Quality Quail

The tiny bird known to us as quail... I'm not sure who the first person was that decided "Let me eat one of those" but whomever it was deserves a high five and a bottle of fine bourbon. 

If you've never had quail you're in for a treat. It is a bit gamy, being a little more so than a Cornish Game Hen. If you've never had either of these, then just resolve to try one of them this year. Your taste buds will thank you. The flavor of each quail varies, and it will change greatly upon whether you have hunted your own or, sadly like myself, bought yours at the market. The farm raised ones will have a milder flavor than wild, fresh ones, but even my market bought farm raised ones were wonderful.

I decided to keep these pretty simple and let the flavor of the quail speak for itself. I picked up some beautiful shiitake and baby portobella mushrooms at the market on Saturday and made the plan to stuff them into the quail with some herbs and seasonings to let the earthy flavor meld with the gamy flavor of the quail. I seasoned the quail up with some butter, salt, pepper, thyme, sage and a little garlic and onion powder and baked them to just-doneness then crisped the skin under the broiler. While they didn't get as golden as I'd have liked, they had a wonderful flavor and I would certainly make them this way again.

 

 Mushroom Stuffed Quail

The first thing I set to doing after setting my oven to 400 degrees to preheat was to start in on the mushroom stuffing. First, if your mushrooms are dirty do not wash them, simply wipe them down gently with a damp cloth. Then cut the stems off of them. For the mix we don't want anything too tough or that will take significantly longer to cook than the top fleshy parts. Do this for all the types of mushrooms you choose to use.

Once you've got them all stemmed, cut them into pieces, for the larger ones aim for 16 pieces per mushroom and for the smaller ones aim for around 12.

Then it's time to saute and season them. Melt some butter in your pan. Don't be afraid of using too much here, somewhere around 4 tablespoons works well, since quail isn't very fatty it will help keep the bird moist once you stuff in the mix.

I know, I know.. all of you that have seen Julie and Julia are screaming at me now "Don't crowd the mushrooms!" but you know what? I like them crowded, it makes them sweat more... get it.. sweat? because they're crowded and mushrooms sweat....? Right then, moving right along now. 

Let them cook for a bit and just as they start to get tender and browned, add your seasonings. I used salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, rosemary, a dash of sage and then a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Stir it all together and let them get just browned on all sides.

Remove them from the pan and put them in a bowl to cool.

Now rinse your quail and set them on a towel or multiple paper towels to dry. After you've rinsed them all, pat them all dry and prepare to rub them down with butter. I just used my hands and rubbed a little butter between my palms, then coated each quail one at a time.

Forgive your quail for their blatant lack of manners- they were never taught to keep their legs closed and know not what they do. 

Once all the quail are coated in butter it's time to season. I kept mine mild as quail has a lovely flavor all on its own. I sprinkled each bird with salt, pepper, a dash of garlic and onion powders, thyme and sage.

Now it's time to stuff them. You can do this with either your hands or a spoon. I found using my hands easier so after the first two spoonfuls I just grabbed the mushrooms and poked them into the body cavity of the bird.

After you've stuffed them lay them right into the roasting pan. I lined mine with aluminum foil, but straight onto a lightly sprayed pan or even onto a rack would work well, too.

Put them into the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin begins to crisp. If you're fine with a light golden color you can pull them at this time. If you want them a darker golden, brush lightly with a little more butter and put them under a low broiler for a few minutes, but keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Remove them from the oven, let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then dig in. Getting the mushrooms out can be a challenge, but I promise, once you try a bite you will go through the hassle of tapping and digging to get them out.

Simmered Down Version

You will need:

6 quail

2 packs of mushrooms of your choosing

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Sage

Thyme

Balsamic Vinegar 

Rosemary

Onion powder

Garlic powder

How to:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Cut the stems from the mushrooms and chop into bite-size pieces. 

Saute mushrooms in butter. Once they brown, season with salt, pepper, sage, thyme, rosemary and balsamic vinegar.

Cook until browned but still firm. Remove to bowl and allow to cool.

Rinse all quails and allow to dry on paper towels. Blot dry what doesn't air dry, then rub each quail down with butter. 

Season quails with garlic, onion, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. 

Stuff quails with seasoned mushroom blend. 

Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until done.

If desired crisp skin under broiler. 

Let cool and enjoy!

Happy Eating!!

Random notes from me, not food related.

Some time over the weekend it occurred to me that I now possibly have readers that don't know me very well, if at all. For those of you that do know me and read the blog, scroll back up and drool--but for those of you that don't, I figured it might be nice to know who I am and what qualifies me to tell you how to cook these things.. and the honest, brutal answer is... absolutely nothing. I am a 20 something that just happens to love cooking. I have no culinary training, but instead just have a moderate intuition in the kitchen and I hope to open my own bakery soon. Coming from a family with a mother who is an amazing home cook and a father who ran restaurants and clubs in the military, I suppose I come by my appetite for good food honestly, though it has been a learning experience being on my own figuring out how to cook things differently or even how to cook new things in general. Having a helpful husband willing to try nearly anything I make has certainly helped. Just like any other non-chef cooks I scour the pages of cook books and the internet for recipes and ideas on how to cook things and to what temperature and this blog is intended to make it easier for everyone to feel like they can cook different things. So thank you for reading along and keeping up with me as I learn to cook new things and try to re-imagine old recipes.