Quail is a great favourite among many Greek cooks and is particularly popular in the Peloponnese (where my father in law was born) and my mother in law’s stunning home island of Zakynthos. These small birds are savoured in many different ways: filled with rice and herbs before being roasted; wrapped in vines leaves and grilled; the feature ingredient in a rice pliaf or cooked in a light tomato sauce with plenty of Kalamata olives.
As Greek Easter falls during Autumn in Australia, game birds such as quail, ruby red grapes and violet flushed sage really come into their own: full-bodied food for cooler days and the Greek Easter table. The warming colour and flavour of saffron is particularly suited to these small birds. It may seem a richly flavoured dish with saffron, honey and sage, but it isn’t heavy – it is delicate and delicious, one to be savoured at a shared table with your closest family.
BRAISED QUAILS WITH SAFFRON, HONEY AND SAGE
(Ορτύκια με σαφράν, μέλι και φασκόμηλο)
Ingredients
- 3 quails
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 small bunch fresh sage finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt flakes
- 25 g cultured butter
- 1 tbsp of Greek extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups of chicken stock preferably home made
- 1 pinch of Greek saffron threads
- 100 ml white wine
- 1 tbsp Greek saffron honey
- 200 g seedless red grapes
- more sage leaves to serve
Instructions
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Halve the quails (cutting through the backbone and breastbone). Then rinse the quails well and pat dry with paper towel or a clean tea towel.
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Using a pestle and mortar, pound the lemon zest, sage, garlic and salt until it is bruised. Rub the marinate mixture into the quail halves and place in a zip lock kitchen bag. Place in the fridge and allow the quail to absorb the flavours over 3 hours.
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Just before you start to cook the quails, warm the chicken stock and add the saffron threads - allowing it to infuse for a good 10-15 minutes.
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To cook the little birds, heat the butter and olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the butter begins to get a little frothy, add the quail skin side down and cook until the skin browns (around 2-3 minutes). Next at the warm saffron infused chicken stock, white wine and saffron honey. Cover the frying pan with a lid, bring to a simmer and cook for around 10 minutes (or until the quail is just cooked through).
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Remove the quail from the pan and put on a platter, covered with foil to keep warm. Keep the sauce in the pan on a simmer and allow it to reduce by about half. Then, add the grapes (in their neat little bunches is fine) and simmer for just a few minutes until their skins start to split.
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Arrange some roasted potatoes on a platter and top with the halved quails and grapes. Drizzle over the sauce and scatter over the remaining sage leaves. Give the platter a final flourish with a drizzle of beautiful Greek extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.
