Quaglie Lessate E Riposate Sull Erbe Selvatiche Recipes

Steps:

• Season the insides of the quail with salt and pepper and insert a sage leaf into each. Wrap each with pancetta slices, fastening with toothpicks.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown quail, moistening with brandy, 1/2 of the beef stock, and 1/2 of the wine, until most of the wine has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and transfer mixture to a baking dish.
• Roast in the preheated oven until quail are no longer pink in the centers and juices run clear, about 12 minutes, moistening with juices as needed.
• Remove baking dish from the oven and transfer juices to the saucepan; add quail. Cover and cook over low heat, turning frequently, for another 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tablespoon butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until the onion begins to turn golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes. Pour in rice and stir until coated in butter and starting to toast, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium and stir in remaining wine. Let wine simmer until it has mostly evaporated, then stir in 1/3 of the remaining broth; continue stirring until the rice has absorbed the liquid and turned creamy. Repeat this process twice more, stirring risotto constantly, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir remaining butter and 1/2 of the Parmigiano cheese into the risotto.
• Serve each quail on a bed of risotto. Drizzle edges of risotto with pan juices and sprinkle remaining Parmigiano cheese on each quail. Serve hot.

Steps:

• In a large soup kettle, bring to a simmer 2 quarts of water and the sea salt. Add the bottle of white wine and permit the liquid to return to a simmer.
• Place a leaf of sage inside the cavity of each bird. Slide four or more of the quail into the simmering liquids-as many as will fit comfortably. As the liquids once more return to a gentle simmer, lower the flame and poach the birds for 10 to 12 minutes, until their breast flesh feels firm when poked a bit with a finger. The time will vary with the weight of the birds. If you've kept the liquid barely simmering and have resisted leaving the birds too long in their bath, their meat will be succulent, tender.
• Have on hand a brown paper bag or a rededicated pillowcase. While the quail poach, ready the sack by laying it on its side and fashioning a cushion of the herbs and garlic. One cannot use too many herbs for this purpose.
• Remove the quail from their poaching liquors with a large slotted spoon. Position the birds directly inside the herb-lined sack. Close the sack and continue the poaching process until all the quail are cooked and safely nested inside. If using chicken or capon, relieve the birds of their skins after the poaching process. Fasten the sack with some butcher's twine and leave it to rest at cool room temperature for 8 or 10 hours or as many more as your patience permits. A Sard will tell you to let the birds rest for two days.
• When you are ready, serve the quail at room temperature as a starter course, presenting them on cushions of warm, just-toasted bread and glossing them with tears of good, green oil, flattering the savor of the herbed birds. Jugs of cold white wine are welcome.