in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the toothpicks and reserve the quail.
• Meanwhile, ditch the fat from the pan and add the port wine. Cook the wine over medium heat until it has reduced by half. Add 3/4 cup chicken stock, season with salt and reduce by half. Add the remaining chicken stock and reduce it by about three-quarters, or until it seems a little bit thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Divide the arugula among 4 serving plates. Place a quail on each pile of arugula and spoon some of the sauce on the quail and the arugula. Serve immediately.

ROAST QUAIL

Steps:

• 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.

CRISPY ROASTED KALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange 3 oven racks evenly spaced in the oven.
• Lay each kale leaf on a board and, with a small sharp knife, cut out the hard stem. Tear large leaves in half. Place the kale in a large bowl of water and wash it well. Drain the kale and dry it in a salad spinner. Dry the bowl, and put the kale back in the bowl.
• Toss the kale with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Divide the kale among 3 sheet pans or roast them in batches. If you put too much kale on one pan, it will steam rather than roast and will never become crisp. Roast for 15 minutes, until crisp. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and serve hot.

LACINATO KALE SALAD WITH ROASTED SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and pepper; toss well. Roast until golden brown, tossing halfway through, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place shallots on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and drizzle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast until brown, tossing halfway through, about 30 minutes.
• In a large salad bowl, combine lemon juice, flaxseed oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cut 2 inches off bottom of kale, and slice leaves crosswise into 3/4-inch ribbons (you should have 12 cups loosely packed kale); add to salad bowl. Toss kale with dressing, squeezing until leaves are soft. Let stand for at least 30 minutes.
• Add vegetables, cheese, and nuts to kale. Toss well to combine.

PASTA WITH KALE PESTO AND ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a vegetable peeler to peel squash, then halve it lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Dice squash flesh into 1-inch pieces, place on a baking sheet, and toss with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread pieces into an even layer, making sure there is space between them. Roast, stirring squash pieces once or twice, until golden brown and tender, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; have ready a bowl of ice water. Drop kale into boiling water and cook for 45 seconds. Use tongs or slotted spoon to transfer kale to ice water. Bring water in pot back to a boil, adding more if necessary so there is enough to cook pasta.
• Drain kale well, then wrap tightly in a dry kitchen towel and squeeze thoroughly to remove any excess moisture. Roughly chop leaves. When water in pot comes back to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions.
• In a food processor, pulse together kale, nuts, garlic, salt and lemon zest until mixture is smooth and salt has dissolved. With motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until fully incorporated. Taste and add more salt dissolved in a little lemon juice, if necessary.
• Drain pasta, reserving a little cooking water. Toss pasta with kale pesto and some pasta cooking water if necessary to help it coat pasta. Add cheese, lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve topped with squash and more cheese.

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)