Festive quails
by
- Main
- Medium
- 4
- 2 hours
PT2H
Quail do pack a lot of punch for their tiny size but do ask your butcher for jumbo quail to ensure enough meat for each guest. Serve this game recipe from Bruno Loubet, instead of turkey, lamb or chicken if you're wanting to break Christmas convention.
Ingredients
Quails
- 4 jumbo quails
- 8 pancetta slices
- 300ml of chicken stock
- 6 tbsp of olive oil
- 200ml of sweet white wine
- 120g of dried cranberries
- 40 red grapes
Stuffing
- 6 pancetta slices
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 150g of mushrooms , sliced
- 1 lemon zest , grated
- 125g of onion , chopped
- 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 100g of long grain rice
- 200ml of chicken stock
- 100g of butter
- 250g of chicken livers , cleaned
Equipment
- 8 cocktail sticks
Method
1
To make the stuffing, cut 6 slices of pancetta into small pieces. In a pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the pancetta and fry to a light colour. Add the garlic, mushrooms, onions, lemon zest and thyme
- 6 pancetta slices
- 1 garlic clove
- 150g of mushrooms , sliced
- 125g of onion , chopped
- 1 lemon zest , grated
- 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
2
Cook well, stirring occasionally, then add the rice. Mix well and add the 200ml of chicken stock and 50g of butter. Cover with a lid or a foil. Lower the heat and gently simmer for 15 minutes
- 50g of butter
- 200ml of chicken stock
- 100g of long grain rice
3
Take off the heat and leave to rest for 2-3 minutes. Pour the rice onto a tray and cool down quickly
4
Clean the pan then heat the remaining butter. When it foams, cook the cleaned livers for 2 minutes only, then tip onto a chopping board and chop quite finely. Add to the cooling rice
- 50g of butter
- 250g of chicken livers
5
Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6
6
When the rice is at room temperature, fill the quails with the stuffing and close each opening with 2 cocktail sticks. Wrap 2 slices of pancetta around each bird
7
Place the birds on a roasting tin and pour 6 tablespoons of olive oil over the top. Cook for 10 minutes then add the white wine to the tin and leave to cook for another 15 minutes
- 6 tbsp of olive oil
- 200ml of sweet white wine
8
Remove from the heat and place on a plate. Cover with foil and keep warm
9
Add the 300ml of stock to the roasting tray with the cranberries and the grapes. Simmer gently until the jus is a light consistency
- 120g of dried cranberries
- 40 red grapes
- 300ml of chicken stock
10
To plate, place the quails on a large serving plate. Spoon the juices and fruit over
and serve immediately
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Festive quails
