A delicious supper for autumn and winter from Thomasina Miers. As an alternative to quail you could use pheasant, partridge, chicken or guinea fowl depending on their availability. The birds need to be marinaded for at least four hours.
Ingredients
- 4 quail
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed with a little salt
- 1 tsp thyme leaves finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- The seven spices :
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tbsp allspice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- For the onions:
- 150 ml vegetable oil
- 2 white onions peeled and finely sliced
- For the rice
- 180 g basmati rice soaked for 1 hour
- 60 g butter
- tbsp A few pinches saffron threads soaked in 1boiling water
- To serve:
- Greek-style yoghurt
- Seeds from ½ pomegranate
- 1 big handful coriander leaves
- To serve:
- Greek-style yoghurt
- Seeds from ½ pomegranate
- 1 big handful coriander leaves
Servings:
Instructions
- Cut out the quails’ backbones with a pair of sharp kitchen scissors and flatten them across the breast with the palm of your hand.
- Warm the seven spices in a pan, then put them in a mortar with the garlic, thyme and salt, and bash to a paste. Stir in three tablespoons of oil and the pomegranate molasses, rub all over the quail and marinate for at least four hours, preferably overnight.
- Warm the vegetable oil in a medium pan on a medium heat and stir in the onions. Leave to cook, stirring often, for 30-40 minutes, until evenly golden and crisp, taking care that they don’t burn. Transfer the onions to a plate lined with kitchen towel, to drain.
- Bring a deep pan of salted water to a boil and cook the rice for about five minutes until al dente. Drain, then briefly rinse in water. Wipe out the pan, then melt the butter in it, and pour into a cup.
- Return the drained rice to the pan, stir in half the melted butter, then smooth the top of the rice. Pour over the remaining butter and saffron, cover with a clean tea towel, put on the lid and cook on the lowest heat for 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked, with a golden crust on the bottom.
- Set the grill to its highest setting, season the quail with salt, drizzle over the remaining olive oil and grill breast-side up for four minutes, until golden. Turn and grill for a minute or two more, until cooked through.
- To serve, put some rice (including those lovely crisp bits at the bottom) on each plate, top with a quail, a generous spoonful of crisp onions, a dollop of yoghurt, and a scattering of pomegranate seeds and coriander.
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