Quail only seem intimidating. This recipe from Loukie Werle is simple, delicious, and channels the simplicity of Italian cooking. It does well with a variety of Italian wines, but we love it with an easy drinking Alto Piemonte Nebbiolo.
Ingredients
12 sage leaves
24 juniper berries, slightly crushed, plus 1 tsp juniper berries, slightly crushed
12 quails, washed and dried
12 slices of pancetta
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grappa or gin
1/2 cup dry white wine
Preparation
Place a sage leaf and 2 juniper berries inside the cavity of each quail. Wrap each quail in a slice of pancetta. Tie securely with kitchen string, tying the legs together as you do.
Heat a large frying pan over moderately high heat. Add the iol and when hot, but not smoking, add the quails and cook until brown all over, abut 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the grappa and cook until evaporated. Remove the quails to a heated platter and keep warm.
Add 1 teaspeoon crushed juniper berries to the pan, with the wine, and cook, scraping any browned bits frm the bottom of the pan, until the liquidis syrupy. Pour over the quails and serve immediately.
