Southern Stuffed Quail Recipes

MUSHROOM-STUFFED QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Lay the quail skin side down on a baking sheet and season lightly with 1 tablespoon of the Creole seasoning. Insert 1 portion of the mushroom stuffing into the cavity of each quail and wrap the bird around it. Replace each bird on the baking sheet, breast side up. Brush the butter over the quails and season with the remaining tablespoon of Creole seasoning.
• Roast until the birds are tender and golden brown, 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve 2 quails per person. Serve with Truffle Sauce.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are wilted and begin to caramelize. Add the wine and cook, stirring to deglaze the pan and until the liquid has almost all evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the mushrooms to the bowl of a food processor. Add the cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, basil, and oregano, and process on high speed to a thick paste.
• Transfer to a bowl and divide into 8 equal portions. With your hands, pack each portion into a tight ball. Set aside until ready to stuff the quail.
• In a mixing bowl, mix the butter and truffle oil together. Place the butter on plastic wrap, form a log and wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm. In a saucepan, combine the white wine, shallots and garlic. Season with salt and white pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook for 1 minute. Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces. Reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk in the butter, 1 piece at a time. Reduce the heat to low and keep the sauce warm. Garnish with shaved truffles and chives.

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.

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.

SOUTHERN-FRIED QUAIL WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

Steps:

• Mix the 100ml buttermilk, cumin and a large pinch of salt together in a bowl. Put the quail halves in the buttermilk mix so they are completely covered, then chill for at least 6 hrs or overnight.
• To make the dressing, beat the mayonnaise, buttermilk, cheese and celery salt together - don't worry if it's not totally smooth. Keep chilled.
• When ready to cook, mix all the spiced flour ingredients together. Heat a deep-fat fryer or a deep pan with sunflower oil to 175C. Remove the quail from the fridge, then dip each half in the spiced our and carefully drop them in the fryer.
• Fry for about 6 mins until golden and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper and leave to rest for 2 mins or so. Pile onto a large serving plate, put the blue cheese sauce on the side for dipping, and scatter over the celery leaves, if you like.

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.

STUFFED QUAIL WITH CRAWFISH DRESSING

Steps:

• Rub quail with the rosemary, black pepper, and salt (and Tony Chachere's, if preferred).
• Prepare stuffing by sautéing remaining vegetables and basil in butter until tender.
• In a mixing bowl combine sautéed vegetables with cracker meal, crawfish, eggs, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
• Stuff quail liberally and bake in 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes or until done. Don't overcook.
• Baste with butter once while cooking.
• Place cooked quail on bed of brown or wild rice. Cherry sauce is optional.