For 4 persons
Ingredients:
- 4 whole quails
- 300g red currant (if we have no access to fresh or frozen fruit replace with 4 tbsp of red currant sauce)
- 3cl cognac
- 5dl wild stock
- 50g butter
- 1tsp salt or to taste
- 1tsp pepper or to taste
Marinade ingredients:
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 carrots cut to circles
- 2 turnips cut to circles
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2ltr water
- 10pc whole pepper corns
- 5pc whole coriander seeds
- 2 bay leafs
- 1tsp salt
- 1tsp sugar
- 1tbs spirit vinegar
- 2tbs cooking oil
Method of making the marinade:
Heat the oil in a saucepan of a size that will accommodate the 2ltrs of water and all the ingredients. Once oil is hot (NOT smoking hot) place the onions, carrot and the turnip into the saucepan, turn the heat low and simmer for about 3 minutes. Pour in the water, throw in the rest of the ingredients, bring to boil and boil gently for 20 minutes. When finished, place pan aside to cool down.
Method of cooking the dish:
Marinade the quails for 3-4 hrs. Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the quails. Fry them on medium heat turning frequently to avoid burning. Remove quails from pan and place onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Mix the red currant, cognac, wild stock, salt and pepper in a bowl. Remove the quails from the oven, add the rest of the ingredients and bake for a further 10 minutes. When finished, cut the quails in half, place onto plate and pour some of the juice that’s left in the baking tray over it.
It’s a wonderful strong wild flavoured quail dish, which is best served with mash potatoes and steamed vegetables.
