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Walnut Grove Recipes
Stuffed Quail with Braised Red Cabbage and Puy Lentil Dressing
Serves 4
- 4 quails
- 200g red cabbage, shredded
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 40g butter
- 1/2 an apple, diced
- 1 tbsp sultanas
- salt & pepper
- 100ml water
Method
1. Bone out the quail, keeping the legs intact (or buy pre-boned quail). Stuff the quail with a herb farce of your choice, and re-shape the bird, holding it in place with a cocktail stick.
2.To cook the cabbage, place all the ingredients in a heavy based saucepan and gently simmer until tender and all the liquid has evaporated. (If the cabbage is not soft & tender before all the liquid has evaporated add a little more water until it is sufficiently cooked. Season to taste.
Dressing
Take 4 tbsp ns olive oil, 1 tbsp cooked puy lentils, 1tbspn balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp cooked wild mushrooms. Place all the ingredients in a bowl, stir and season.
When cabbage is cooked and dressing is made you are now ready to cook the quail.
Heat a heavy based frying pan, add a little oil and butter and fry the quails until golden brown all over. Put into preheated oven at 180°C for around 10mins, or until the quails are cooked. Remove from oven and leave to rest for 5mins.
To serve, take a slice from the top of the quail. Put a tablespoon of red cabbage in the middle of the plate and place the quail carefully on top. Delicately spoon the dressing around the edge of the plate, and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.
Serving Suggestions
Although it is possible to bone out your quails yourself, because it is so fiddly it is well worthwhile buying pre-boned quails, which are easily available from good butchers.
A good farce to use would be garlic & thyme, just use a standard stuffing recipe.
Always soak your puy lentils for a few hours before cooking, to avoid them breaking up when you cook them.
Advanced Preparation
This whole dish can be prepared up to 2 days before consumption, although the quails must be cooked just before serving.
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