Basil Scented Quail Recipes

PAN-COOKED QUAIL, VIETNAMESE-STYLE

Steps:

• 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.

SOUTHERN STEAMED QUAIL

Steps:

• Wash quail and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly season each bird with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and seasoning salt. Cover and efrigerate for at least 2 hours. Pour flour into a gallon plastic bag. Taking 2 quail at a time, put them in the flour and shake off excess.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Next, fry the quail in a pan or Dutch oven. You'll want to fill your cooking pan 1/2 way full with oil and heat to 350 degrees F. Fry until lightly brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Place the birds in a baking dish as they are removed from the oil. Pour the chicken broth around quail, but do not pour it directly on top of the birds. Broth should come 1/3 up the side of the bird. You may need more than 16 ounces of broth depending on the size of your quail. Pour wine around the birds. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 35 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

ROASTED QUAIL WITH JUNIPER BERRIES AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• With poultry shears or a sharp knife cut off necks, feet, and first 2 wing joints of each quail and discard. Finely chop garlic. Finely chop juniper berries and sprinkle half inside quail. Season quail inside and out with pepper and salt.
• In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add quail, breast sides down, and brown on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer quail to a plate and wipe skillet clean. In skillet melt butter and add quail, breast sides up. Transfer quail to middle of oven and roast, basting twice, until meat is pink for medium-rare, about 8 minutes. Transfer quail to a platter. Add garlic and remaining juniper berries to skillet and cook over low heat, stirring, 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Remove skillet from heat and stir in vinegar and any quail juices that have accumulated on platter. Spoon sauce over quail.

GRANDMA'S QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat the shortening in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
• Season the quail with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Place the flour in a shallow dish; roll the quail in the flour.
• Working in batches, brown the quail on all sides in the preheated shortening. Place the browned quail in a large roasting pan or casserole dish; pour the water over the quail and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), taken in the thickest part of the thigh. Spoon the sour cream over the quails, allow the sour cream to melt before serving.

SAUTEED QUAIL WITH RAISINS

Steps:

• Sprinkle quail on all sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat half of butter in skillet, with lid, large enough to hold opened quail in one layer without crowding. Add quail, breast side down, in skillet, and cook until golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Cook about 1 minute on second side until golden.
• Scatter shallots around quail and cook briefly, stirring. Sprinkle with Cognac and add broth. Cover and let simmer about 8 minutes. Add grapes, cover and cook 2 minutes more.
• Transfer quail to warm platter. Let sauce cook down 2 minutes. Swirl in remaining butter. Return quail to sauce. Heat sauce briefly and serve.

CITRUS MARINATED QUAIL

Steps:

• Butterfly quail by placing on cutting board breast side up, inserting knife into the cavity, and cutting down through the backbone. Cut off and discard wing tips.
• In a medium nonmetallic bowl, mix together oils, orange zest, and juice, lime juice, honey, soy sauce, garlic, pepper, and ginger. Add quail, cover, and refrigerate for several hours, turning several times.
• Heat a grill or grill pan until hot. Remove quail from marinade, and place on grill, skin side down. Cook until brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, basting occasionally with marinade. Turn quail, baste, and cook for 5 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and add noodles. Cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
• Pour remaining marinade into a saucepan. Reduce until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Strain, and place in a clean saucepan. Add noodles; simmer until heated through. Stir in sesame seeds.
• Divide noodles and pea shoots or watercress among 4 plates. Place a quail on top, and serve.

FRAGRANT CRISPY QUAIL

Steps:

• Rinse the quail and pat dry with paper towels. Check for pin feathers and pluck any you find.
• To make the marinade, select a large, shallow bowl or deep plate that fits in your steamer tray. Add the salt, ginger juice, and wine and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the quail and use your fingers to coat each bird well with the marinade. Then, spoon the marinade into their cavities and rub it in with your fingers. Fold back each wing so that the wing tip is behind the neck, as if the quail is relaxing. Arrange the quail so that there is minimal overlap, to ensure even cooking. Put the bowl in the steamer tray and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
• Fill the steamer pan halfway with water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the steamer tray, cover, and steam the quail for 9 to 11 minutes, or until there is no visible sign of pink rawness at the breast end. (Because the final frying is brief, the quail should be cooked through at this point. However, be careful not to steam away their juiciness.) While the quail steam, place a wire rack on a baking sheet.
• When the quail are ready, transfer them to the rack, angling them as if they are reclining or standing, so the liquid in the cavities drains out. When cool enough to handle, blot dry with paper towels, removing any bits of residue from the skin.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and soy sauce. Using your fingers, coat each quail evenly with the mixture. Place the quail on a plate. Wash and dry the rack and return it to the baking sheet.
• Put 1/4 cup of the cornstarch in a zip-top plastic bag. Standing near the sink, put a quail into the bag and shake a few times to dust lightly. Remove the quail and pat it between your hands over the sink to remove excess cornstarch. Put the quail, breast side up, on the rack. Repeat with the remaining quail, adding the remaining 1/4 cup cornstarch to the bag as needed. Set the quail aside for about 3 hours. As the quail sit, they will dry and absorb the cornstarch. They are ready to fry when most of the powdery white coating has turned light brown. Just before frying, give each quail a quick pat to remove any excess cornstarch.
• Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into a wok or 5-quart Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer. (If you don't have a thermometer, stand a dry bamboo chopstick in the oil; if small bubbles immediately gather on the surface around the chopstick, the oil is ready.)
• Because the quail brown quickly, you need to use a two-hands, two-utensils frying technique. With a skimmer in one hand and a large spoon in the other, lower a quail into the hot oil. Then immediately spoon the hot oil over the quail so that it fries to a nice, even brown. This only takes 30 to 45 seconds. To make sure the quail is browning evenly, occasionally use both utensils to lift and dip or rotate it in the oil. Because the color deepens slightly once the quail is out of the pan, pull it from the oil when it is just shy of a rich brown. Balance it between the skimmer and spoon as you lift it out, letting any excess oil drip back into the pan, and then return the quail to the rack. Repeat with the remaining quail. Once all the quail are fried, use a paper towel to blot away any clinging oil.
• To serve, cut each quail in half along the breastbone and place on a large platter. Take to the table and start nibbling.
• Notes
• These quail may be reheated in a preheated 350°F oven or toaster oven. Halve them first and put them cut side down to reheat. They are ready when you can hear them gently sizzling, usually about 10 minutes.
• You may also serve these quail with Salt, Pepper, and Lime Dipping Sauce (page 311); omit the chiles if desired.

CHINESE ROASTED QUAIL

Steps:

• Whisk together water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, xa xiu powder, and five-spice powder in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add halved quails and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Remove quail from the marinade, shake off excess, and place cut-sides up on a broiler pan. Discard the remaining marinade.
• Broil in the preheated oven until juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler and flip quail so cut-sides are facing down. Broil until skin is browned and slightly crispy, about 5 minutes, keeping a constant eye on the oven to prevent burning. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

BASIL SCENTED QUAIL

Steps:

• Cut the lemon into quarters, then on each quarter, cut in half crosswise.
• Take a little of the basil and push into the cavity of the quail, then add the lemon, then add more basil until full, repeat for all birds.
• Place any remaining basil into the baking dish and place birds on top.
• Rub the tops of the birds with olive oil.
• Sprinkle or grind salt over the birds.
• Roast at 180 degrees celcius for approx 20 minutes.
• Check for doneness.
• If nearly done, grill for approx 10 minutes, until golden.
• Crumble the feta over the top, as much or as little as you like.