Stuffed Quail Gumbo 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.

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.

STUFFED QUAIL GUMBO

Steps:

• Put quail on a flat surface and sprinkle cavity of each with salt and pepper and a pinch of file powder.
• Put rice in a bowl and add salt, pepper and a pinch of file powder.
• Open up cavity of each quail and spoon 2 level tablespoons of rice in. Place one slice sausage and one oyster on the layer of rice. Spoon 2 more tablespoons rice into each cavity, pressing down with fingers. Press all around openings of cavities to seal.
• Arrange quail breast up and close together in one layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle breasts with salt, pepper and a pinch of file powder. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the melted butter on top of each quail.
• Combine onion, green pepper, celery and garlic in a mixing bowl and set aside.
• Bring enough water to boil in a saucepan to cover four remaining slices of sausage. Add sausage slices and simmer gently about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wide, heavy skillet and add the flour, stirring rapidly all around bottom with a wire whisk. Cook, stirring constantly, until flour turns light caramel in color. Reduce heat and continue stirring. Pay strict attention to the color, which will now deepen rapidly. The flour, when ready, should be dark brown; it should not blacken. Total cooking time is about 6 minutes.
• Immediately add onion mixture and continue stirring vigorously 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth while stirring rapidly. Bring to boil and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes. Add the oyster liquor, bay leaves and thyme sprigs and let simmer about 35 minutes. Be sure to scrape bottom of pan to prevent sticking and lumping.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Place quail in oven and bake 30 minutes or until breasts are nicely browned.
• Carefully transfer quail to the simmering liquid and continue cooking 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Serve one quail and one slice of sausage with equal amounts of the gumbo liquid in four soup bowls.

SOUTHERN STUFFED QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven broiler.
• In a bowl, mix the pork, parsley, carrots, celery, garlic, bread crumbs, and pepper.
• Arrange the quail in a baking dish. Separate the skin from the breast of each quail, and stuff with equal amounts of the stuffing mixture. Brush with bacon drippings.
• Broil the quail 7 minutes on each side in the preheated oven, or to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).